Bold rats (Niviventer confucianus) are more effective in seed dispersal: evidence both under enclosure conditions and in the field.

Abstract

Rodents are important seed dispersers of plants because they move seeds far away from the parent trees and hoard seeds in the soil, benefiting seed dispersal and regeneration. Traits of plant seeds and animals are associated with rodent-mediated seed dispersal, but animal personality, the consistent individual behavioral differences in time and environments, has not been fully considered. Here, we first measured the personality of 26 Niviventer confucianus in the laboratory, and 10 individuals in the field of one population, and then tested their behavior of seed consumption and hoarding both in semi-natural enclosures and the field. We tested the hypothesis that individuals with different personalities have different preferences for seed consumption and hoarding, which has different implications for seed dispersal and regeneration. Under the enclosure conditions, all parameters of personality are repeatable; bold individuals harvested fewer seeds but scatter-hoarded more seeds and dispersed farther than timid ones, whereas active individuals consumed more seeds, but left fewer seeds on the ground surface than inactive ones. In the field, boldness, activity, and exploration of the animals are repeatable; bold individuals scatter-hoarded more seeds to farther distances than timid ones, whereas active individuals harvested and consumed more seeds than inactive ones. These results suggest that bold rats tended to scatter hoard seeds and disperse them to a longer distance, implying they are more effective in seed dispersal. In the future, animal personality (e.g. boldness and activity) should be considered in seed dispersal studies and ecological-based manipulation in seed dispersal and regeneration of forests.