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Updated: Sep 10, 2025

Author Spotlight: Impact of Physical Barriers on Rodent Populations in Farmland Areas
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Urbanization, Not Invasive Shrubs, Alters Tree Seed Fate by Modifying Rodent Activity.

Mark E Fuka1, Brian M Connolly2, John L Orrock1

  • 1University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison Wisconsin USA.

Ecology and Evolution
|August 27, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Global environmental changes like urbanization and invasive species impact rodent activity and seed consumption. Seed mass remains the primary factor in rodent seed preference, overriding environmental influences.

Keywords:
Rhamnus catharticaanimal activityseasonalityseed removalurbanization

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Zoology

Background:

  • Global environmental changes, including urbanization and invasive species, can alter animal activity and interactions.
  • Granivorous rodents play a crucial role in seed survival and establishment, making their activity patterns vital to understand.
  • The interaction between urbanization and invasive species may synergistically affect rodent behavior and seed predation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of urbanization, invasive shrubs, and seasonality on rodent activity and granivory.
  • To determine how these factors influence the seed removal rates of common granivorous rodents.
  • To link observed rodent activity patterns with seed removal to understand ecological consequences.

Main Methods:

  • A large-scale field experiment manipulated invasive shrubs (Rhamnus cathartica, Lonicera maackii) across a rural-to-urban forest gradient in Wisconsin.
  • Motion-activated cameras recorded the activity of three rodent species (Peromyscus leucopus, Sciurus carolinensis, Tamias striatus) over two 14-day periods in summer and autumn.
  • Seed depots containing seeds from six tree species were used to quantify seed removal, linking animal activity to granivory.

Main Results:

  • Quercus seed removal was highest in urban sites, potentially linked to increased activity of Sciurus carolinensis.
  • Peromyscus leucopus activity was notably high in autumn within plots where Rhamnus cathartica was removed, suggesting a response to resource availability.
  • Rodent seed preference was consistently dominated by seed mass, irrespective of urbanization or invasive shrub presence.

Conclusions:

  • Urbanization and invasive species alter rodent activity patterns, with potential consequences for seed survival in urban forests.
  • Seasonality influences rodent behavior, with specific species like Peromyscus leucopus showing responses to short-term resource availability.
  • Seed mass is the predominant factor driving rodent seed selection, highlighting its importance in ecological interactions and forest regeneration.