Dispersal of Dioon edule cycad seeds by rodents in a tropical oak forest in Mexico
2021
Yáñez Espinosa, Laura | Barragan-Torres, Felipe | Ibarra, Alejandra Berenice | Morales, Jaime Ivan
Predation of seeds of the cycad Dioon edule by mice has been previously documented, demonstrating that the seeds’ toxins are not harmful when combined with a varied diet. However, there is scarce evidence that they are a seed disperser. In a tropical oak forest in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, we experimented with seeds of D. edule and Quercus polymorpha, evaluating predators’ preference and recording it with phototrapping. Burrows were sampled in concentric circles around a D. edule mother plant, and the types of burrows and condition of the seeds inside were identified with a borescope without destroying the burrows. The structure and composition of the forest were evaluated. The primary dispersion of D. edule seeds is by barochory. The rodents predate on seeds and prefer Q. polymorpha over D. edule (survival: 48.9% and 78.5%, respectively). There are more escape and multiple burrows at 3–6 m with mature oaks. Rodents forget or abandon D. edule seeds in the burrows, and such seeds germinate at 3–6 m. Peromyscus leucopus is a short-distance secondary disperser and predator of D. edule seeds.
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