In general, it is accepted that gap formation significantly affects the
placement of scatter-hoarded seeds by small rodents, but the effects of
different forest gap sizes on the seed-eating and scatter-hoarding
behaviors of small rodents remain unclear. Thus, we examined the effects
of a closed canopy forest, forest edge, and gaps with different sizes on
the spatial dispersal of Quercus variabilis acorns and cache placement
by small rodents using coded plastic tags in the Taihang Mountains,
China. The seeds were removed rapidly and there were significant
differences in the seed-eating and caching strategies between the stand
types. We found that Q. variabilis acorns were usually eaten after being
removed from the closed canopy forest and forest edges. By contrast, the
Q. variabilis acorns in the forest gap stands were more likely to be
scatter hoarded. The dispersal distances of Q. variabilis acorns were
significantly longer in the forest gap plots compared with the closed
canopy and forest edge plots. However, the proportions of
scatter-hoarded seeds did not increase significantly as the gap size
increased. In small-scale oak reforestation projects or research,
creating small gaps to promote rodent-mediated seed dispersal may
effectively accelerate forest recovery and successional processes.