Acorn Hoarding by the Field Mouse, Apodemus speciosus Temminck (Rodentia: Muridae)

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We studied population changes of the field mouse, Apodemus speciosus Temminck, by live trapping in a mixed stand of cypress and broad-leaved trees at Tama Forest Science Garden during the period from October 1991 to March 1994. We also used radiotelemetry to investigate acorn hoarding. The number of mice captured in 1992 was three to ten times higher than that in either 1991 or 1993. The home ranges of resident mice overlapped greatly, but a path and differences in the vegetation structure may have affected the home range of individuals. From June 1992 to April 1993, mice actively transported and hoarded acorns. Individuals hoarded 70% of the acorns in their home ranges within one day after release. This species was a typical scatter-hoarder and hoarded a single acom at each cache site. Mice buried acorns in the soil at the first hoarding. but recovered and carried them into their nests later. Although more than 50% of the acorns were buried 0-5 cm deep, where the condition for germination seemed to be good, mice recovered and ate all cached acorns. Mice relocated acoms farther from the original food station as they repeated hoarding. Mice transported acorns an average of about 15-18 m (range: 2.2-49.8 m) before they ate them. From May 1993 to March 1994, the hoarding behavior of mice was not active. Most acoms were left at food stations or cache sites for more than three months. Acorn hoarding by A. speciosus probably contributes little to the dispersal and regeneration of acorn-producing trees in years with a high rodent density.
日本森林学会の論文
1999-05-16

Acorn Hoarding by the Field Mouse, Apodemus speciosus Temminck (Rodentia: Muridae)

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