Telemetric tracking of scatterhoarding and seed fate in a Central African forest

In seed predation studies, removal of a seed is only the first step of a dynamic process that may result in dispersal rather than seed death. This process, termed seed fate, has received little attention in African forests, particularly in Central Africa. We experimentally assessed the initial steps of seed fate for two tree species—the large-seeded Pentaclethra macrophylla and the relatively small-seeded Gambeya lacourtiana—in northeastern Gabon. Specifically, we evaluated whether seed size and seed consumer identity are important determinants of seed fate. We established experimental stations under conspecific fruiting trees, each comprising three seeds fitted with telemetric thread tags to facilitate their recovery, and a motion-sensitive camera to identify visiting mammals. In total, animals removed 76 tagged seeds from experimental stations. Small Murid rats and mice primarily removed small Gambeya seeds, whereas large-bodied rodents and mandrills primarily removed large Pentacleth...