Behavioral adaptations of scatterhoarders to seasonal flooding

Abstract

Scatterhoarder responses to factors that influence stored food (i.e., flooding) is important given the strong reliance on hoarded food for survival. We examined how eastern gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis, Gmelin 1778) have adapted to a seasonally flooded ecosystem in Alabama. Our study area was dry September–November and flooded the rest of the year. We predicted squirrels would respond to flooding by storing food in areas that stay dry during winter, seasonally shifting to dry habitat, or decreasing the amount of hard mast in their winter diet. We also examined previously reported survival differences between the dry and flooded seasons. During the dry season, 72% of acorns were buried in areas that later flooded. Habitat use did not change significantly during the flooded and dry seasons; however, squirrels used habitat that stayed dry during flooding to a greater degree during non-flood seasons. The amount of hard mast in the diet did not change significantly between the dry and flooded seasons. However, squirrels were more likely to die during the flooded season ( P = 0.02). We did not find any behavioral adaptations to seasonal flooding. Further research is needed to fully understand the effects of fluctuating environmental conditions on scatterhoarders.