The central role of Clark's Nutcracker in the dispersal and establishment of whitebark pine
Authors(s): H. E. Hutchins and R. M. Lanner
Publication: Oecologia (Berl)
Publisher:
Publication Date: 0000-00-00
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Abstract: Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is known to have its seeds harvested and cached in the soil by Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), and unretrieved seeds are known to be capable of germinating and establishing new pines. Many other vertebrates also harvest and feed on these seeds, however, and the roles of these animals as dispersers and establishers of whitebark pine has been uncertain. This work demonstrates that birds other than the nutcracker, rodents, and other mammals do not have the requisite behaviors to systematically disperse or establish whitebark pine, and that the pine is therefore dependent on the nutcracker for its regeneration. These findings support previous suggestions that Clark's Nutcracker is a specialized frugivore that has profoundly influenced the ecology and the evolution of whitebark pine.
Keywords: Bridger-Teton National Forest, animal, mammal, bear, Ursidae, grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis, food, habitat, rodent, bird, ornithology, Aves, Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana
| BIBLIOGRAPHY ID | 1382 |
| REF TYPE | Journal Article |
| AUTHORS | H. E. Hutchins and R. M. Lanner |
| PUB DATE | 0000-00-00 |
| DATE STR | 0000-00-00 |
| PUB TITLE1 | Oecologia (Berl) |
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| DOC TITLE | The central role of Clark's Nutcracker in the dispersal and establishment of whitebark pine |
| PAGE DESC | 192-201 |
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| PUB VOLUME | 55 |
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| LIBRARY INFO | Black Rock/grizzly bears |
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| KEYWORDS | Bridger-Teton National Forest, animal, mammal, bear, Ursidae, grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis, food, habitat, rodent, bird, ornithology, Aves, Clark's Nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana |
| ABSTRACT | Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is known to have its seeds harvested and cached in the soil by Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), and unretrieved seeds are known to be capable of germinating and establishing new pines. Many other vertebrates also harvest and feed on these seeds, however, and the roles of these animals as dispersers and establishers of whitebark pine has been uncertain. This work demonstrates that birds other than the nutcracker, rodents, and other mammals do not have the requisite behaviors to systematically disperse or establish whitebark pine, and that the pine is therefore dependent on the nutcracker for its regeneration. These findings support previous suggestions that Clark's Nutcracker is a specialized frugivore that has profoundly influenced the ecology and the evolution of whitebark pine. |
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Posted on
Sun, July 31, 2011
by Beringia South