Lu Jiqi, Zhang Zhibin
Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Integr Zool. 2008 Jun;3(2):134-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00085.x.
Although seed hoarding by rodents has been extensively studied, differentiation in seed-hoarding behaviors among sympatric rodent species has not been well investigated. Using semi-natural enclosures, we demonstrated that three sympatric rodent species showed clear differentiation in food selection, scatter versus larder hoarding behaviors and eating behaviors when offered seeds of four plant species from a warm temperate forest in northern China. The large field mouse Apodemus peninsulae preferred seeds of wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca) and Liaodong oak (Quercus liaotungensis), whereas the Chinese white-bellied rat Niviventor confucianus preferred seeds of cultivated walnut and Liaodong oak, and the David's rock squirrel Sciurotamias davidianus preferred seeds of cultivated walnut, wild apricot and Liaodong oak. All three rodents showed larder hoarding of seeds from all four plant species, but the large field mouse showed scatter hoarding of wild apricot, and the David's rock squirrel showed scatter hoarding of Liaodong oak and wild walnut. Acorns of Liaodong oak, which have a soft seed hull, were more often eaten in situ, whereas wild walnuts, which have a hard seed hull and more tannin, were less hoarded by all rodent species. Differentiation in the scatter versus larder hoarding behaviors of sympatric rodent species suggests that sympatric rodents play different roles in the regeneration of different sympatric plant species.
尽管对啮齿动物的种子贮藏行为已进行了广泛研究，但对于同域分布的啮齿动物物种间种子贮藏行为的差异尚未进行充分调查。利用半自然围栏，我们证明，当提供来自中国北方暖温带森林的四种植物种子时，三种同域分布的啮齿动物物种在食物选择、分散贮藏与集中贮藏行为以及取食行为方面表现出明显差异。大林姬鼠偏好山杏（Prunus armeniaca）和辽东栎（Quercus liaotungensis）的种子，而中华姬鼠偏好栽培核桃和辽东栎的种子，岩松鼠偏好栽培核桃、山杏和辽东栎的种子。所有这三种啮齿动物都对来自所有四种植物的种子进行集中贮藏，但大林姬鼠对山杏种子进行分散贮藏，岩松鼠对辽东栎和野核桃种子进行分散贮藏。种子外壳较软的辽东栎橡子更多地被就地取食，而种子外壳坚硬且单宁含量更高的野核桃则较少被所有啮齿动物物种贮藏。同域分布的啮齿动物物种在分散贮藏与集中贮藏行为上的差异表明，同域分布的啮齿动物在不同同域分布植物物种的更新过程中发挥着不同作用。
