How does increasing mast seeding frequency affect population dynamics of seed consumers? Wild boar as a case study - INRAE - Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement
Journal Articles Ecological Applications Year : 2020

How does increasing mast seeding frequency affect population dynamics of seed consumers? Wild boar as a case study

Abstract

Mast seeding in temperate oak populations shapes the dynamics of seed consumers and numerous communities. Mast seeding responds positively to warm spring temperatures and is therefore expected to increase under global warming. We investigated the potential effects of changes in oak mast seeding on wild boar population dynamics, a widespread and abundant consumer species. Using long-term monitoring data, we showed that abundant acorn production enhances the proportion of breeding females. With a body-mass-structured population model and a fixed hunting rate of 0.424, we showed that high acorn production over time would lead to an average wild boar population growth rate of 1.197 whereas non-acorn production would lead to a stable population. Finally, using climate projections and a mechanistic model linking weather data to oak reproduction, we predicted that mast seeding frequency might increase over the next century, which would lead to increase in both wild boar population size and the magnitude of its temporal variation. Our study provides rare evidence that some species could greatly benefit from global warming thanks to higher food availability and therefore highlights the importance of investigating the cascading effects of changing weather conditions on the dynamics of wild animal populations to reliably assess the effects of climate change.
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Dates and versions

hal-02768982 , version 1 (04-06-2020)

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Laura Touzot, Éliane Schermer, Samuel Venner, Sylvain S. Delzon, Cyril Rousset, et al.. How does increasing mast seeding frequency affect population dynamics of seed consumers? Wild boar as a case study. Ecological Applications, In press, pp.1-11. ⟨10.1002/eap.2134⟩. ⟨hal-02768982⟩
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