Factors affecting seed rain beneath fleshy-fruited plants |
| |
Authors: | Takahashi Kazuaki Kamitani Tomohiko |
| |
Institution: | (1) Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1, Yayoi 1 Chome, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan;(2) Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 8050, Ikarashi 2 Chome, Niigata 950-2181, Japan |
| |
Abstract: | We investigated factors affecting seed rain beneath nine fleshy-fruited fruiting plant species growing in a 1-ha plot of planted
Pinus thunbergii in central Japan. We tested whether the numbers of seeds and seed species dropped by birds beneath fruiting plants were correlated
with the number of fruits removed by birds from the plants. Most of fruiting plant species with high fruit removal had significantly
high seed rain. Both the numbers of seeds and seed species dropped were significantly, positively correlated with the number
of fruits removed across for all fruiting plant species. Therefore, fruit removal predicted the difference among heterospecific
fruiting plants in seed rain. We also tested whether the number of fruits removed from fruiting plants by birds was related
with fruit crop size, fruit size, and height of the plants, and the numbers of fruits and fruit species of neighboring plants
near the plants. Most of fruiting plant species with high fruit crop size had significantly high fruit removal. The number
of fruits removed was significantly, positively correlated with both the fruit crop size and the number of neighboring fruits
across the nine fruiting plant species. However, the effect of the neighboring fruit density on fruit removal was lower remarkably
than that of fruit crop size. Therefore, fruit crop size best predicted the differences among heterospecific fruiting plants
in fruit removal. We suggest that fruiting plant species with high fruit crop size and high fruit removal contribute to intensive
seed rain beneath them.
This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
| |
Keywords: | Fruit crop size Fruiting environment Fruiting plant Fruit removal Fruit size Seed rain |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|