Role of Rodents in Seed Fate of Fagus engleriana Seem.

Sexual reproduction (seedling regeneration) and asexual reproduction (sprouting regeneration) are two primary methods of plant propagation. Many plant species can exhibit both methods simultaneously, including Fagus engleriana Seem. Several studies have found that sprouting regeneration is pervasive in the life history of F. engleriana, and can facilitate the initial occupation of an ecological niche (ecological niche occupied hypothesis); however, very little is known about the seedling regeneration of F. engleriana. To explore the role of rodents in the dispersal of F. engleriana nuts, we conducted a nut placement trial in F. engleriana beech forests in the Shennongjia area of China. Results showed that the nut predation rate by rodents was high, up to 81.22%, but only 18.56% of nuts were removed. Mean retention time and dispersal distances of the nuts were (5.25±5.95) d and (2.63±1.60) m, respectively. Our results indicated that the nut predation and cache rates by rodents were extremely high and slow, respectively. The dispersal distances of F. engleriana nuts were shorter than that of other Fagus species. These findings indicate that rodents do not efficiently facilitate F. engleriana nut dispersal. Thus, sprouting seedlings could be a vital way to enhance the regeneration of F. engleriana. This study enhances our understanding of the broad paradigm of plant propagation evolution, with particular regard to the reproductive strategies of the genus Fagus.