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Summary Post‐dispersal seed predators contribute substantially to seed loss across many ecosystems. Most research has focused on understanding sources of variation in seed loss, without appreciating the implications of seed predation for plant coexistence, community assembly and broader community theory. Meanwhile, research aimed at understanding coexistence and community assembly processes in plant communities has focused on axes of dispersal and resource competition and the traits influencing these processes, without accounting for the role of generalist seed predators. We review the unique features of post‐dispersal seed predation and assess the implications of seed loss on three critical components of plant community organization – coexistence, community structure and plant invasions – pointing to both important gaps in theory and empirical knowledge. We highlight how understanding fundamental controls on plant recruitment is central to determining how seed predation affects plant recruitment and coexistence. We discuss how accounting for seed predator foraging strategies may shift trait‐based inferences of community assembly. Synthesis. We argue that seed predation by generalist consumers, which is pervasive in temperate communities, should be better incorporated into plant community theory. Experiments that specifically incorporate the presence and attributes of the seed predator community and that follow seed fate would fill important knowledge gaps. Particularly needed are studies focused on strengthening the connections between seed removal and plant establishment and linking selective and density‐dependent foraging strategies to plant traits. Advancing our understanding of the processes regulating plant coexistence and community assembly requires that future research not only acknowledge but also incorporate generalist consumers’ effects on plant communities. A lay summary is available for this article. Lay Summary

1. Local plant community assembly is influenced by a series of filters that affect the recruitment and establishment of species. These filters include regional factors that limit seeds of any given species from reaching a local site as well as local interactions such as post-dispersal seed predation and disturbance, which dictate what species actually establish. How these filters interact to influence recruitment into local assemblages, and whether they act differentially on individual species based on traits such as seed size or their provenance (i.e. native vs. exotic), has not been well examined. Such studies, however, are crucial for understanding community assembly and for making predictions about what species might be favoured under specific ecological circumstances. 2. We added 20 native and 19 exotic species that varied in seed size to undisturbed or experimentally disturbed subplots in and out of larger rodent exclusion plots at ten grassland sites across the Blackfoot River drainage in western Montana, USA. 3. Individually, exclusion of rodent seed predators and disturbance substantially increased cumulative (summed across all species) seedling recruitment. Exclusion of rodent seed predators enhanced recruitment to a greater extent in disturbed rather than undisturbed plots and for native species compared with exotics, while disturbance enhanced recruitment to a greater extent for exotics compared with natives. Examination of individual species responses indicated that results were generalizable across species within each group and not driven by the response of a few species. 4. Seed size mediated these patterns. Notably, the positive effect of rodent exclusion on recruitment was greater for large- versus small-seeded species, while the impact of disturbance on recruitment was more pronounced for small-seeded exotics relative to other groups. 5. Synthesis. These results reveal that local 'filters' such as post-dispersal seed predation and disturbance can individually and collectively impose strong limitation on seedling recruitment into local assemblages. Seed size importantly predicts how strongly individual species are influenced by these local filters. Interestingly, in situ community filters have differential effects on native versus exotic species, suggesting that processes that limit native recruitment may not have the same inhibitory influence on exotics.

Forest fragmentation is pervasive in tropical landscapes, and one pathway by which fragmentation may negatively impact populations is via edge effects. Early life-stages are particularly important for species regeneration as they act as bottlenecks, but how edge effects may act differentially on different life-stages is unknown. This study evaluated edge effects on multiple early life-stages of a currently common animal-dispersed, shade-tolerant tree Tapirira mexicana (Anacardiaceae). The study was conducted in tropical premontane wet forest fragments in a highly deforested region of Costa Rica. The stages assessed were pre-dispersal predation, primary dispersal, post-dispersal predation, secondary dispersal, ex situ germination, in situ seed longevity, first and second year seedling abundance, second year seedling survivorship, and basal diameter growth. Results showed that impacts of edge effects were not equal across stages, but were limited to specific stages and times. One stage which may act as a bottleneck for species regeneration was pre-dispersal predation. Over 60 percent of the seeds were predated by larvae, and predation was higher near the edge than interior habitat. Seeds lost viability within 10 d in the forest. Germination to first year seedling stage was also lower near edges, but such effect was eliminated within a year after that. Primary dispersal, seedling survivorship, and growth were not affected by proximity to edges, and both secondary dispersal and post-dispersal predation were rare. This study demonstrates that current population abundance may not guarantee future species persistence and the importance of considering multiple life-stages for a comprehensive assessment of forest fragmentation effects on species regeneration.

Determining how climate affects biotic interactions can improve understanding of drivers of context-dependence and inform predictions of how interactions may influence plants under future climates. In arid environments, the communitylevel impacts of seed predators may depend strongly on aridity; yet, long-term studies documenting impacts of granivores on plant communities over variable climate conditions remain scarce. We evaluated how rodent exclusion interacted with climate to influence grassland and shrubland forb communities and the community-scale distribution of seed mass over 15 years in the climatically variable northern Chihuahuan Desert. In this dynamic system, two seasonally distinct plant community phases occur annually, one in spring and the other during the summer monsoon. Rodent exclusion significantly altered the community composition of monsoon season plant communities in both grassland and shrubland, but did not affect spring plant composition. Rodents suppressed the abundance of larger-seeded forb species and promoted smaller-seeded species. As a consequence, rodent exclusion increased community seed mass (CWM) in monsoon forb communities, most strongly in grassland. The magnitude of impacts of rodents on seed mass varied substantially from year-to-year, tracking variation in climate. Specifically, rodent exclusion increased community mean seed mass the most in dry years (grassland) or in years following dry years (shrubland). Rodent exclusion had relatively weak effects on plant species diversity and richness. Our results indicate that climate interacts with the presence of rodents to structure not only the composition but also the traits of desert plant communities.

1. Both seed predators and herbivores can have profound effects on individual plant growth, reproduction and survival, but their population-level effects are less well understood. While most plants interact with a suite of seed predators and herbivores over their life cycle, few studies incorporate the effects of multiple interacting partners and multiple life stages on plant population growth. 2. We constructed a matrix model using 6 years of data from a rare, seed-producing population of American chestnut (Castanea dentata). We combined field demographic data with published experimental results on the effects of pre-dispersal seed predators (weevils) and post-dispersal seed predators (scatter-hoarding vertebrates) and incorporated the effect of vertebrate herbivores estimated from the field data. We explored the impact of these three different animal interactions for short-term (transient) and long-term (asymptotic) tree population growth. In addition, we used the model to explore the conditions under which scatter hoarding would function as a mutualism. 3. Seed predators had greater effect on both short- and long-term population growth than herbivores. Although weevil infestation can greatly reduce the probability of germination, pre-dispersal seed predators had smaller effects on both short- or long-term population growth than post-dispersal predators. The elasticities of weevil-related parameters were also small. The effect of browsers on both the shortand long-term population growth rate were the smallest of the effects studied. Post-dispersal seed predation affected population growth the most in the interactions studied. The probability of seed removal was among the largest elasticities, similar in magnitude to survival of large trees. 4. Synthesis. Our results indicate that neither weevils nor the intensity of browse damage observed at our study site are likely to hinder tree regeneration or reintroduction, although both reduced population growth. Although researchers and forest managers often assume that seeds are unimportant for long-lived tree populations, our test of this assumption shows that scatterhoarders and other post-dispersal seed consumers can significantly limit natural regeneration. Forest management that alters scatterhoarder behaviour could have significant effects on tree population dynamics that are largely unexplored.

Summary Post‐dispersal seed predation and endozoochorous seed dispersal are two antagonistic processes in relation to plant recruitment, but rely on similar preconditions such as feeding behavior of seed consumers and seed traits. In agricultural landscapes, rodents are considered important seed predators, thereby potentially providing regulating ecosystem services in terms of biological weed control. However, their potential to disperse seeds endozoochorously is largely unknown. We exposed seeds of arable plant species with different seed traits (seed weight, nutrient content) and different Red List status in an experimental rye field and assessed seed removal by rodents. In a complementary laboratory experiment, consumption rates, feeding preferences, and potential endozoochory by two vole species (Microtus arvalis and Myodes glareolus) were tested. Seed consumption by rodents after 24 h was 35% in the field and 90% in the laboratory. Both vole species preferred nutrient‐rich over nutrient‐poor seeds and M. glareolus further preferred light over heavy seeds and seeds of common over those of endangered plants. Endozoochory by voles could be neglected for all tested plant species as no seeds germinated, and only few intact seeds could be retrieved from feces. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that voles can provide regulating services in agricultural landscapes by depleting the seed shadow of weeds, rather than facilitating plant recruitment by endozoochory. In the laboratory, endangered arable plants were less preferred by voles than noxious weeds, and thus, our results provide implications for seed choice in restoration approaches. However, other factors such as seed and predator densities need to be taken into account to reliably predict the impact of rodents on the seed fate of arable plants. The seed fate is one important step in plants’ life cycle and either reduces or facilitates plant recruitment. In a field and a complementary laboratory experiment, we tested small rodents’ seed feeding behavior and their ecosystem functions as seed predators and/or endozoochorous seed dispersers. Our results suggest that voles provide ecosystem services by reducing densities of (common) weed seeds, rather than facilitating plant recruitment by endozoochory. The risk of affecting endangered arable plants by small rodents’ seed predation seems to be low, as these plant species were less preferred than common weed seeds.

1 The lowland dipterocarp forests of Southeast Asia exhibit interspecifically synchronized general flowering (GF) and mast fruiting at irregular multi-year intervals of 1 to 11 years. The predator satiation hypothesis (PSH) posits that GF events enhance seed survival by reducing the survival, reproduction and population sizes of seed predators between GF events, and then satiating the reduced seed predator populations during GF events. 2 Three GF events of different magnitudes occurred in Pasoh Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia, during 2001, 2002 and 2005. We exploited this natural experiment to test two predictions of the PSH. The first prediction was that seed survival should increase with the magnitude of the GF event. The second prediction was that seed predation should decrease with time since the previous GF event. 3 A reproductive survey of all (c. 900) dipterocarp trees 30 cm d.b.h. in a 50 ha plot showed that flowering pervasiveness (the proportion of dipterocarp species participating) was high and similar in all three GF events. However, relative flowering magnitudes (measured by an index of individual tree participation and flowering intensity in Shorea species) were 2, 5 and 8 for the 2001, 2002 and 2005 GF events, respectively. 4 The percentage of Shorea seeds surviving pre- and post-dispersal predation increased with the magnitude of GF events, which is consistent with the first prediction. 5 Pre-dispersal insect seed predators consumed 12.9%, 11.2% and 3.4% of Shorea seeds in the 2001, 2002 and 2005 GF events, respectively, which is consistent with both predictions. 6 Pre-dispersal seed predation by primates (mainly leaf monkeys) increased from 11.9% to 38.6% then fell to 9.3% in the 2001, 2002 and 2005 GF events, respectively. 7 Predator satiation occurred only at population and community levels. At the individual tree level there was no relationship between the percentage of seeds surviving pre- and post-dispersal seed predation and variation in seed crop size or seed density beneath the tree. This suggests that attempts to test the PSH on the scale of individual trees may miss key community level effects. 8 Our results suggest a more significant role of pre-dispersal seed predation in the evolution of reproductive synchrony than was recognized in the original statement of the PSH.

1 We explored whether seedling recruitment was spatially predicted by seed rain (spatial concordance) at different scales (microsite, microhabitat and site) in the bird-dispersed trees Crataegus monogyna, Ilex aquifolium and Taxus baccata, in temperate secondary forests in north-west Spain. 2 We propose that both spatial concordance within each scale and consistency of concordance patterns across scales are dependent on differences between seed rain and post-dispersal processes in the partitioning of spatial variance at each scale. 3 We measured the density of dispersed seeds, the percentage of post-dispersal seed predation by rodents and the density of emerged first-year seedlings at sampling stations distributed throughout five microhabitats (under canopies of parental trees and in open gaps) and four localities over two seasons. 4 Seed rain density of all tree species varied most at the microhabitat scale, but microsite and site differences accounted for most of the spatial variance in post-dispersal seed predation and, especially, in seedling establishment. 5 All three species showed concordance between seed rain and seedling establishment at the microhabitat scale, because strong patchiness in avian-generated seed rain over-rode the slight uncoupling effects exerted by the more homogeneous post-dispersal processes. Seed rain was also a good predictor of recruitment of Ilex and Crataegus at the microsite scale, but, for Taxus, the rather homogeneous dispersal across microsites contrasted with the heterogeneous post-dispersal losses. At the site scale, only Taxus showed a positive trend of concordance. 6 Concordance patterns were maintained from microsite to microhabitat in Crataegus and Ilex, and from microhabitat to site in Taxus. Low-variance allocation to the site scale at the seed rain stage precluded complete consistency in Crataegus and Ilex. 7 Positive responses of recruitment to seed dispersal depended on both species and scale, resulting in a complex template for dispersal-limitation effects on metapopulations and communities.

Parasitic plants rely on host plants for nutrition. The number of host species varies largely between groups, from single species or genus to hundreds of species. Relative abundance of the host and evolutionary history are the main requisites for parasitic plants to develop specificity to abundant hosts. In the present study, we suggest a novel mechanism by which a hemiparasitic mistletoe can develop local specificity mediated by its host. First, we describe a novel interaction in which a woodboring beetle (Hypothenemus obscurus) preys on mistletoe seeds (Psittacanthus plagiophyllus) attached to tree branches. This beetle preys more frequently on seeds deposited on branches of non-host species than on branches of its unique local host species (53 percent on average vs. 26 percent respectively). We hypothesize that local host specificity for this mistletoe could be partly mediated by beetle-host incompatibility, since the host offers a predation-free space in which mistletoes have better chances to grow. Furthermore, that the exceptional gum exudates produced by this unique host species minimize beetle attacks on branches, thus reducing predation of mistletoe seeds. This novel tritrophic interaction opens an avenue for research on macroscopic host-specificity mechanisms that occur at the level of the host bark and that have been poorly studied by plant ecologists.

1. Forest management involving live tree retention and natural regeneration after cutting is currently increasing in boreal areas. This calls for further analysis of the optimal conditions for seedling establishment from seed following stand disturbances due to logging. 2. We studied post-dispersal predation on seeds and juvenile seedlings of Pinus sylvestris over 3 years in 32 north Swedish boreal forest stands with different levels of stand disturbance by logging. The aims were to identify the most important predator species and to quantify the damage inflicted upon seeds and seedlings in relation to disturbance. 3. In most stands and years, seed predation resulted in < 20% seed mortality, although occasionally it reached 60%. Predation on juvenile seedlings ranged from 5% to 100%, with > 70% mortality in 10 cases and < 30% in 44 cases (of a total of 79 observations). 4. The most important seed predators were the carabids Pterostichus oblongopunctatus and Calathus micropterus, and seed predation was correlated with the number of seed-eating carabids caught in pitfall traps. Microtine rodents caused high damage levels only on a single occasion. 5. Logging affected both catches of carabids and seed predation levels, but the relationship between tree stand density and predation was not linear and, generally, seed predation decreased in the order shelterwood > unlogged forest > clear-cut. 6. The most important predator on juvenile seedlings was the slug Arion subfuscus, which attacked seedlings during the first weeks after germination. Pitfall trap catches of Hylobius abietis, which commonly damage planted (1-3-year-old) conifer seedlings, were not related to the levels of seedling predation. 7. Seedling predation was negatively related to stand disturbance, with the highest predation levels by slugs in unlogged forests and the lowest in clear-cuts. Seedling predation was higher in wet than in dry summers, probably because slugs are moisture-limited. 8. There was a large between-site variation in both seed and seedling predation, but predation was not strongly related to forest site types. The fact that predation was strongly affected by logging operations indicates that there may be opportunities to reduce damage through modification of the silvicultural practices.