Seed dispersal of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) by scatter-hoarding rodents in a central amazonian forest

Haugaasen, Joanne M. Tuck, Haugaasen, Torbjørn, Peres, Carlos A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1588-8765, Gribel, Rogerio and Wegge, Per (2010) Seed dispersal of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) by scatter-hoarding rodents in a central amazonian forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 26 (3). pp. 251-262. ISSN 1469-7831

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Abstract

We know surprisingly little about the fate of seeds of the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) under natural conditions. Here we investigate seed removal, predation and caching of Brazil nuts by scatter-hoarding rodents in the wet and dry seasons, based on an experimental approach using 900 thread-marked seeds. We tracked the fate of seeds handled by these animals to examine how seasonal food availability may influence caching rates, dispersal distances and cache longevity. Most seeds exposed to dispersal trials were removed by scatter-hoarders during the first week in both seasons and seeds were generally buried intact in single-seeded caches within 10 m of seed stations. Seeds were removed significantly faster and buried at greater distances during the dry season. The proportion of seeds buried intact was considerably higher in the wet season (74.4%) than in the dry season (38.2%). Most (99.4%) of the 881 primary caches monitored were recovered, but these had a significantly shorter lifetime in the dry season. Our results show that rodents are highly skilled at retrieving buried Brazil nuts and that caching behaviour appears to be affected by seasonal resource abundance. Reduced seed availability due to intensive harvest could potentially create a dry-season scenario where most seeds succumb to pre-dispersal predation, thereby adversely affecting the natural regeneration of Brazil nut trees.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Biology Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Resources, Sustainability and Governance (former - to 2018)
Depositing User:	Rosie Cullington
Date Deposited:	03 Feb 2011 15:21
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2022 01:28
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/20304
DOI:	10.1017/S0266467410000027

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