Linkages among canopy tree neighbourhoods, small mammal herbivores and herbaceous communities in temperate forests

摘要

Question: Small mammals are important consumers of tree seeds in forests worldwde. Few studies, however, have addressed the.impacts of small mammals as consumers of herbaceous species in tile forest understorey. Local neighbourhood -scale variation in canopy tree composition has strong effects on resource availability for understorey plants, but can also influence the distribution, abundance and foraging behaviour of small mammals, primarily through spatial and temporal variation in seed rain. In this study we examine the direct and indirect effects of canopy tree neighbourhoods and herbivory by small mammals on the diversity, abundance and flowering of herbaceous species in a temperate forest.