围栏条件下中华姬鼠和北社鼠对完好和虫蛀锐齿槲栎种子的取食和贮藏行为差异

正种子贮藏是啮齿动物利用食物资源的一种适应性行为(Vander Wall,1990)。经过长期的进化,啮齿动物形成了两种主要的贮藏食物行为:一是集中贮藏,即把收集的大量食物集中在其洞穴或临时栖息场所贮藏,通常有少量贮藏点,每个贮藏点有大量种子;二是分散贮藏,即把收集的种子分散贮藏在相对较大范围或其巢域周围,通常有大量贮藏点,但每个贮藏点仅贮藏约1～3粒种子。与集中贮藏相比,分散贮藏扩展了植物种子的分布范围,降低了种子被动物取食的概率。由于被分散贮藏的     

围栏条件下捕食风险对岩松鼠贮藏核桃种子行为的影响

面对捕食风险,贮藏植物种子的啮齿动物如何通过调整其贮藏行为,权衡捕食风险和贮食效益,需要深入研究。2006 年9 月,在北京东灵山地区,以黄鼬作为捕食风险源,在半自然围栏内比较了有无捕食风险源时,岩松鼠贮藏的核桃种子的状态,以及埋藏种子在实验围栏内的分布、微生境和搬运距离,以探讨捕食风险对岩松鼠贮藏种子行为的影响。结果表明,捕食风险源存在时,搬运和埋藏种子的比例都显著减少,弃置地表种子的比例无显著差异;埋藏于高风险区的种子比例减少,中风险区和低风险区的埋藏种子比例增加,但差异都不显著;位于裸地和草下的埋藏种子比例减少,位于墙基的埋藏种子比例增加,但差异都不显著;此外,埋藏种子的搬运距离也没有显著差异。可见,捕食风险源存在时,岩松鼠显著减少了搬运和埋藏种子的比例,但对埋藏种子时的埋藏区域和微生境选择,以及搬运距离无显著影响。差异不显著可能与围栏效应有关。     

鼠类对栓皮栎和锥栗种子的贮藏:验证高单宁假说

种子中的单宁影响鼠类的取食和贮藏策略.高单宁假说认为鼠类倾向于优先贮藏单宁含量高的种子、取食单宁含量低的种子.同域分布的鼠类对种子的取食和贮藏选择是否符合高单宁假说的预测尚缺乏足够的实验证据.本研究通过围栏实验研究了四川都江堰地区亚热带常绿阔叶林中的小泡巨鼠(Leopoldamyys edwardsi)、针毛鼠(Niv...     

围栏条件下岩松鼠对核桃的贮藏

许多动物都能够贮藏食物以应对一定时期的食物短缺。岩松鼠是中国特有的一种啮齿动物,主要分布于华北山地和丘陵地区,对于其食物贮藏行为还了解不多。我们在北京东灵山地区建立了半自然围栏,在围栏一角设置一木质巢箱供其休息,在围栏中心设一食盘(给食处),就岩松鼠对核桃(已预先标记)的贮藏特征进行了观察。每只受试动物在实验开始前6 h断食,于13∶ 00 左右,随机选择1 只岩松鼠,将其放入围栏中适应2 ～ 3 h。随后,在给食处放置20 枚已标记的核桃。于第二天同一时间进入围栏,检查并记录岩松鼠对核桃的处理情况,将埋藏、取食和剩余的核桃全部移出,另置20 枚新的核桃,继续实验。第三天,重复上述检查和记录,将岩松鼠及被其处理的核桃全部移出,清理巢箱、整理围栏。随后放入第二只岩松鼠,重复上述实验过程,如遇恶劣气候,则实验顺延,直至实验结束。结果表明:岩松鼠兼具集中贮藏和分散贮藏两种食物贮藏方式,并且分散方式是其主要的食物贮藏方式;岩松鼠在围栏中选择一定的位置贮藏食物;文中还讨论了可能影响岩松鼠食物贮藏的因素。     

济源太行山区鼠类对三种林木种子的扩散和贮藏

对取食种子的动物而言,种子的选择、扩散以及随后的处理是一个复杂的过程。为了解济源太行山区鼠类对不同种林木种子的选择和扩散策略的差异,于2011 年9 月10 日至11 月8 日,选取山杏、桃和栓皮栎3 种林木种子,将种子标记后,释放于次生林中,以5 d 间隔,调查并记录种子命运。结果表明: (1)大林姬鼠和岩松鼠是该地区主要的种子取食者和扩散者; (2)3 种种子的扩散速率明显不同,栓皮栎种子扩散速率最快(中位存留时间8. 6 d),其次为山杏种子(中位存留时间20. 9 d),桃种子扩散速率最慢(中位存留时间37. 5 d); (3)鼠类倾向于取食栓皮栎种子(55.0%) , 埋藏山杏种子(62. 0% ),但忽略桃种子(原地存留率99. 0% );(4)88. 6%的山杏和78. 8% 的栓皮栎种子被贮藏在灌丛下方、树干基部周围和石块旁边等生境中,而仅有4 3% 的山杏和9.1% 的栓皮栎种子被贮藏于裸地中;(5)鼠类将山杏种子搬运到更远(3. 4 ± 2. 1 m,mean± SE,n =63)处贮藏;而栓皮栎种子的搬运距离则相对较近(2. 5 ± 2. 4 m,n = 57)。结果显示:鼠类对不同种植物种子具有明显的取食、贮藏偏好和不同的贮藏策略。     

种内及种间干扰对围栏内花鼠分散贮藏行为的影响

2009 年9 月在黑龙江省带岭区东方红林场10 m ×10 m 半天然围栏内模拟花鼠种内(不同性别) 和种间
(大林姬鼠) 干扰竞争对花鼠分散埋藏红松种子行为的影响。实验分四个处理两个批次进行,依次为单只花鼠对
照实验(雄性7 只,雌性9 只)、种内同性干扰竞争、种内异性干扰竞争和种间干扰竞争。结果表明:(1)花鼠
雌性个体的分散埋藏强度明显高于雄性个体;(2)种间干扰竞争引起花鼠对红松分散埋藏比例明显增加,而种
内干扰对花鼠分散埋藏行为的影响不显著;(3) 种内干扰竞争条件下,同性干扰竞争和异性干扰竞争对花鼠分
散埋藏行为均无显著影响;(4)雄性个体在同性干扰下,埋藏强度不变;而在雌性个体干扰竞争下,埋藏强度
增加;(5)雌性个体在雌性和雄性干扰条件下,花鼠分散埋藏行为均无明显变化。     

四种昼行性动物取食和贮藏红松种子的行为比较

于2005年10月1~7日,采用全时焦点观察法研究了黑龙江凉水国家级自然保护区19林班原始红松林内松鼠(Sciurus vulgaris)、星鸦(Nucifraga caryocatactes)、花鼠(Eutamias sibiricus)和普通(Sitta europaea)4种昼行性动物取食和贮藏红松种子的行为。结果表明①4种动物的取食和贮藏过程包括找寻、松塔的处理与种子剥食、松塔和种子的搬运、确定贮藏点、掩藏和警戒等6个环节,但它们在6个环节所耗费的时间均存在较大差异;②4种动物的种子消耗量亦存在较大差异(χ2=144.67,df=3,P<0.05),松鼠、星鸦、花鼠和普通每次平均取食红松种子的数量分别为40.0粒、20.9粒、16.7粒和1.3粒。松鼠与星鸦能够在地面和树冠层取食或收获红松松塔及种子,而花鼠与普通则主要在地面取食;③4种动物贮藏种子的能力亦有较大差异(χ2=68.76,df=3,P<0.05Kruskal-Wallis),松鼠、星鸦和普通主要分散贮藏红松种子,松鼠和星鸦的贮藏量最多,而花鼠很少分散贮藏种子,但能将许多红松种子集中贮藏在少数的贮藏点;④取食松籽的种间竞争强烈,在红松林的垂直高度上,松鼠和星鸦具有高度重叠的取食生态位,花鼠和普通因为种群数量大,对地面种子库的消耗量较大。分析结果显示,松鼠与星鸦是红松种子扩散的传播者,普通是种子消耗者兼传播者,而花鼠则近乎是完全的捕食者。     

华山松种子大小对啮齿动物贮藏行为的影响及其时空变化

华山松(Pinus armandii)是广泛分布在中国中西部海拔1000～3300m的山地、种子较大(约300mg)的松属植物。为探究华山松种子大小对啮齿动物贮藏行为的影响,于2006年和2007年在滇西北3个不同地点进行种子标记和追踪实验。结果表明,在所有年份和地点,啮齿动物都倾向于贮藏更多的大种子和取食更多的小种子;啮齿动物贮藏大种子的数量,以及平均距离和最大距离均显著高于小种子。3个地点具有不同的啮齿动物群落结构,从而对种子命运产生显著影响。种子命运在两个年份间也存在显著差异。     

种子大小对小泡巨鼠贮藏行为的影响

以小泡巨鼠为研究对象,在围栏条件下,测定小泡巨鼠对大小两种栓皮栎种子的贮藏行为差异,以检验最优贮藏空间模型的两个预测:(1)大种子(高价值食物)的贮藏率大于小种子(低价值食物);(2)大种子的贮藏距离远于小种子.结果表明:大种子的搬运比例(39%)多于小种子(21.5%),多数的小种子(53%)被取食,大种子的贮藏比率(16%)远大于小种子(7%),上述结果支持模型的预测(1).但是,不同大小种子在贮藏距离上没有显著差异,因而预测(2)没有被支持.实验结果表明种子价值对鼠类的取食和贮藏行为有十分重要的影响,但围栏空间可能影响对模型预测(2)的检验.     

贮藏种子的啮齿动物对油茶种子沉积形式的影响

种子沉积的质量常常涉及种子扩散作用者(如鸟类和小型啮齿动物)对生境和微生境的选择以及种子沉积的形式(如种子埋藏).然而,很少的研究涉及到种子在离开母树后被这些动物沉积在何处.在四川省都江堰一个实验林场的2个林分(次生林和原生林)内,通过追踪用带编号的金属薄片标记的油茶(Camellia oleifera Abel.)种子的命运,研究了贮藏种子的啮齿动物对种子沉积的影响.研究发现:在2个林分内,80%以上的种子被很好地埋藏在0～60 mm深的土壤中,而小部分种子则被放置在地表(但有少量落叶遮盖).小型啮齿动物喜好在灌丛下或灌丛边缘贮藏和取食种子,可能是在这样的微生境下它们在觅食时将遭遇较小的捕食风险.研究还发现,贮藏点的微生境分布随贮藏点等级而逐渐变化:在两个林分内较高等级的贮藏点(如次贮藏点和三级贮藏点)比初级贮藏点有更多的种子被贮藏在灌丛下或灌丛边缘.这表明,啮齿动物对油茶种子的埋藏可能更有益于种子的存活、萌发以及幼苗的建成.啮齿动物将散落在母树下或其附近的油茶种子扩散到不同的微生境,这可能有利于他们遭遇到更多的适宜环境而萌发,实现幼苗补充.     

Seed caching and cache pilferage by three rodent species in a temperate forest in the Xiaoxinganling Mountains

Although differences in food-hoarding tactics both reflect a behavioral response to cache pilferage among rodent species and may help explain their coexistence, differentiation in cache pilfering abilities among sympatric rodents with different hoarding strategies is seldom addressed. We carried out semi-natural enclosure experiments to investigate seed hoarding tactics among three sympatric rodent species (Tamias sibiricus, Apodemus peninsulae and Clethrionomys rufocanus) and the relationship of their pilfering abilities at the inter- and intraspecific levels. Our results showed that T. sibiricus exhibited a relatively stronger pilfering ability than A. peninsulae and C. rufocanus, as indicated by its higher recovery rate of artificial caches. Meanwhile A. peninsulae showed a medium pilfering ability and C. rufocanus displayed the lowest ability. We also noted that both cache size and cache depth significantly affected cache recovery in all three species. T. sibiricus scatter-hoarded more seeds than it larder-hoarded, A. peninsulae larder-hoarded more than scatter-hoarded, and C. rufocanus acted as a pure larder-hoarder. In T. sibiricus, individuals with lower pilfering abilities tended to scatter hoard seeds, indicating an intraspecific variation in hoarding propensity. Collectively, these results indicated that sympatric rodent species seem to deploy different food hoarding tactics that allow their coexistence in the temperate forests, suggesting a strong connection between hoarding strategy and pilfering ability.     

Interspecific synchrony of seed rain shapes rodent‐mediated indirect seed–seed interactions of sympatric tree species in a subtropical forest

Animal‐mediated indirect interactions play a significant role in maintaining the biodiversity of plant communities. Less known is whether interspecific synchrony of seed rain can alter the indirect interactions of sympatric tree species. We assessed the seed dispersal success by tracking the fates of 21 600 tagged seeds from six paired sympatric tree species in both monospecific and mixed plots across 4 successive years in a subtropical forest. We found that apparent mutualism was associated with the interspecific synchrony of seed rain both seasonally and yearly, whereas apparent competition or apparent predation was associated with interspecific asynchrony of seed rain either seasonally or yearly. We did not find consistent associations of indirect interactions with seed traits. Our study suggests that the interspecific synchrony of seed rain plays a key role in the formation of animal‐mediated indirect interactions, which, in turn, may alter the seasonal or yearly seed rain schedules of sympatric tree species.     

Discrimination of cis-trans sex pheromone components in two sympatric Lepidopteran species

Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) play an important role in the recognition of pheromones by insects. However, the abilities of these PBPs to discriminate pheromone components and recognize the isomers are unclear. Dendrolimus houi and Dendrolimus kikuchii are two sympatric coniferous pests whose pheromones have cis-trans isomers. We used these insect species to detect the precise recognition abilities of PBPs. The four PBPs examined showed male-biased antenna-intensive expression patterns, whereas PBP1 showed higher expression than PBP2 in the antenna. DhouPBP1 only bound to a minor interspecific pheromone component, whereas DhouPBP2 bound to all three intraspecific components and another minor interspecific component. DkikPBP1 and DkikPBP2 could recognize all three intraspecific components with affinities negatively correlated with their ratios, and they bound to interspecific pheromones with affinity that was positively correlated with the ratios. The four PBPs have different cis-trans isomer discrimination abilities, i.e., DhouPBP1 and DkikPBP1 could not discriminate the two cis-trans isomer pairs of pheromones from the two species, whereas DhouPBP2 could discriminate between both pairs, and DkikPBP2 could only discriminate one pair. Overall, PBPs from D. houi and D. kikuchii use different strategies to help the moths to discriminate the intra- and interspecific pheromone components. Our work will contribute to better understanding of the sex pheromone recognition mechanism in these two sister species of moths and provide insights into more effective management practices of these pest species.     

森林鼠类对秦岭南坡3种壳斗科植物种子扩散的影响

种子作为森林鼠类的主要食物来源,它们的扩散和更新很大程度上依赖于鼠类的传播。在鼠类扩散种子的过程中,种子特征和食物相对丰富度是影响鼠类对种子进行何种选择策略的重要因素。2011—2012年的8—12月,采用塑料片标记法在秦岭南坡的佛坪国家级自然保护区内调查了森林鼠类对同域分布的3种壳斗科植物(锐齿槲栎Quercus aliena var.acuteserrata、栓皮栎Q.variabilis和短柄枹栎Q.serrata var.brevipetiolata)种子的扩散差异。结果表明:(1)鼠类倾向于贮藏营养价值较大的栓皮栎种子,并且其贮藏距离也最远(2011:1.52 m,2012:4.03 m),3种种子在食物相对丰富度较低年份被贮藏的距离均较远。(2)在食物相对丰富度较高的年份(2011),种子的消耗速率较慢,在种子释放10 d后种子释放点仍有67.33%的种子,贮藏量较高,至实验结束仍有29.67%的种子被贮藏。在食物相对丰富度较低的年份(2012),种子消耗速率较快,在种子释放后10 d内所有种子均被取食或搬离种子释放点,贮藏量较低,至实验结束仅有3.83%的种子仍被贮藏。(3)虽然栓皮栎种子的贮藏量最大,被贮藏后的存留量也最大,但其在实验地的分布却较小,说明种子扩散仅是植物分布与存活的第一步。以上结果表明,鼠类倾向于贮藏营养价值高的种子。在食物相对丰富度较高的年份会更多的贮藏种子,但种子被贮藏的距离较近,在食物相对丰富度较低的年份会更多的取食种子。     

Dinitrogen-fixation by three neotropical agroforestry tree species under semi-controlled field conditions

Cultivating dinitrogen-fixing legume trees with crops in agroforestry is a relatively common N management practice in the Neotropics. The objective of this study was to assess the N₂ fixation potential of three important Neotropical agroforestry tree species, Erythrina poeppigiana, Erythrina fusca, and Inga edulis, under semi-controlled field conditions. The study was conducted in the humid tropical climate of the Caribbean coastal plain of Costa Rica. In 2002, seedlings of I. edulis and Vochysia guatemalensis were planted in one-meter-deep open-ended plastic cylinders buried in soil within hedgerows of the same species. Overall tree spacing was 1 × 4 m to simulate a typical alley-cropping design. The ¹⁵N was applied as (NH₄)₂SO₄ at 10% ¹⁵N atom excess 15 days after planting at the rate of 20 kg [N] ha⁻¹. In 2003, seedlings of E. poeppigiana, E. fusca, and V. guatemalensis were planted in the same field using the existing cylinders. The ¹⁵N application was repeated at the rate of 20 kg [N] ha⁻¹ 15 days after planting and 10 kg [N] ha⁻¹ was added three months after planting. Trees were harvested 9 months after planting in both years. The ¹⁵N content of leaves, branches, stems, and roots was determined by mass spectrometry. The percentage of atmospheric N fixed out of total N (%N_f) was calculated based on ¹⁵N atom excess in leaves or total biomass. The difference between the two calculation methods was insignificant for all species. Sixty percent of I. edulis trees fixed N₂; %N_f was 57% for the N₂-fixing trees. Biomass production and N yield were similar in N₂-fixing and non-N₂-fixing I. edulis. No obvious cause was found for why not all I. edulis trees fixed N₂. All E. poeppigiana and E. fusca trees fixed N₂; %N_f was ca. 59% and 64%, respectively. These data were extrapolated to typical agroforestry systems using published data on N recycling by the studied species. Inga edulis may recycle ca. 100 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ of N fixed from atmosphere to soil if only 60% of trees fix N₂, E. poeppigiana 60–160 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹, and E. fusca ca. 80 kg ha⁻¹ a⁻¹.     

Morphological convergence and coexistence in three sympatric North American species of Microtus (Rodentia: Arvicolinae)

Aim  Niche theory predicts that ecologically identical species cannot stably coexist in local communities. My aim was to investigate morphological diversity as a possible factor enabling the coexistence of a species-rich Microtus (Rodentia: Arvicolinae) fauna in a hotspot of North American mammalian diversity, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).
Location  The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, North America.
Methods  Using in-hand morphological measurements of size and shape, I compared the morphologies of three North American vole species ( Microtus spp.), in sympatry in the GYE and in allopatry across their ranges, in order to examine: (1) whether morphologies are fixed or plastic and (2) the degree of morphological character displacement or convergence in sympatric species.
Results  Support was found for plasticity of morphology for all three vole species: M. longicaudus , M. montanus and M. pennsylvanicus. However, Microtus individuals of all species from the GYE area of sympatry were more similar to each other than to allopatric individuals of the same species.
Main conclusions  Competition among these congeners is not manifested in morphological overdispersion. The response of these congeneric species to the same local ecological conditions is convergent. The relative strength of environmental conditions appears to be stronger than the strength of competitive interactions among the study species.     

Inbreeding and soil conditions affect dispersal and components of performance of two plant species in fragmented landscapes

During habitat fragmentation, plant populations become smaller and more isolated from each other, resulting in increasing inbreeding rates within populations. Furthermore, fragmentation is often accompanied by a progressive deterioration of soil conditions. Overall, high inbreeding rates and poor soil conditions decrease plant performance and so increase the probability of extinction of fragmented plant populations. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of inbreeding and soil acidification on seed and offspring traits of Succisa pratensis and Hypochaeris radicata, two plant species differing in mating system, lifespan and dispersal ability. For each species, plants from four populations of different sizes were hand-pollinated. The selfed and outcrossed progeny were grown at two soil pH levels. Overall, results showed that the dispersal potential of H. radicata was reduced by selfing, indicating that dispersal capacity is not independent from the genetic erosion process. Variation among seed families and its interactions with pollination treatments indicate that dispersal capacity may have a genetic basis. The performance of both species decreased sharply as soil conditions became more acidic, but inbreeding did not aggravate the process. These results suggest that S. pratensis and H. radicata populations may decline in the long term; however, family level variation suggests a potential for adaptation to new conditions.