Ecological Archives M085-008-A6
David M. Forsyth, Deborah J. Wilson, Tomás A. Easdale, Georges Kuntsler, Charles D. Canham, Wendy A. Ruscoe, Elaine F. Wright, Lora Murphy, Andrew M. Gormley, Aurora Gaxiola, and David A. Coomes. 2015. Century-scale effects of invasive deer and rodents on the dynamics of forests growing on soils of contrasting fertility. Ecological Monographs 85:156–179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/14-0389.1
Appendix F. Table summarizing the characteristics of fruits and seeds of species modeled in SORTIE/NZ.
Table F1 compiles information about fruits and seeds of tree species modeled in SORTIE/NZ, and what is known about whether they are eaten by rodents or birds. For species for which we lacked information about seed consumption by rodents and/or birds, assumptions could sometimes be made on the basis of seed characteristics such as size, fleshiness, and similarity to other species with more data.
Table F1. Characteristics of fruits and seeds of species modeled in SORTIE/NZ, including some species (in parentheses) that were not present in Waitutu Forest but were included because information for that species was used as a surrogate for another species. 'Parameters?' indicates if we did or did not have seed predation data from field trials (this study and Wilson et al. [2007]). A dash indicates that data were unavailable. A question mark indicates uncertainty about whether or not rodents or birds eat a seed species.
Species |
Family |
Eaten by rodents? |
Eaten by birds? |
Fruit type |
Fruit length (mm) |
Seed mass (mg) |
Parameters? |
Conifers (canopy) |
|||||||
Dacrydium cupressinum |
Podocarpaceae |
Yes |
Yes (dispersed) |
Seed not fleshy, on a fleshy aril |
— |
6.2 |
Yes |
Podocarpus hallii |
Podocarpaceae |
Yes (rats) |
Yes (dispersed) |
Seed not fleshy, on a fleshy aril |
— |
12.2 |
No |
Prumnopitys ferruginea |
Podocarpaceae |
Yes (rats) |
Yes (dispersed) |
Seed with fleshy outer layer and thickened inner stone |
— |
397.4 |
Yes |
Angiosperms (canopy) |
|||||||
Metrosideros umbellata |
Myrtaceae |
No? |
No? |
Woody capsule |
8–9 |
0.1 |
No |
Nothofagus menziesii |
Nothofagaceae |
Yes |
Yes |
One-seeded nut |
— |
3.8 |
No |
N. solandri var. cliffortioides |
Nothofagaceae |
Yes |
Yes |
One-seeded nut |
— |
4.4 |
Yes |
Weinmannia racemosa |
Cunoniaceae |
No? |
No? |
Capsule, 2 carpels |
4–5 |
0.1 |
No |
Angiosperms (sub-canopy) |
|||||||
Carpodetus serratus |
Rousseaceae |
? |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry, numerous small seeds |
4–6 |
0.5 |
No |
Fuchsia excorticata |
Onagraceae |
? |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry, numerous small seeds |
10 |
0.1 |
No |
Griselinia littoralis |
Griseliniaceae |
No? |
Yes (dispersed) |
One-seeded berry |
6–7 |
33.3 |
Yes |
(Pseudopanax arboreus) |
Araliaceae |
No? |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry-like, fleshy exocarp, 2 endocarps |
5–8 |
17.6 |
No |
Pseudopanax colensoi |
Araliaceae |
? |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry-like, fleshy exocarp, 2 endocarps |
4–6 |
3.9 |
Yes |
Pseudowintera colorata |
Winteraceae |
Yes (rats) |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry-like, 1–14 seeds |
3–5 |
4.1 |
No |
Raukaua simplex |
Araliaceae |
? |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry-like, fleshy exocarp, 3–5 endocarps |
3–4 |
3.5 |
No |
Schefflera digitata |
Araliaceae |
Yes (mice and rats in field trials) |
Yes (dispersed) |
Berry-like, fleshy exocarp, |
3.5 |
0.8 |
No |
Sources:† |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
This study |
|
† 1, Campbell (1978); 2, Campbell and Atkinson (1999); 3, Daniel (1973); 4, Ruscoe et al. (2004); 5, Berry (2006); 6, Sweetapple and Nugent (2007); 7, Ecological traits of New Zealand flora, available online at http://ecotraits.landcareresearch.co.nz/; 8, Webb and Simpson (2001) with parentheses indicating dimensions beyond the usual range; 9, Allan (1961); 10, S. K. Wiser and S. J. Richardson, Landcare Research, unpublished data.
Literature Cited
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand Volume I. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand.
Berry, C. J. J. 2006. Post-dispersal seed predation in a conifer-broadleaf forest remnant: the importance of exotic mammals. PhD thesis, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.
Campbell, D. J. 1978. The effects of rats on vegetation. Pages 99–120 in P. R. Dingwall, I. A. E. Atkinson, and C. Hay, editors. The ecology and control of rodents in New Zealand nature reserves. New Zealand Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington, New Zealand.
Campbell, D. J., and I. A. E. Atkinson. 1999. Effects of kiore (Rattus exulans Peale) on recruitment of indigenous coastal trees on northern offshore islands of New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 29:265–290.
Daniel, M. J. 1973. Seasonal diet of the ship rat (Rattus r. rattus) in lowland forest in New Zealand. Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society 20:21–30.
Ecological traits of New Zealand flora. Online database. Accessed 4 December 2013. http://ecotraits.landcareresearch.co.nz/
Ruscoe, W. A., D. Wilson, L. McElrea, G. McElrea, and S. J. Richardson. 2004. A house mouse (Mus musculus) population eruption in response to heavy rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) seedfall in southern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 28:259–265.
Sweetapple, P. J., and G. Nugent. 2007. Ship rat demography and diet following possum control in a mixed podocarp-hardwood forest. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 31:186–201.
Webb, C. J., and M. J. A. Simpson. 2001. Seeds of New Zealand: gymnosperms and dicotyledons. Manuka Press in co-operation with The Caxton Press, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Wilson, D. J., E. F. Wright, C. D. Canham, and W. A. Ruscoe. 2007. Neighbourhood analyses of tree seed predation by introduced rodents in a New Zealand temperate rainforest. Ecography 30:105–119.