Abstract
Rodent-mediated seed dispersal largely affects the regeneration and
colonization of the forest vegetation. However, due to the steep
topography, complex terrains and the heavy anthropogenic logging from
1970s to 1990s, the secondary succession process of the forest is
greatly inhibited where temperate deciduous broadleaf forests were the
zonal vegetation. Previous studies have ignored the seed dispersal
limitation mechanism among different slope positions in montane forests.
We established 90 sample plots in Taihang Mountains among different
slope positions (i.e., ridge, midslope and valley), and investigated the
characteristics of seed removal rate, seed fate and seed dispersal
distance of Quercus wutaishanica forest according to three slope
positions. The results showed that only one from each of the three
rodent species was captured at the ridge, while 52.1% and 43.8% of the
small rodents were found in valley and midslope, respectively. Compared
to the ridge whose almost all released seeds were intact in site, the
seed removal rates were significantly higher in midslope and valley, and
the proportions of scatter hoarded in ridge and midslope were
significantly different, while both has no significant difference with
that in valley. The average seed dispersal distance in midslope was 4.78
m, significantly greater than that in valley, while that of the ridge
was only 2.09 m. Therefore, the midslope had the best seed dispersal,
but the seed dispersal of ridge was severely restricted, providing the
first empirical evidence for the Mid-domain Effect model and the
Resource Availability Hypothesis. These results provide a better
understanding of the dispersal limitation mechanism of the oak forest
and the plant-animal interactions system in mountainous areas.