Plant Diversity Affects Rodents’ Selection of Different-Sized Seeds
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Sites
2.2. Plants and Animals Survey
2.3. Seed Processing
2.4. Seed Experiment
2.5. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Plant and Animal Survey
3.2. Effects of Seed Size and Forest Type on Seed Fates
3.3. Effects of Seed Size and Forest Type on Seed Dispersal Distance
4. Discussion
4.1. Seed Size Affects Seed Consumption and Dispersal in Small Mammals
4.2. Selection of Seeds in Small Mammals Under Different Forest Types
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Species | Quercus wutaishanica Shrub | Larix principis-rupprechtii Forest | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traps | Trapped Animals | Proportion (%) | Traps | Trapped Animals | Proportion (%) | |
Apodemus peninsulae | 50 | 6 | 28.6 | 50 | 7 | 50 |
Niviventer confucianus | 50 | 3 | 14.3 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
Alexandromys fortis | 50 | 1 | 4.8 | 50 | 1 | 7.1 |
Mus musculus | 50 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 21.4 |
Apodemus agrarius | 50 | 8 | 38.1 | 50 | 2 | 14.3 |
Ellobius talpinus | 50 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 1 | 7.1 |
Scaptochirus moschatus | 50 | 1 | 4.8 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
Cricetulus longicaudatus | 50 | 2 | 9.5 | 50 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 50 | 21 | 14.0 | 50 | 14 | 9.3 |
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Cheng, J.; Feng, Y.; Wang, N.; Zhang, C.; Liu, J.; Chen, X.; Yan, X.; Luo, Y. Plant Diversity Affects Rodents’ Selection of Different-Sized Seeds. Diversity 2025, 17, 643. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090643
Cheng J, Feng Y, Wang N, Zhang C, Liu J, Chen X, Yan X, Luo Y. Plant Diversity Affects Rodents’ Selection of Different-Sized Seeds. Diversity. 2025; 17(9):643. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090643
Chicago/Turabian StyleCheng, Jiming, Yingqun Feng, Ningli Wang, Chao Zhang, Jiahui Liu, Xinyue Chen, Xingfu Yan, and Yonghong Luo. 2025. "Plant Diversity Affects Rodents’ Selection of Different-Sized Seeds" Diversity 17, no. 9: 643. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090643
APA StyleCheng, J., Feng, Y., Wang, N., Zhang, C., Liu, J., Chen, X., Yan, X., & Luo, Y. (2025). Plant Diversity Affects Rodents’ Selection of Different-Sized Seeds. Diversity, 17(9), 643. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090643