New Zealand Journal of Botany abstract
Post-dispersal seed predation on eleven large-seeded species from the New
Zealand flora: a preliminary study in secondary forest
ANGELA T. MOLES*
DONALD. R. DRAKE
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
P.O. Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand
*Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie
University, NSW 2109, Australia.
Abstract Seed predation trials were conducted for 11
large-seeded species native to New Zealand in secondary forest. The species
used were: Alectryon excelsus, Beilschmiedia tawa, Coprosma
grandifolia, Corynocarpus laevigatus, Hedycarya arborea,
Myoporum laetum, Nestegis cunninghamii, Prumnopitys
ferruginea, Prumnopitys taxifolia, Rhopalostylis sapida,
and Ripogonum scandens. Seed removal was monitored for 15 days for
160 seeds of each species, placed in piles of 5 seeds in each of 4 treatments
at each of 8 sites in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Wellington, in 1998.
Removal of depulped seeds from treatments to which all species had access
ranged from 3.8% to 23.8%, with a mean of 9.8%. No seeds were removed from the
treatment that excluded all vertebrates. Presence of flesh on the seeds
significantly increased seed removal rates in the three species tested with and
without flesh. No relationship was found between seed removal and seed size,
seed mass, or the proportion of the seed mass that was contributed by the seed
coat. The seed removal rates reported here are exceptionally low, and suggest
that the potential for post-dispersal seed predation to limit regeneration of
native forest in New Zealand may have been overestimated, at least in the
forest type studied.
Keywords post-dispersal seed predation; New Zealand
B99020
Received 17 May 1999, accepted 30 August 1999
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