Authors
Hiroto Enari, Haruka Sakamaki-Enari
Publication date
2014/7
Journal
Ecological research
Volume
29
Pages
653-660
Publisher
Springer Japan
Description
This study aimed to reveal the soil seed accumulation processes for endozoochorous plants in the heavy-snowfall forests of Japan, where seed dispersal agents are few when compared to tropical forests. We assessed (1) primary seed dispersal by Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) by identifying dispersed seeds found in their feces, and (2) secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles by using beads (as seeds mimics) of different sizes, to quantify the frequency of seed burial and burial depths. We studied this diplochorous system in different forest types (undisturbed beech forest, conifer plantation, and secondary beech-oak forest) and during the spring and summer seasons. The key findings were as follows: (1) macaques dispersed the seeds of 11 and 14 plant species during spring and summer, respectively; (2) seeds dispersed by macaques in the spring were smaller and twice as abundant than …
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