Seed survival is a key process for plant populations; variation in the activity and abundance of animals that consume seeds can lead to dramatic shifts in seed fate. Because granivores may respond to contemporary disturbance as well as to enduring changes in habitats caused by past disturbances, understanding seed fate requires studies capable of evaluating how past and present disturbances modify granivore communities, foraging activity, and ultimately, seed predation. Historic agricultural land use and contemporary canopy harvesting are widespread disturbances that could generate large‐scale patterns of seed fate by modifying environmental characteristics that determine granivore identity and behavior. To evaluate whether land‐use history and canopy harvesting affect seed–animal interactions, we conducted an experiment distributed across 80,000 ha of longleaf pine woodlands that coupled large‐scale canopy harvesting at seven 4‐ha sites containing both post‐agricultural land use and nonagricultural land use in South Carolina, United States. We deployed a total of 28,000 nail‐tagged seeds and recovered the tags to quantify seed fate. Past agricultural land use and contemporary canopy harvesting interacted to affect the rate of seed predation. Seed predation rates in harvested sites depended on land‐use history: Seed predation was 30% lower in post‐agricultural plots than in nonagricultural plots. This interaction was driven by the differential effect of land‐use history and canopy harvesting on rodent activity. Camera traps revealed that Sigmodon hispidus only foraged in harvested plots and was most active in nonagricultural plots. In harvested plots, seed removal increased with S. hispidus activity. In unharvested plots, seed removal increased with Sciurus niger activity, but S. niger was not affected by land‐use history. In finding that land‐use history and canopy harvesting determine the outcomes of seed–animal interactions, we show that understanding patterns of seed predation is contingent upon the interplay of disturbances in both the distant past and recent past. These results suggest that patterns of past land use and present land use may help reconcile the considerable variation in seed fate observed in ecological communities.

中文翻译：

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过去和现在的干扰在种子捕食中产生空间变化

种子存活是植物种群的关键过程。消耗种子的动物的活动和丰富度的变化会导致种子命运的急剧变化。由于食肉动物可能会对当代的干扰以及过去干扰造成的生境的持久变化做出反应，因此了解种子的命运需要开展能够评估过去和现在的干扰如何改变食草动物群落，觅食活动以及最终对种子捕食的研究。历史悠久的农业用地和当代树冠的收成是广泛的干扰因素，它们可以通过修改决定草食动物身份和行为的环境特征而产生大规模的种子命运模式。为了评估土地利用历史和冠层收割是否影响种子-动物相互作用，我们进行了一项分布在80个实验中的实验，在美国南卡罗来纳州，有000公顷的长叶松林地与7个4公顷的地点的大规模冠层采伐相结合，既包含农业后土地利用，也包括非农业土地利用。我们总共部署了28,000个带有指甲标签的种子，并回收了这些标签以量化种子的命运。过去的农业土地利用和当代树冠的收获相互影响，影响了种子捕食的速度。收获地的种子捕食率取决于土地使用历史：后耕地的种子捕食率比非农业地低30％。这种相互作用是由土地使用历史和冠层收获对啮齿动物活动的不同影响所驱动的。相机陷阱显示 000枚带有指甲标签的种子，并回收了标签以量化种子的命运。过去的农业土地利用与当代树冠的收获相互影响，影响了种子捕食的速度。收获地点的种子捕食率取决于土地使用历史：后农业地块的种子捕食率比非农业地块低30％。这种相互作用是由土地使用历史和冠层收获对啮齿动物活动的不同影响所驱动的。相机陷阱显示 000枚带有指甲标签的种子，并回收了标签以量化种子的命运。过去的农业土地利用和当代树冠的收获相互影响，影响了种子捕食的速度。收获地点的种子捕食率取决于土地使用历史：后农业地块的种子捕食率比非农业地块低30％。这种相互作用是由土地使用历史和冠层收获对啮齿动物活动的不同影响所驱动的。相机陷阱显示 这种相互作用是由土地使用历史和冠层收获对啮齿动物活动的不同影响所驱动的。相机陷阱显示 这种相互作用是由土地使用历史和冠层收获对啮齿动物活动的不同影响所驱动的。相机陷阱显示Sigmodon hispidus仅在收获地中觅食，在非农业地中最为活跃。在收获的地块中，种子去除率随S. hispidus的活性而增加。在未收获的地块中，黑松鼠的活动导致种子去除率增加，但是黑曲霉不受土地利用历史的影响。在发现土地利用历史和树冠收获决定种子与动物相互作用的结果时，我们表明，对种子捕食的理解方式取决于远古和近代干扰的相互作用。这些结果表明，过去土地使用方式和当前土地使用方式可能有助于调和在生态群落中观察到的种子命运的巨大变化。