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In forests characterized by a dense woody and herbaceous understory layer, seedling recruitment is often directly suppressed via interspecific competition. Alternatively, these dense layers may indirectly lower tree recruitment by providing a haven for seed and seedling predators that prey on neighboring plant species. To simultaneously test for resource competition and indirect, habitat-mediated effects, we factorially manipulated understory plant cover (removed versus intact) and predation (exclosures versus controls) at three forested sites. We found that vegetation cover created privileged foraging areas that increased seed removal and seedling predation rates. Predator preference was directly related to seed size with larger seeded species including Prunus serotina Ehrh. and Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. removed more readily than smaller seeded species such as Fraxinus americana L. We found strong species …