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Rare seed-predating mammals determine seed fate of Canarium euphyllum, a large-seeded tree species in a moist evergreen forest, Thailand

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Ecological Research

Abstract

Natural seed deposition patterns and their effects on post-dispersal seed fate are critical to tropical tree recruitment. The major dispersal agents of the large-seeded tree Canarium euphyllum in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, are large frugivorous birds such as hornbills, which generated spatially heterogeneous seed deposition patterns because they regurgitated seeds at perching trees and conspecific and heterospecific feeding trees. We investigated the fate of seeds dispersed in this manner using seed removal experiments and automatic camera trapping. Seeds placed experimentally around conspecific feeding trees had higher removal rates than seeds placed elsewhere. These effects were likely mediated by two seed-eating rodents, the Indochinese ground squirrel (Menetes berdmorei) and the giant long-tailed rat (Leopoldamys sabanus). Consequently, the spatial patterns generated by hornbills had consequences for post-dispersal seed fates, particularly whether or not the seeds were removed by rodents. Primary dispersal by hornbills does alter seed fate by altering the probability of rodent–seed interaction, but the ultimate impact of dispersal by hornbills will depend on how important rodent scatterhoarding is to seed germination and seedlings. Given that major seed dispersers of C. euphyllum are now absent or rare in degraded forests in tropical Asia, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the roles of scatterhoarding rodents in these altered habitats in this region.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the National Research Council of Thailand and National Park Division of the Royal Forest Department of Thailand for allowing us to conduct the activity in KY. We extend our hearty thanks to the staff at KY. We thank B. Saengthong, P. Chuailua, K. Plongmai, S. Chuailua, S. Nakkuntod, S. Sanguanchat, N. Jirawatk, and all staff of Thailand Hornbill Project for supporting our field works as well as their kind encouragement. We would like to thank T. Maruhashi, and N. Noma for useful suggestions. T.C. Theimer and anonymous referees made useful comments to a previous version of the paper. This research is partly supported by a Research Fund of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (#1357006) and JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientists for S. Kitamura.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, 2-509-3, Hirano, Otsu, 520-2113, Japan

    Shumpei Kitamura & Takakazu Yumoto

  2. Thailand Hornbill Project, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand

    Shumpei Kitamura & Pilai Poonswad

  3. Research Institute of Humanity and Nature, 457-7 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan

    Takakazu Yumoto

  4. School of Environmental Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone, 522-8533, Japan

    Shunsuke Suzuki

  5. Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand

    Prawat Wohandee

  6. Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science, Rikkyo University, Nishi-Ikebukuro 3-34-1, Toshima, Tokyo, 171-8501, Japan

    Shumpei Kitamura

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  1. Shumpei Kitamura
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  2. Takakazu Yumoto
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Correspondence to Shumpei Kitamura.

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Kitamura, S., Yumoto, T., Poonswad, P. et al. Rare seed-predating mammals determine seed fate of Canarium euphyllum, a large-seeded tree species in a moist evergreen forest, Thailand. Ecol Res 23, 169–177 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-007-0350-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-007-0350-7

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