Abstract
SummaryPost‐dispersal seed predation and endozoochorous seed dispersal are two antagonistic processes in relation to plant recruitment, but rely on similar preconditions such as feeding behavior of seed consumers and seed traits. In agricultural landscapes, rodents are considered important seed predators, thereby potentially providing regulating ecosystem services in terms of biological weed control. However, their potential to disperse seeds endozoochorously is largely unknown. We exposed seeds of arable plant species with different seed traits (seed weight, nutrient content) and different Red List status in an experimental rye field and assessed seed removal by rodents. In a complementary laboratory experiment, consumption rates, feeding preferences, and potential endozoochory by two vole species (Microtus arvalis and Myodes glareolus) were tested. Seed consumption by rodents after 24 h was 35% in the field and 90% in the laboratory. Both vole species preferred nutrient‐rich over nutrient‐poor seeds and M. glareolus further preferred light over heavy seeds and seeds of common over those of endangered plants. Endozoochory by voles could be neglected for all tested plant species as no seeds germinated, and only few intact seeds could be retrieved from feces. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that voles can provide regulating services in agricultural landscapes by depleting the seed shadow of weeds, rather than facilitating plant recruitment by endozoochory. In the laboratory, endangered arable plants were less preferred by voles than noxious weeds, and thus, our results provide implications for seed choice in restoration approaches. However, other factors such as seed and predator densities need to be taken into account to reliably predict the impact of rodents on the seed fate of arable plants.
Highlights
Various ecological processes can influence the fate of a seed, once it is released from the parent plant
To elucidate small rodents’ seed feeding behavior, depending on different seed traits, as well as their ecosystem functions as seed predators and/or endozoochorous seed dispersers, we studied the impact of small rodents on the post-dispersal seed fate of arable plant species
Seed removal rates ranged from 5.56 Æ 2.58% for G. aparine in the “no rodent access” treatment under “reduced” sowing rates to 65.26 Æ 4.30% for B. arvensis in the “all access” treatment under “normal” sowing rates (Table S2)
Summary
Various ecological processes can influence the fate of a seed, once it is released from the parent plant. Some processes may reduce the successful germination and seedling establishment; others may provide. While post-dispersal seed predation can significantly reduce recruitment in many plant species (Kollmann 1995; Bricker et al 2010; Maron et al 2012; Crawley 2013; but see Pinto et al 2014), seed dispersal can facilitate plant recruitment, for example, by decreasing intra- and interspecific competition and by increasing the probability of seeds to reach microsites suitable for germination (Cousens et al 2008; Nathan et al 2008; Pinto et al 2014).
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