RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Effective nut dispersal by magpies (Pica pica L.) in a Mediterranean agroecosystem
A1 Castro, Jorge
A1 Molina Morales, Mercedes
A1 Leverkus, Alexandro Bitol
A1 Martínez De Baroja Villalón, María Loreto
A1 Pérez Camacho, Lorenzo
A1 Villar Salvador, Pedro
A1 Rebollo de la Torre, Salvador
A1 Rey Benayas, José María
K1 Corvidae
K1 Forest regeneration
K1 Juglans
K1 Radio tracking
K1 Scatter-hoarding
K1 Seed caching
K1 Seed dispersal effectiveness
K1 Medio Ambiente
K1 Environmental science
AB Scatter-hoarding animals such as corvids play a crucial role in the dispersal of nut-producing tree species. This interaction is well known for some corvids, but remains elusive for other species such as the magpie (Pica pica), an abundant corvid in agroecosystems and open landscapes of the Palearctic region. In addition, the establishment of the individual dispersed seeds—a prerequisite for determining seed-dispersal effectiveness—has never before been documented for the interaction between corvids and nut-producing trees. We analyzed walnut dispersal by magpies in an agroecosystem in southern Spain. We used several complementary approaches, including video recording nut removal from feeders, measuring dispersal distance using radio tracking (with radio transmitters placed inside nuts), and monitoring the fate of dispersed nuts to the time of seedling emergence. Magpies were shown to be highly active nut dispersers. The dispersal distance averaged 39.6 ± 4.5 m and ranged from 4.1 to 158.5 m. Some 90% of the removed walnuts were cached later, and most of these (98%) were buried in the soil or hidden under plant material. By the time of seedling emergence, ca. 33% of nuts remained at the caching location. Finally, 12% of the cached nuts germinated and 4% yielded an emerged seedling, facilitating the transition to the next regeneration stage. The results demonstrate for the first time that magpies can be an effective scatter-hoarding disperser of a nut-producing tree species, suggesting that this bird species may play a key role in the regeneration and expansion of broadleaf forests in Eurasia.
SN 0029-8549
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10017/37791
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10017/37791
LA eng
NO Gobierno de España
DS MINDS@UW
RD 23-abr-2024