Seed dispersal and predation of castanopsis sclerophylla by small rodents in habitats with different disturbance intensity

In this study, the Castanopsis sclerophylla seeds in three habitats under slight, moderate, and serious disturbances in Qiandaohu area of Zhejiang Province were tagged and tracked to investigate the impacts of disturbance intensity on the predation and dispersal of C. sclerophylla seeds by rodents. The rodents trapped were identified as the members of Niviventer fulvescens. In the three habitats, all the seeds were eaten in situ or dispersed by the rodents within 2 days. In the habitat under moderate disturbance, the seeds eaten in situ had the highest percentage (37.8% of identified seeds). The seed dispersal distance in the three habitats was mostly <5 m, with the largest being 24.76 m, and the seed dispersal all presented negative exponential distribution, with no significant difference among the habitats. The fate (eaten in situ or dispersed) of sound and infested seeds in the three habitats had no significant difference, but the maximum dispersal distance of sound seeds was significantly larger than that of infested seeds. Except in the habitat under moderate disturbance, where the mean dispersal distances of sound and infested seeds had no significant difference, the mean dispersal distances of sound seeds in the other two habitats were significantly larger than those of infested seeds, indicating that rodents had definite capability in distinguishing sound and infested C. sclerophylla seeds.