Abstract
The sources of seed for seedbank build-up in an acidic grassland were identified from analysis of differences in seedbank build-up over one year between plots where the input of rabbit pellets to ‘seed-free’ soil had either been left or removed. In parallel, the flux of seed arriving in rabbit pellets was monitored. Pellet seed content and total seed input were highest in late summer/early autumn and again in the spring. The seed content of the pellets was dominated by a small number of species: Sagina apetala, Senecio jacobaea, Urtica dioica and Veronica arvensis. Smaller seeded species were more likely to be present as germinable seed in the pellets. Seedbank build-up as a result of wind, splash or adhesive dispersal totalled 547 seedsm2. The additional effect of allowing seed input in pellets was 267 seedsm2, though this increase was not significant. The total increase in seedbank over one year was equivalent to 15–20% of the seedbank present in undisturbed soil. Eight species showed a significant build-up of seed in the seedbank over one year as a result of all means of dispersal, but only Myosotis discolor showed a significantly higher soil germinable seed content in the plots where pellets had been allowed to remain in situ. The build-up of seed in the seedbank is contrasted with the build-up of vegetation on disturbed areas within the same system.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chambers, J. C. & MacMahon, J. A. 1994. A day in the life of a seed: Movements and fates of seeds and their implications for natural and managed systems. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 25: 263–292.
GENSTAT V Committee 1987. GENSTAT V reference manual. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Griffin, J. R. 1971. Oak regeneration in the upper Carmel Valley, California. Ecology 52: 862–868.
Fischer, S., Poschlod, P. & Beinlich, B. 1996. Experimental studies on the dispersal of plants and animals on sheep in calcareous grasslands. J. Appl. Ecol. 33: 1206–1222.
Janzen, D. 1984. Dispersal of small seeds by herbivores: foliage is the fruit. Am. Nat. 123: 338–353.
Kolb, H. H. 1991a. Use of burrows and movements by wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on an area of sand dunes. J. Appl. Ecol. 28: 879–891.
Kolb, H. H. 1991b. Use of burrows and movements by wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on an area of hill grazing and forestry. J. Appl. Ecol. 28: 892–905.
Lockley, R. M. 1962. Production of faecal pellets in the wild rabbit. Nature 194: 988–989.
Malo, J. E., Jiménez, B. & Suárez, F. 1995. Seed bank build-up in small disturbances in a Mediterranean pasture: the contribution of endozoochorous dispersal by rabbits. Ecography 18: 73–82.
Pakeman, R. J., Attwood, J. P. & Engelen, J. 1998. Sources of plants colonising experimentally disturbed patches in an acidic grassland, in eastern England. J. Ecol. 86: 1032–1041.
Price, M. V. & Jenkins, S. H. 1986. Rodents as seed consumers and dispersers. Pp. 191–235. In: Murray, D. R. (ed.), Seed dispersal. Academic Press, Sydney.
Russi, L., Cocks, P. S. & Roberts, E. H. 1992. The fate of legume seeds eaten by sheep from a Mediterranean grassland. J. Appl. Ecol 29: 772–778.
Stace, C. 1991. New flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Staniforth, R. J. & Cavers, P. B. 1977. The importance of cottontail rabbits in the dispersal of Polygonum spp. J. Appl. Ecol. 14: 261–267.
Thompson, K. 1986. Small-scale heterogeneity in the seed bank of an acidic grassland. J. Ecol. 74: 733–738.
Thompson, K., Bakker, J. P. & Bekker, R. M. 1997. The soil seed banks of north west Europe: Methodology, density and longevity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Vander Wall, S. B. 1993. A model of caching depth: implications for scatter hoarders and plant dispersal. Am. Nat. 141: 217–232.
Zar, J. H. 1984. Biostatistical analysis, 2nd edition. Prentice Hall, London.
Zedler, P. H. & Black, C. 1992. Seed dispersal by a generalized herbivore: rabbits as dispersal vectors in a semiarid California vernal pool landscape. Am. Midland Nat. 128: 1–10.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pakeman, R., Engelen, J. & Attwood, J. Rabbit endozoochroy and seedbank build-up in an acidic grassland. Plant Ecology 145, 83–90 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009864030814
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009864030814