[KSCI] Korea Science Citation Index Service

http://dx.doi.org/10.5141/JEFB.2011.032

Seed contents of sika deer (Cervus nippon) dung and the fate of seeds in a temperate short grassland in an urban park in Japan

Ishikawa, Haruna (Laboratory of Forest Protection, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University)

Publication Information

Journal of Ecology and Environment / v.34, no.3, 2011 , pp. 295-305 More about this Journal

Abstract

Many studies have suggested the positive effects of grazing by large herbivorous mammals on seed dispersal, but little is known about how herbivores could affect the fate of ingested seeds. This study examined the effects of seed ingestion by sika deer (Cervus nippon) on seed fate in a temperate grassland established in an urban park long resided by high densities of sika deer. I compared species composition and seasonal traits of seed abundance and maturity in the grassland community with those in deer fecal pellets. In total, 27 herbaceous species were observed, including the predominant Zoysia japonica. Seed phenology and production differed among the three dominant species (Z. japonica, Digitaria violascens, and Hydrocotyle maritima). Pellets contained at least 26 species of herbaceous seeds, and their abundance differed among species. Of the 26 species, 15 were observed in the vegetation at the study site. The peak of seed abundance in pellets for the dominant species appeared 1 month after the peak of inflorescence production (but most of the inflorescences were immature and susceptible to digestion) and consequently corresponded to the peak of mature inflorescence. Because sika deer are likely to ingest seeds at any maturity stage in the grassland and immature seeds are less hardened, ingested immature seeds can suffer great losses. The results suggested that the survival of germable seeds with great losses of immature seeds may be a factor determining which plant species can be successfully dispersed by herbivores.

Keywords

fecal pellets; maturity of inflorescences; seed ingestion; seed phenology; sika deer grazing; vegetation;

Citations & Related Records

Times Cited By SCOPUS : 0

Reference

1	Takatsuki S, Gorai T. 1994. Effects of sika deer on the regeneration of a Fagus crenata forest on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan. Ecol Res 9: 115-120. DOI
2	Takatsuki S, Ito TY. 2009. Plants and plant communities on Kinkazan Island, northern Japan, in relation to sika deer herbivory. In: Sika Deer: Biology and Management of Native and Introduced Populations (McCullough DR, Takatsuki S, Kaji K, eds). Springer, Tokyo, pp 125-143.
3	Torii H, Tatsuzawa S. 2009. Sika deer in Nara Park: unique human-wildlife relations. In: Sika Deer: Biology and Management of Native and Introduced Populations (McCullough DR, Takatsuki S, Kaji K, eds). Springer, Tokyo, pp 347-363.
4	von Oheimb G, Schmidt M, Kriebitzsch WU, Ellenberg H. 2005. Dispersal of vascular plants by game in northern Germany. Part II: Red deer (Cervus elaphus). Eur J For Res 124: 55-65. DOI
5	Welch D. 1985. Studies in the grazing of heather moorland in north-east Scotland. IV. Seed dispersal and plant establishment in dung. J Appl Ecol 22: 461-472. DOI
6	Yamashiro A, Yamashiro T. 2006. Seed dispersal by Kerama Deer (Cervus nippon keramae) on Aka Island, the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Biotropica 38: 405-413. DOI
7	Takatsuki S, Asahi M. 1977. Food habits of Sika deer in Nara Park assessed by fecal analysis (I). In: Annual Reports on Sika Deer in Nara Park (Kasuga Kenshokai, ed). Kasuga Kenshoukai, Nara, pp 129-141. (in Japanese with English summary)
8	Takatsuki S. 1980. The vegetation of Nara Park with reference to the grazing effects of Sika deer (Cervus nippon). In: Annual Reports on Sika Deer in Nara Park (Kasuga Kenshokai, ed). Kasuga Kenshokai, Nara, pp 113-131. (in Japanese with English summary)
9	Takatsuki S. 2006. Ecological History of Sika Deer. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo. (in Japanese)
10	Takatsuki S. 2009. Effects of sika deer on vegetation in Japan: a review. Biol Conserv 142: 1922-1929. DOI ScienceOn
11	Takatsuki S, Asahi M. 1978. Food habits of Sika deer in Nara Park, assessed by fecal analysis (II). In: Annual Reports on Sika Deer in Nara Park (Kasuga Kenshokai, ed). Kasuga Kenshokai, Nara, pp 25-37. (in Japanese with English summary)
12	Maesako Y. 2002. Disturbance by white-whiskered boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) on the grassland of Tobihino, Nara Park, Nara, Central Japan. Nara Bot 24/25: 19-23. (in Japanese)
13	Japan Meteorological Agency. 2011. Climate statistics in Japan. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/index.php. Accessed 25 May 2011. (in Japanese)
14	Kasahara Y. 1968. Weeds of Japan Illustrated: Seeds, Seedlings and Plants. 2nd ed. Yokendo, Tokyo. (in Japanese)
15	Kitagawa N. 1988. Seed dispersal of Zoysia japonica by sika deer in the ecosystem of Nara Park. Bull Nara Bot 36: 9-12. (in Japanese)
16	Maesako Y, Nanami S, Kanzaki M. 2007. Spatial distribution of two invasive alien species, Podocarpus nagi and Sapium sebiferum, spreading in a warm-temperate evergreen forest of the Kasugayama Forest Reserve, Japan. Veg Sci 24: 103-112.
17	Cosyns E, Hoffmann M. 2005. Horse dung germinable seed content in relation to plant species abundance, diet composition and seed characteristics. Basic Appl Ecol 6: 11-24. DOI
18	Couvreur M, Christiaen B, Verheyen K, Hermy M. 2004. Large herbivores as mobile links between isolated nature reserves through adhesive seed dispersal. Appl Veg Sci 7: 229-236. DOI
19	Couvreur M, Cosyns E, Hermy M, Hoffmann M. 2005. Complementarity of epi- and endozoochory of plant seeds by free ranging donkeys. Ecography 28: 37-48. DOI
20	Crawley MJ. 1983. Herbivory: The Dynamics of Animal-Plant Interactions. University of California Press, Berkeley.
21	Gill RMA, Beardall V. 2001. The impact of deer on woodlands: the effects of browsing and seed dispersal on vegetation structure and composition. Forestry 74: 209-218. DOI
22	Foundation for the Protection of Deer in Nara Park. 2011. Assessment of total population of sika deer in Nara Park, Japan. http://naradeer.com/res1.htm. Accessed 25 May 2011. (in Japanese)
23	Fukunaga H. 1976. Behavior of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Nara Park (I). Daily activity and habitat use (2). In: Annual Reports on Sika Deer in Nara Park (Kasuga Kenshokai, ed). Kasuga Kenshokai, Nara, pp 63-69. (in Japanese)
24	Fukunaga H, Kawamichi T. 1975. Behavior of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Nara Park (I). Habitat use and daily activity. In: Annual Reports on Sika Deer in Nara Park (Kasuga Kenshokai, ed). Kasuga Kenshokai, Nara, pp 3-13. (in Japanese)
25	Grime JP, Hodgson JG, Hunt R. 1988. Comparative Plant Ecology: A Functional Approach to Common British Species. Unwin Hyman, London.
26	Miura S. 1977. Sociological studies on Sika deer in Nara park with reference to individual distribution and behavior. In: Annual Reports on Sika Deer in Nara Park (Kasuga Kenshokai, ed). Kasuga Kenshokai, Nara, pp 3-41. (in Japanese with English summary)
27	Akashi N, Nakashizuka T. 1999. Effects of bark-stripping by Sika deer (Cervus nippon) on population dynamics of a mixed forest in Japan. For Ecol Manag 113: 75-82. DOI
28	Bruun HH, Fritzboger B. 2002. The past impact of livestock husbandry on dispersal of plant seeds in the landscape of Denmark. Ambio 31: 425-431. DOI
29	Tagawa H. 1973. Ecological Lecture 11-a: Ecological Succession I. Kyoritsu Shuppan, Tokyo. (in Japanese)
30	Malo JE, Suarez F. 1995. Herbivorous mammals as seed dispersers in a Mediterranean dehesa. Oecologia 104: 246-255. DOI
31	Miura S. 2005. Artiodactyla. In: A Guide to the Mammals of Japan (Japan Wildlife Research Center, ed). Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, pp 107-114.
32	Mouissie AM, van der Veen CEJ, Veen GF(C), van Diggelen R. 2005. Ecological correlates of seed survival after ingestion by Fallow Deer. Funct Ecol 19: 284-290. DOI
33	Myers JA, Vellend M, Gardescu S, Marks PL. 2004. Seed dispersal by white-tailed deer: implications for long-distance dispersal, invasion, and migration of plants in eastern North America. Oecologia 139: 35-44. DOI
34	Pakeman RJ, Digneffe G, Small JL. 2002. Ecological correlates of endozoochory by herbivores. Funct Ecol 16: 296-304. DOI
35	Nakayama S, Inokuchi M, Minamitani T. 2000. Seeds of Wild Plants in Japan. Tohoku University Press, Sendai. (in Japanese)
36	Numata M, Yoshizaga N. 1971. Weed flora of Japan: Illustrated in Colour. Zenkoku Noson Kyoiku Kyokai, Tokyo. (in Japanese)
37	Okuda T, Nakane K. 1990. Effects of deer browsing on the early stage of pyrogenic succession on Miyajima Island, Southeastern Japan. Ecol Res 5: 353-366. DOI
38	Shimoda K, Kimura K, Kanzaki M, Yoda K. 1994. The regeneration of pioneer tree species under browsing pressure of Sika deer in an evergreen oak forest. Ecol Res 9: 85-92. DOI
39	Heinken T, Hanspach H, Raudnitschka D, Schaumann F. 2002. Dispersal of vascular plants by four species of wild mammals in a deciduous forest in NE Germany. Phytocoenologia 32: 627-643. DOI
40	Hofmann RR. 1985. Digestive physiology of the deer: their morphophysiological specialization and adaptation. Bull R Soc N Z 22: 393-407.
41	Ishikawa H. 2010. Effects of ingestion of seeds by sika deer (Cervus nippon) and dung presence on their germination in a herbaceous community. Ecol Res 25: 591-598. DOI
42	Ishikawa H. 2011. Effects of dung beetles on seedling emergence from herbaceous seeds in the dung of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in a temperate Japanese grassland ecosystem. Ecol Res 26: 725-734. DOI
43	Janzen DH. 1984. Dispersal of small seeds by big herbivores: foliage is the fruit. Am Nat 123: 338-353. DOI