Spatial decision-making in acorn dispersal by Eurasian jays around the forest edge: Insights into oak forest regeneration mechanisms

• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121291
• Publication Date: 2023-07-25T16:49:45Z
• Authors: Lorenzo Pérez-Cam...; Pedro Villar-Salv...; Jesús A. Cuevas; Tomás González-Sousa; Loreto Martínez-B...
• Keywords: Shrubland; Acorn

Seed dispersal is key to forest regeneration and often depends on the behavior of seed scatter-hoarding animals. However, our understanding decision-making scatter-hoarders how vegetation structure at different spatial scales affects patterns remains limited. We studied edge across multiple (habitat, sub-habitat, microsites) between within habitats with distinct structure. Our model system a mixed-oak dominated by holm oak (Quercus ilex) an adjacent shrubland shrub Retama sphaerocarpa. For three years, we tracked movement acorns keystone scatter-hoarder, Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius). At coarse scale, jays did not show preference for caching either in or when source tree was forest. isolated < 200 m from forest, showed Conversely, trees were > all dispersed shrubland. Dispersal distances shorter than intermediate preferred cache under large retamas while avoiding gaps. In also avoided gaps certain woody species vertical structures, although these preferences varied feeders. finest selected stones as microsites. Thus, selection acorn sites followed hierarchical selective top-down process scales. The position landscape determined habitat distance. detected response similar composition, indicating that flexible scale generates diverse dispersal. This study sheds light intricate scatter-hoarders, consequences well expansion forests.