Characteristics of fruits consumed by mammalian frugivores in Japanese temperate forest

Koike, Shinsuke; Masaki, Takashi

doi:10.1111/1440-1703.1057

Cited by 55 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In contrast, the use of the carcasses by Japanese martens and mountain hawk-eagles significantly increased from summer to autumn. Martens feed on insects principally in summer, but their intake of fruits increases as the availability of insects decreases in autumn (Koike & Masaki, 2019). Thus, martens may have increased their scavenging because of the decrease in their primary food sources.…”

Section: Seasonal Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertebrate scavenger guild composition and utilization of carrion in an East Asian temperate forest

Inagaki

Allen

Maruyama

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Scavenging is a common feeding behavior by many species that plays an important role in ecosystem stability and function while also providing ecosystem services. Despite its importance, facultative scavenging on large animal carcasses has generally been overlooked in Asian temperate forest ecosystems. The aim of this study was to determine the composition and feeding behavior of the facultative scavenger guild as it relates to sika deer (Cervus nippon) carcasses in Japanese forests. There are no obligate scavengers or large predators that kill adult ungulates, but humans fill the role of large predators by culling deer for population management. We documented nine vertebrate species scavenging on deer carcasses and found that mammals were more frequent scavengers than birds and also fed for longer durations. This result suggests that there is a facultative scavenger guild composed mainly of mammals in our forest ecosystem and that carcass utilization by birds was restricted to only forest species. Raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus) were the most frequent scavenger species and also fed for longer durations than other scavengers. There were significant seasonal differences in scavenging by Asian black bear, Japanese marten (Martes melampus), and mountain hawk‐eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis), suggesting the availability of other food resources may alter facultative scavenging by each species. Our results support that scavenging is widespread in this system and likely has important functions including building links in the food web.

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Section: Seasonal Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertebrate scavenger guild composition and utilization of carrion in an East Asian temperate forest

Inagaki

Allen

Maruyama

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…It produces tear-shaped red to black fleshy fruits (7.0 mm and 5.2 mm in longer and shorter diameter) from August to mid-September. Their fruits are dispersed by various mammals and birds (9,17,42).…”

Section: Plant Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of fruiting rather than topography determines the direction of vertical seed dispersal by mammals and birds

Tsunamoto

Koike

Tayasu

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Vertical seed dispersal toward higher or lower altitudes has been recognized as one of the critical processes for plants to escape from climate change. Studies exploring vertical seed dispersal are scarce, preventing the prediction of future vegetation dynamics. In the present study, we show that the timing of fruiting, rather than topography, determines the direction of vertical seed dispersal by mammals and birds across mountains in central Japan. We found strong uphill seed dispersal of summer fruiting cherry and weak downhill seed dispersal of summer-to-autumn fruiting cherry, irrespective of mountains and animals. The ascent or descent of animals, following the altitudinal gradients in food plant phenology in the temperate zone, was considered to be a driver of the biased seed dispersal. We found that megafauna (i.e., bears) intensively dispersed seeds vertically. The results suggest that the timing of fruiting and megafauna strongly affect whether animal-dispersed temperate plants can maintain their populations under climate change.

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“…Inconspicuously coloured fruits, large fruit sizes, and many small seeds in a fruit are characteristics of mammal-dispersed plants 26 . In fact, A. arguta is one of the most preferred fruits of temperate frugivorous mammals 76 and is seldom eaten by birds 27 . At study site, A. arguta is the most preferred fruits of mammals in terms of the percent of frequency of occurrence in the faeces and the number of dispersed seeds unpub .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Downhill seed dispersal by temperate mammals: a potential threat to plant escape from global warming

Naoe

Tayasu

Sakai

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Vertical seed dispersal, i.e. seed dispersal towards a higher or lower altitude, is considered a critical process for plant escape from climate change. However, studies exploring vertical seed dispersal are scarce, and thus, its direction, frequency, and mechanisms are little known. In the temperate zone, evaluating vertical seed dispersal of animal-dispersed plants fruiting in autumn and/or winter is essential considering the dominance of such plants in temperate forests. We hypothesized that their seeds are dispersed towards lower altitudes because of the downhill movement of frugivorous animals following the autumn-to-winter phenology of their food plants which proceeds from the mountain tops to the foot in the temperate zone. We evaluated the vertical seed dispersal of the autumn-fruiting wild kiwi, Actinidia arguta, which is dispersed by temperate mammals. We collected dispersed seeds from mammal faeces in the Kanto Mountains of central Japan and estimated the distance of vertical seed dispersal using the oxygen isotope ratios of the dispersed seeds. We found the intensive downhill seed dispersal of wild kiwi by all seed dispersers, except the raccoon dog (bear: mean −393.1 m; marten: −245.3 m; macaque: −98.5 m; and raccoon dog: +4.5 m). Mammals with larger home ranges dispersed seeds longer towards the foot of the mountains. Furthermore, we found that seeds produced at higher altitudes were dispersed a greater distance towards the foot of the mountains. Altitudinal gradients in autumn-to-winter plant phenology and other mountain characteristics, i.e. larger surface areas and more attractive human crops at lower altitudes compared to higher altitudes, were considered drivers of downhill seed dispersal via animal movement. Strong downhill seed dispersal by mammals suggests that populations of autumn-to-winter fruiting plants dispersed by animals may not be able to sufficiently escape from current global warming in the temperate zone.

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Characteristics of fruits consumed by mammalian frugivores in Japanese temperate forest

Cited by 55 publications

References 56 publications

Vertebrate scavenger guild composition and utilization of carrion in an East Asian temperate forest

Vertebrate scavenger guild composition and utilization of carrion in an East Asian temperate forest

Timing of fruiting rather than topography determines the direction of vertical seed dispersal by mammals and birds

Downhill seed dispersal by temperate mammals: a potential threat to plant escape from global warming

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