Rodents’ Antics Aid Biodiversity

The answer—at least for one type of tree—may lie in the criminal antics of a cunning rodent. A group of scientists working with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, along with other institutions, reports that by repeatedly raiding each other's stashes, these creatures spread seeds over a much wider territory than scientists had previously recognized. Dispersal is a key factor in ensuring the survival of a species because spreading individuals over a broader range can mitigate the effects of pests, move organisms into new climatic ranges and increase the flow of genes between populations.

 

The rodent in question is the agouti—a house cat–size critter that resembles a tail-less squirrel. The researchers studied agoutis caching black palm tree seeds on Barro Colorado Island in the Panama Canal over one year. They set up video cameras at cache sites, attached a long thread with a transmitter unit to each of 589 seeds and radio-tracked them. More than half of the seeds cached were stolen by other agoutis and recached elsewhere, continue>>>