Influence of acorn woodpecker social behaviour on transport of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) acorns in a southern California oak savanna

• 1. Many plant species depend upon animals for seed dispersal, yet animals disperse seeds in pursuit of their own social and behavioural agendas. Animal social behaviour affects where and how they forage, so it must also shape patterns of seed dispersal.2. At Sedgwick Reserve, California, USA, we established a study population of Quercus agrifolia to determine patterns of acorn foraging by the acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorous). This cooperative breeder lives in social groups that defend territories surrounding arboreal seed caches (granaries), foraging communally within these territories.3. We genotyped pericarp tissue of 568 acorns, as well as 285 adult Q. agrifolia trees, including all adults within 150 m of 16 focal granaries. After quantifying genotyping error, we identified a genetically reliable subset of 524 acorns. We assigned a source tree to each acorn and estimated the number of seed sources per granary and seed source sharing among granaries.4. We found one to eight distinct seed-source genotypes per granary, and an effective source diversity ranging from 1.0 to 6.6 seed sources. Of all transport events, 96.5% involve source trees within 150 m of the granaries. For one granary, all sampled acorns were transported from five trees located more than 1.3 km away, with all source trees within 90 m of each other. No measure of seed-source diversity was associated with density of potential seed sources, and the pattern of acorn movement fits three traditional dispersal curves poorly.5. Woodpecker groups rarely collected acorns from overlapping sets of maternal sources. Some pairs of neighbouring granaries shared maternal sources, and we identify those that were probably maintained by the same woodpecker group.6.Synthesis. Territoriality of woodpecker groups restricts both the spatial area of foraging and the sharing of seed sources. This foraging behaviour limits distances and directions of acorn transport from oaks located within woodpecker territories. Dispersal agents with this type of social structure will create a high degree of local genetic structure. Extreme behavioural variations may result in anomalous long-distance dispersal events that increase genetic connectivity, but are likely to do so in an episodic and erratic fashion.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

assignment analysis;genotyping error;Melanerpes formicivorous;pericarp;probability of maternal identity;Quercus agrifolia;seed dispersal;social behaviour

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