Seed Water Content and Its Effect on Rodent Foraging Success

这个项目通过种子含水量的波动来研究植物、动物和物理环境之间的相互作用，以及它们如何影响啮齿动物的觅食成功。大多数种子都是吸湿性的，只要土壤湿润，它们就会吸收水分。如果条件不适合发芽，种子就会随着土壤变干而逐渐失去水分。因此，种子的含水量会随着天气的变化而变化。啮齿类动物很容易用嗅觉找到湿润的种子，但当种子和基质干燥时，它们往往很难找到种子。尽管众所周知的吸湿性种子的特点和一些啮齿类动物无法找到干燥的种子，但土地/土壤湿度如何影响动物找到种子的能力的细节似乎几乎完全未知。野外和实验室工作的重点是三种啮齿动物在不同的控制或监测湿度水平下寻找两种种子的觅食成功。在控制条件下，测定不同种子含水量下啮齿动物觅食成功的响应曲线。种子和土壤的含水量将在田间监测数周，并与啮齿动物的觅食成功有关。植物与动物的相互作用在种群和群落生态中起着重要作用，但物理环境在这些相互作用中的中介作用却很少受到关注。通过关注啮齿动物的贮藏行为，本项目有助于了解土壤种子库、植物种群和啮齿动物觅食的动态。＊＊＊

9306369 Vander Wall This project examines the interactions between plants, animals, and the physical environment by fluctuations in seed water content and how they influence rodent foraging success. Most seeds are hygroscopic, readily imbibing water whenever the soil becomes moistened. If conditions are unsuitable for germination, the seeds gradually lose moisture as the soil dries out. Consequently, seeds vary in water content over time as the weather changes. Rodents readily find moistened seeds using their olfactory sense but often appear to have difficulty finding seeds when the seed s and the substrate are dry. Despite the well known characteristics of hygroscopic seeds and the demonstrated inability of some rodents to find dry seeds, the detail of how deed/soil moisture influences an animal's ability to find seeds appears to be almost totally unknown. Field & laboratory work focuses on the foraging success of three species of rodents searching for two types of seeds at various controlled or monitored moisture levels. The response curves of rodent foraging success at various levels of seed water content will be determined under controlled conditions. The water content of seeds and soil will be monitored in the field over several weeks and related to rodent foraging success. %%% Plant animal interactions play important roles in population & community ecology, but the role if the physical environment in mediating these int eractions has received little attention. By focusing on caching behavior of rodents, this project contributes to understanding dynamic's of soil seed banks, plant populations & rodent foraging. ***