Seed consumption by small mammals from Borneo

Wells, Konstans; Corlett, Richard T.; Lakim, Maklarin; Kalko, Elisabeth K. V.; Pfeiffer, Martin

doi:10.1017/s0266467409990058

Cited by 28 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Dipterocarp vertebrate predators in Bornean forests range from the large-bodied bearded pig (57–83 kg) [8], [9] to small rodents (<400 g) [10], [11]. Logging and hunting in tropical rain forests cause changes in small and large vertebrate predator densities, movements and assemblages [9], [11] that may modify natural enemy effects on dipterocarp seedling survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Seed Predators of Different Body Size on Seed Mortality in Bornean Logged Forest

et al. 2010

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BackgroundThe Janzen-Connell hypothesis proposes that seed and seedling enemies play a major role in maintaining high levels of tree diversity in tropical forests. However, human disturbance may alter guilds of seed predators including their body size distribution. These changes have the potential to affect seedling survival in logged forest and may alter forest composition and diversity.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe manipulated seed density in plots beneath con- and heterospecific adult trees within a logged forest and excluded vertebrate predators of different body sizes using cages. We show that small and large-bodied predators differed in their effect on con- and heterospecific seedling mortality. In combination small and large-bodied predators dramatically decreased both con- and heterospecific seedling survival. In contrast, when larger-bodied predators were excluded small-bodied predators reduced conspecific seed survival leaving seeds coming from the distant tree of a different species.Conclusions/SignificanceOur results suggest that seed survival is affected differently by vertebrate predators according to their body size. Therefore, changes in the body size structure of the seed predator community in logged forests may change patterns of seed mortality and potentially affect recruitment and community composition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Seed Predators of Different Body Size on Seed Mortality in Bornean Logged Forest

et al. 2010

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“…Although rodents are generally not considered endozoochoric seed dispersers, they do have this capability (Wells et al. , Duron et al. ), and squirrels are no exception (Penner et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

NEOSQUIRREL: a data set of ecological knowledge on Neotropical squirrels

2019

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The squirrels (Sciuridae), with 292 species, make up the second most diverse family of rodents. Squirrels play important roles as seed and spore dispersers and seed predators in all regions where they occur. In Neotropical regions, around 28 species of squirrel are recognised. However, our knowledge of the ecology of the Neotropical Sciuridae is severely incomplete, lacking in the most basic ecological information for most species. We reviewed the literature in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, for all squirrel species in the Neotropical biogeographic region, summarising ecological interactions between squirrels and the local biota, population density records, the number of publications, and the distribution of study sites. We found information for 20 squirrel species (71% of the recognised species), from 15 countries, in 48 publications containing 126 population density records and 155 publications containing 649 ecological interactions. The most studied species were Guerlinguetus brasiliensis, Notosciurus granatensis, and Sciurus variegatoides, with 53% of all publications, whereas for eight species of Microsciurus, we found no publications. The density of Neotropical squirrels varied from 0.08 to 100 individuals per km2 and was negatively correlated with forest area. Neotropical squirrels were recorded eating 174 plant taxa, five fungus taxa, four invertebrate taxa, and one species of vertebrate. Palms were common in the diet of squirrels (30 palm species, 27% of feeding records). Squirrels cached 28 plant species, of which 15 were palms. Sixty‐five taxa of parasites are documented to occur in Neotropical squirrels, and the most common were Enderleinellus lice. Zoonotic parasites, including trypanosomes, Leptospira spp., Leishmania spp., and plague were also reported. Our review reveals the main information gaps in the current knowledge about the ecology of Neotropical Sciuridae and maps the geographic distribution of the available information throughout South and Central America. Squirrels often thrive in small forest fragments and fulfil important roles as seed dispersers and prey for mesopredators.

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“…Moreover, combining DNA-based analysis of feces with microhistological examination of plant fragments in fecal samples would help to determine which parts of the plant are consumed by L. neilli and other Leopoldamys species, as this information remains unknown when using DNA barcoding. In particular, the study of the diversity, quantity, and viability of seeds defecated by these longtailed giant rats is needed to better assess their potential role as seed dispersers in Southeast Asian ecosystems via seed ingestion and subsequent defecation, as already suggested for L. sabanus by Wells et al (2009).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rodents may also play an important role in the frugivores' community as seed dispersers or seed predators, and it has been suggested that some Leopoldamys species might benefit seed recruitment of several tree species by seed hoarding or seed ingestion in Southeast Asia and China (Cheng et al, 2005;Wells et al, 2009;Zhang et al, 2008). However detailed information on the exact diet composition of Southeast Asian rodents remains scarce and should be improved to better understand the trophic relationships in Southeast Asian ecosystems and the functional role of rodents in these biological communities, as well as the resource partitioning among competing species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet Analysis of Leopoldamys Neilli, a Cave-dwelling Rodent in Southeast Asia, Using Next-Generation Sequencing from Feces

Latinne¹,

Galan²,

Waengsothorn³

et al. 2014

JCKS

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Leopoldamys neilli is a Murinae rodent endemic to limestone karst of Thailand and the Lao PDR, but its ecology and the reasons of its endemism to karst are still totally unknown. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the plant composition of the diet of L. neilli at the level of order and family using DNA for molecular identification and to compare it with two other forest-dwelling Leopoldamys species, L. herberti and L. sabanus. A 202bp fragment of the rbcL gene was amplified and sequenced for twenty-three fecal samples of the three species using 454 pyrosequencing. We successfully identified a total of seventeen orders and twenty-one plant families, corresponding to thirty-three putative species, in the feces of these three Leopoldamys species. Solanaceae were the most common plants in the diet of L.neilli regardless of the region and sampling season, and they were also present in feces of both L. herberti and L. sabanus. The Araceae, Fabaceae, and Apocynaceae families were also identified in feces of L. neilli collected in various regions of Thailand and at different seasons. Plants of the Oleaceae family are consumed by both L. herberti and L. sabanus but were not found in the diet of L. neilli. Further improvements of the study, such as the use of additional genes, the creation of a reference collection, the microhistological examination of plant fragments to determine which parts of the plant are consumed, and the analysis of the animal diet of Leopoldamys are suggested to enhance the quality and accuracy of the results obtained.

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Seed consumption by small mammals from Borneo

Cited by 28 publications

References 28 publications

Effects of Seed Predators of Different Body Size on Seed Mortality in Bornean Logged Forest

Effects of Seed Predators of Different Body Size on Seed Mortality in Bornean Logged Forest

NEOSQUIRREL: a data set of ecological knowledge on Neotropical squirrels

Diet Analysis of Leopoldamys Neilli, a Cave-dwelling Rodent in Southeast Asia, Using Next-Generation Sequencing from Feces

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