Dispersal of Limber Pine Seed by Clark's Nutcracker
Lanner RM and Vander Wall SB. 1980. Dispersal of Limber Pine Seed by Clark's Nutcracker. Journal of Forestry. 78(10):637-639
Restocking of Limber pine with Clark's Nutcracker as the seed dispersal agent in the Raft River Mountains, Utah. A 90+ year-old burn in the Raft River Mountains, Utah, is being restocked with limber pine (Pinus flexilis James) and other conifers. Limber pines' large wingless seeds are incapable of wind dispersal, and are being brought to the burn area by Clark's Nutcracker, a bird that stores them in the soil for food. Unretrieved seeds germinate, often in clumps, and are reestablishing limber pine on this site. In some years, nearly the entire seed crop may be harvested by nutcrackers. No other reliable dispersal agent of limber pine seed has been identified.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Lanner, Ronald; Vander Wall, Stephen
- Units
- BRCA , CRMO
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Birds, Clark's nutcracker, limber pine, Monitoring, Nucifraga columbiana, Pinus flexilis, Reforestation, Restoration-Natural, Seed, Seed Dispersal, Seed storage