Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

12.5K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
12.5K
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

41.5K
Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
41.5K
Fruit Development, Structure, and Function01:58

Fruit Development, Structure, and Function

23.0K
Fruits form from a mature flower ovary. As seeds develop from the ovules contained within, the ovary wall undergoes a series of complex changes to form fruit. In some fruits, such as soybeans, the ovary wall dries; in other fruits, such as grapes, it remains fleshy. In some cases, organs other than the ovary contribute to fruit formation; such fruits are called accessory fruits.
23.0K
Seedless Vascular Plants03:24

Seedless Vascular Plants

61.3K
Seedless Vascular Plants Were the First Tall Plants on Earth
61.3K
Energy Budgets00:51

Energy Budgets

9.7K
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
9.7K
Distribution and Dispersion00:54

Distribution and Dispersion

22.4K
To understand intra-specific interactions in populations, scientists measure the spatial arrangement of species individuals. This geographic arrangement is known as the species distribution or dispersion. Highly territorial species exhibit a uniform distribution pattern, in which individuals are spaced at relatively equal distances from one another. Species that are highly tied to particular resources, such as food or shelter, tend to concentrate around those resources, and thus exhibit a...
22.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Understanding mammal avoidance of human settlements.

The Journal of animal ecology·2026
Same author

Interacting effects of human presence and landscape modification on birds and mammals.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Biodiversity resilience in a tropical rainforest.

Nature·2026
Same author

Incorporating pollinator movement into connectivity models predicts pollen-mediated gene flow and highlights the importance of regenerating forests in tropical landscapes.

Landscape ecology·2026
Same author

Ravens anticipate wolf kill sites across broad scales.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Social implications of human food subsidies on wildlife populations.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Chronic limb loading results in remarkable load carriage economy in growing fowl.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Motion-from-structure in face perception: expectations of natural face motion depend on face shape.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Unification and generalization of models of zygote survival.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Phenological type- and diameter-dependent effects of individual light availability and interannual climate variation on tree growth.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Interaction range of common goods shapes Black Queen dynamics beyond the cheater-cooperator narrative.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Stingray spine diversity reflects performance trade-offs linked to puncture and breakability.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions
07:03

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions

Published on: November 6, 2016

10.6K

Avian seed dispersal function is age dependent.

Valentin Graf1,2, Martin U Grüebler3, Urs G Kormann3

  • 1Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|July 15, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Juvenile spotted nutcrackers disperse pine seeds farther and at higher elevations than adults. This highlights age-related differences in animal contributions to ecosystem functions, crucial for forest regeneration.

Keywords:
ecosystem functionsinstraspecific variationlife stagemovement behaviourontogenyscatter hoarding

More Related Videos

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
04:10

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

6.2K
Evaluation of Auditory Brainstem Response in Chicken Hatchlings
09:32

Evaluation of Auditory Brainstem Response in Chicken Hatchlings

Published on: April 1, 2022

3.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 15, 2025

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions
07:03

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions

Published on: November 6, 2016

10.6K
Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
04:10

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike Lanius Ludovicianus Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

6.2K
Evaluation of Auditory Brainstem Response in Chicken Hatchlings
09:32

Evaluation of Auditory Brainstem Response in Chicken Hatchlings

Published on: April 1, 2022

3.2K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Zoology
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • Animal species are vital for ecosystem functions.
  • Individual variations in species' contributions to ecosystem functions are understudied.
  • Spotted nutcrackers (Nucifraga caryocatactes) are key seed dispersers for Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how age (juvenile vs. adult) affects seed dispersal by spotted nutcrackers.
  • To compare seed dispersal ranges, displacement variability, and caching elevations between juvenile and adult birds.
  • To understand ontogenetic shifts in seed dispersal function.

Main Methods:

  • Tracking of 72 juvenile and adult spotted nutcrackers.
  • Comparison of seed dispersal ranges, hourly displacement, and elevation of occurrence.
  • Analysis of seed caching elevations.
  • Longitudinal tracking of nine individuals over two years.

Main Results:

  • Juveniles exhibited significantly larger seed dispersal ranges and higher displacement variability than adults.
  • Juveniles occurred and cached seeds at higher elevations compared to adults.
  • Birds showed reduced dispersal ranges but maintained similar displacements and elevational occurrence from juvenile to adult stages, indicating ontogenetic shifts.

Conclusions:

  • Juvenile spotted nutcrackers play a critical role in pine seed dispersal due to their extensive ranges and higher elevation activity.
  • Age-dependent variations in animal dispersal functions are essential for assessing ecosystem services.
  • Understanding these age effects is vital for predicting forest regeneration under climate change.