Pacific Southwest

Title: Seedling Establishment of Coast Live Oak in Relation to Seed Caching by Jays

Author: McBride, Joe R.; Norberg, Ed; Cheng, Sheauchi; Mossadegh, Ahmad

Date: 1991

Source: In: Standiford, Richard B., tech. coord. 1991. Proceedings of the symposium on oak woodlands and hardwood rangeland management; October 31 - November 2, 1990; Davis, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-126. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 143-148

Station ID: GTR-PSW-126

Description: The purpose of this study was to simulate the caching of acorns by jays and rodents to see if less costly procedures could be developed for the establishment of coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia). Four treatments [(1) random - single acorn cache, (2) regular - single acorn cache, (3) regular - 5 acorn cache, (4) regular - 10 acorn cache] were planted in January 1990. No efforts were made to protect the acorns nor the emerging seedlings from herbivory. Emergence of epicotyls ranged from 23.4 percent (single acorn, random) to 64.6 percent (five acorn, regular). By October 1990 the percentage of established seedlings ranged from 9 percent (single acorn, random) to 30.6 percent (five acorn regular). Gopher caused mortality averaged 21.3 percent and drought caused mortality averaged 38.4 percent across the treatments. Conclusions about the efficacy of simulating jay and animal caching of acorns for the establishment of oaks must await a second growing season because of the unusual pattern of spring precipitation in 1990.

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Citation

McBride, Joe R.; Norberg, Ed; Cheng, Sheauchi; Mossadegh, Ahmad  1991.  Seedling Establishment of Coast Live Oak in Relation to Seed Caching by Jays.   In: Standiford, Richard B., tech. coord. 1991. Proceedings of the symposium on oak woodlands and hardwood rangeland management; October 31 - November 2, 1990; Davis, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-126. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 143-148.