Difference on cone size preferences between two coniferous species by Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major).

Łukasz Dylewski,Łukasz Myczko,Reuven Yosef

doi:10.7717/peerj.3288

Łukasz Dylewski, Łukasz Myczko + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3288

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Abstract

The number of species that specialize in pre-dispersal seed predation is relatively small. Examples of specialized pre-dispersal seed predators adapted to feeding on closed cones include vertebrate species like Crossbills, Squirrels, Nutcrackers and Woodpeckers. Seed predation selects against certain phenotypic features of cones and favors another phenotypic features. In this study, we document preferences of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) for specific traits in the cones of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). We found that the Great Spotted Woodpecker prefers to feed on medium sized Norway spruce cones. The results suggest a disruptive selection that favors the extreme cone lengths in Norway spruce. In Scots pine, the woodpeckers avoided cones with large apophyses. Further, the selectivity for the specific characteristics of the cones is probably related to the configuration of the anvil, a place at which woodpeckers extract seeds from the cones. We think that the Great Spotted Woodpecker preferences in relation to the morphological characteristics of cones are a key to the design of the anvil in order to maximize the use of it as a tool for processing cones of both the Norway spruce and the Scots pine.

Highlights

Natural selection is an essential process in the ecology and evolution of ecosystems which arises from both biotic and biotic-interaction (Brockhurst et al, 2014)
Our data suggests that the Great Spotted Woodpecker prefers foraging on medium size Norway spruce cones, i.e., those between 90 and 150 mm
It appears that the selection pressure is constant in spite of a very wide range of cone lengths (Fig. 1)

Summary

Introduction

Natural selection is an essential process in the ecology and evolution of ecosystems which arises from both biotic and biotic-interaction (Brockhurst et al, 2014). The adaptation in one of the interacting organisms creates an increasing selection pressure on the opposite species which results in co-evolution. The interactions between seed-eating animals and plants this may result in a mutualistic and/or antagonistic relationship. Coniferous species have evolved many morphological and chemical defenses to protect their propagules (Lewinsohn et al, 1991; Coffey, Benkman & Milligan, 1999; Phillips & Croteau, 1999). The creation of defense mechanisms in the form of increased wood tissue is the result of selection pressures exerted by specialized conifer-seed-eating animals (Leslie, How to cite this article Dylewski et al (2017), Difference on cone size preferences between two coniferous species by Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major).

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