Effects of masting on seedling establishment of a rodent‐dispersed tree species in a warm‐temperate region, northern China

Abstract

Masting is an evolutionary strategy used by plants to promote seed survival and/or seed dispersal under animal predation, but its effects on seedling establishment in field condition are rarely tested by long‐term experiments incorporating combined effects of seed and animal abundance. Here, we tracked seed production, rodent‐mediated seed dispersal, and seedling establishment in Armeniaca sibirica from 2005 to 2014 in a warm‐temperate forest in northern China, and examined the effects of seed abundance and per capita seed availability on seed fate and seedling recruitment rate. Our results showed that seed abundance or per capita seed availability generally benefited the seedling recruitment of A. sibirica through increasing dispersal intensity, supporting predator dispersal hypothesis. However, seedling recruitment showed satiated or even dome‐shaped association with per capita seed availability, suggesting the benefit to trees would be decreased when seed abundance were too high as compared to rodent abundance (a satiated effect). Our results suggest that the predator dispersal and satiation effects of masting on seedling recruitment can operate together in one system and conditionally change with seed and animal abundance.

Benefit versus cost trade‐offs of masting across seed‐to‐seedling transition for a dominant subtropical forest species

“…In this study, the decrease in seed predation by vertebrates at the pre-dispersal stage and by rodents at the post-dispersal stage, as observed in mast years, was consistent with the past studies (Xiao & Huang, 2020;Xiao et al, 2017). Moreover, the mean newly germinated seedling density recruited during mast years was about twice that recorded during non-mast years, which is similar to observations made in previous studies (Xiao et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2020).…”

“…In this study, the decrease in seed predation by vertebrates at the pre‐dispersal stage and by rodents at the post‐dispersal stage, as observed in mast years, was consistent with the past studies (Xiao & Huang, 2020; Xiao et al., 2017). Moreover, the mean newly germinated seedling density recruited during mast years was about twice that recorded during non‐mast years, which is similar to observations made in previous studies (Xiao et al., 2013; Zhang et al., 2020). These results suggest that masting of C. fargesii benefits seeds escaping predation and seedling recruitment, to some extent, supporting the predator satiation hypothesis in relation to the economies of scale (Xiao et al., 2013; Zwolak, Bogdziewicz, Wróbel et al, 2016).…”

“…Characterized by the intermittent production of seeds, masting is a common reproductive strategy influencing the seed‐to‐seedling transition of many perennial plant species (Bogdziewicz, Ascoli, et al., 2020; Bogdziewicz, Szymkowiak, et al., 2020; Kelly & Sork, 2002; Minor & Kobe, 2017; Pearse et al., 2016; Pesendorfer et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2020). Hypotheses that attempt to explain the selective advantages and evolutionary origins of masting are mainly related to the economies of scale, such as enhanced pollination efficiency and satiation of seed predators during mast years (Kelly et al., 2001; Kelly & Sork, 2002; Pearse et al., 2020; Rapp et al., 2013).…”

Rodent‐mediated plant seed dispersal: What happens to the seeds after entering the gaps with different sizes?

“…In particular, seed dispersal is a key life‐history stage in plants, during which seeds or diaspores rely on agents such as wind and animals to spread to suitable sites away from the parent plant. Various studies have demonstrated that animals, especially small rodents, play a vital role in seed dispersal and they affect the seed‐to‐seedling period of plant regeneration (Abe et al, 2006 ; Williams‐Linera et al, 2011 ; Yu et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Zhang et al, 2019 , 2020 ). Usually, rodents eat part of the food (plant seeds or fruits) immediately after finding it, and the other part is often left scattered by the trees or stored to obtain food during periods of shortage (Ma et al, 2010 ).…”

Cascading effect of source limitation on the granivore-mediated seed dispersal of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) in secondary forest ecosystems

“…Although the field experiment was conducted in the non-mast year of Korean pine, this did not amplify the effect of the lack of food scarcity because these granivores aren't the forest specialist species and other alternative resources are also available to these predators, such as acorn (Quercus mongolica) and walnut (Juglans mandshurica) (Yang et al 2016). However, given the SDE will be different between non-mast years and mast years (Li et al 2017;Zwolak et al 2016;Zhang et al 2021), our studies should be run over more years in the future to illustrate that granivore-mediated Korean pine regeneration is inadequate to ensure the restoration of secondary forests into mixed broad-leaved Korean pine forests. Besides that, interspecific synchrony or asynchrony of seed rain plays a key role in the formation of animalmediated seed dispersal (Yang et al 2020;Yu et al 2020), and seed rain compositions may further affect the dispersal success of Korean pine.…”