Data from: The interplay among acorn abundance and rodent behavior drives the spatial pattern of seedling recruitment in mature Mediterranean oak forests

The patterns of seedling recruitment in animal-dispersed plants result from the interactions among environmental and behavioral variables. However, we know little on the contribution and combined effect of both kinds of variables. We designed a field study to assess the interplay between environment (vegetation structure, seed abundance, rodent abundance) and behavior (seed dispersal and predation by rodents, and rooting by wild boars), and their contribution to the spatial patterns of seedling recruitment in a Mediterranean mixed-oak forest. In a spatially explicit design, we monitored intensively all environmental and behavioral variables in fixed points at a small spatial scale from autumn to spring, as well as seedling emergence and survival. Our results revealed that the spatial patterns of seedling emergence were strongly related to acorn availability on the ground, but not by a facilitationeffect of vegetation cover. Rodents changed seed shadows generated by mother trees by dispersing most seeds from shrubby to open areas, but the spatial patterns of acorn dispersal/predation had no direct effect on recruitment. By contrast, rodents had a strong impact on recruitment as pilferers of cached seeds. Rooting by wild boars also reduced recruitment by reducing seed abundance, but also by changing rodent’s behavior towards higher consumption of acorns in situ. Hence, seed abundance and the foraging behavior of scatter-hoarding rodents and wild boars are driving the spatial patterns of seedling recruitment in this mature oak forest, rather than vegetation features. The contribution of vegetation to seedling recruitment (e.g. facilitation by shrubs) may be context dependent, having a little role in closed forests, or being overridden by directed seed dispersal from shrubby to open areas. We warn about the need of using broad approaches that consider the combined action of environment and behavior to improve our knowledge on the dynamics of natural regeneration in forests.动物传播植物（animal-dispersed plants）的幼苗更新（seedling recruitment）格局，源于环境变量与行为变量间的相互作用。然而，目前学界对这两类变量的贡献及其联合效应的认知仍较为匮乏。 本研究开展一项野外研究，旨在评估环境因子（植被结构、种子丰度、啮齿动物丰度）与行为因子（啮齿动物的种子传播与捕食、野猪的掘土觅食行为）之间的相互关联，及其对地中海混生栎林（Mediterranean mixed-oak forest）内幼苗更新空间格局的贡献。 本研究采用空间显性设计（spatially explicit design），于秋季至春季期间，在小空间尺度下的固定样点中对所有环境与行为变量进行了高密度监测，同时同步记录幼苗出苗与存活情况。 研究结果显示，幼苗出苗的空间格局与地表橡子可获得性显著相关，而不受植被覆盖的促进效应（facilitation effect）影响。啮齿动物将多数种子从灌丛区域扩散至开阔生境，由此改变了母树形成的种子雨扩散范围（seed shadows），但橡子传播/捕食的空间格局并未对幼苗更新产生直接影响。 与之相对，啮齿动物作为缓存种子的盗食者，对幼苗更新产生了强烈影响。野猪的掘土行为同样降低了幼苗更新：一方面通过减少种子丰度，另一方面则通过改变啮齿动物的行为，使其更多地在原位取食橡子。 由此可见，在该成熟栎林中，驱动幼苗更新空间格局的核心因素为种子丰度，以及分散贮食啮齿动物（scatter-hoarding rodents）与野猪的觅食行为，而非植被特征。 植被对幼苗更新的促进作用（例如灌丛的庇护效应）可能具有生境依赖性：在郁闭森林中其作用微弱，或是被"灌丛向开阔生境定向传播种子"的效应所掩盖。 本研究警示，需采用兼顾环境与行为联合作用的综合性研究方法，以深化对森林自然更新（natural regeneration）动态的认知。