Pre-dispersal seed predation may cause the destruction of a great proportion of the seeds produced by plants and is often the main limitation of the number of seeds to be dispersed 1, 2, 3. Although pre-dispersal mortality is important it is unlikely to be the primary factor leading to low recruitment of oak seedlings. Finally, (iv) maximum acorn production, percentage infestation and percentage germination were asynchronous. For most years: (i) the rate of weevil infestation was negatively density dependent (a greater proportion of acorns died with increased acorn density), (ii) the percentage germination of acorns was positively density dependent (proportionately more acorns germinated with increased density), and (iii) as the season progressed, the percentage of infested acorns declined while germination rates increased. ![]() However, acorns produced later in the season were significantly heavier. There was no trade-off between acorn production and acorn dry mass. Annual acorn production was variable, but particularly low in 20. ![]() We also recorded the rate of acorn infestation by weevils and acorn germination rates of weekly collections. We counted the number of acorns produced, daily from the end of August to mid-late November for 9 years from 2006–2014. We investigated how pre-dispersal strategies may mitigate the effects of weevil infestation of acorns in a population of Quercus schottkyana, a dominant oak in Asian evergreen broad-leaved forests, and assess if weevil infestation contributes to low seedling recruitment.
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