What do mice select for in seeds?

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Zoology
• Botany

Background:

• Understanding seed selection by granivores is key to granivory.
• Rodent granivory impacts plant communities in semi-arid regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate seed selection preferences of three rodent granivores.
• To correlate these preferences with physical and chemical seed attributes.

Main Methods:

• Assessed seed preferences of mice for 11 Karoo plant seeds.
• Analyzed seed attributes: weight, caloric, lipid, protein, polyphenol, silica, and ash content.
• Measured seed ingestion efficiency (time and mass).

Main Results:

• All mouse species showed similar seed preference rankings.
• Preference hierarchies strongly correlated with energy intake rate.
• No correlation found between preferences and gross seed energy content.

Conclusions:

• Energy intake rate, not gross energy, drives rodent seed selection.
• Seed attributes influence granivore foraging efficiency.
• This data aids in estimating granivore impact on plant seed production.