MECHANISMS OF OAK DISPERSAL Acorn Characteristics and Oak Dispersal

INTRODUCTION Although oaks dominate many forest ecosystems worldwide (Barnes and others 1998), several aspects of oak ecology remain poorly understood including oak regeneration and masting (McShea and Healy 2001). Animals that eat and disperse acorns, such as squirrels, mice, and jays may play a pivotal role in oak forest dynamics (Jones and others 1998, Ostfeld and others 1996), influencing regeneration both positively and negatively through their roles as seed dispersers and predators. The ecology and evolution of oaks is likely to be strongly dictated by the behavioral decisions of these animals. Understanding oak forest ecosystems may therefore require multidisciplinary approaches that determine how the behavioral ecology of animals affects oak forest characteristics including levels and patterning of seedling recruitment and plant physiological traits. Our research attempts to examine such linkages by focusing on behavioral responses to various acorn characteristics as a starting point.