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Seeding phenology influences wood mouse seed choices: the overlooked role of timing in the foraging decisions by seed-dispersing rodents

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Abstract

Scatter-hoarding rodents influence the population dynamics of plants by acting as seed predators and dispersers. Therefore, rodent foraging preferences for certain seed traits (species, size, condition) have been extensively studied. However, to what extent these preferences are fixed or they track the temporal changes on seed characteristics due to phenological differences has been seldom explored. We studied the temporal variability in seed preferences by wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), according to phenological changes in seed characteristics of two co-occurring oaks (Quercus ilex and Quercus pubescens). The phenology of acorn abundance and the acorn predation/dispersal patterns by rodents were monitored over an entire seeding season. Results revealed temporal changes in rodent preferences for acorns of the two oaks, matching their different seeding phenology (earlier in Q. pubescens and later in Q. ilex). On the other hand, whatever the species considered, rodents preferred larger and sound acorns along the entire season, although the dispersal of infested ones increased slightly during the peaks of acorn drop. The observed influence of seeding phenology on seed choices by rodents warns about inferring definite conclusions regarding their foraging behavior when arising from short-term experiments. Indeed, this study reveals that foraging preferences may be highly dynamic and context-dependent for some seed traits (e.g., species and condition), rather than fixed behavioral patterns. Plasticity in rodent foraging choices may allow them to successfully exploit different oaks with uncoupled seeding phenologies, while potentially favoring their coexistence.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ignasi Torre, Sebastià Gili, Marcos Fernández-Martínez, and Natasha Sureda for their help in the field work. We also thank Llorenç Badiella for his guidance in the statistical analyses and Susan Rutherford (SER Translations) for the English revision. This research was funded by the Consolider-Ingenio Montes (CSD2008-00040) and NOVFORESTS (CGL2012-33398) projects. We are grateful for the assistance of the staff of Collserola Natural Park (especially Francesc Llimona and Sean Cahill) and the facilities of Can Balasc Field Research Station. AM was funded by a Juan de la Cierva contract. RB was funded by a contract of the JAE-DOC program (Spanish Research Council, CSIC).

Ethical standards

This study was conducted in accordance to the current Spanish legislation and with a permit of the Collserola Natural Park authorities to conduct this study (No. 808).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CREAF, Edifici C, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    Pau Sunyer, Josep Maria Espelta, Raúl Bonal & Alberto Muñoz

  2. Departamento de Ecología, Grupo de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural, Instituto de Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo, s/n, Ciudad Real, 13071, Spain

    Raúl Bonal

  3. Grupo DITEG Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales (ICAM), Área Zoología, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, 45071, Spain

    Raúl Bonal

  4. Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, c/ Rector Royo Villanueva, s/n, Madrid, 28040, Spain

    Alberto Muñoz

Authors
  1. Pau Sunyer
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  2. Josep Maria Espelta
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  3. Raúl Bonal
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  4. Alberto Muñoz
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Correspondence to Pau Sunyer.

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Communicated by C. Soulsbury

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Sunyer, P., Espelta, J.M., Bonal, R. et al. Seeding phenology influences wood mouse seed choices: the overlooked role of timing in the foraging decisions by seed-dispersing rodents. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 68, 1205–1213 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-014-1731-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-014-1731-x

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