Life Sciences Commons^™

The Association Of Seed And Cone Predator Populations And Cone Crop Production In Engelmann Spruce, Dawn E. Cameron

T.W. "Doc" Daniel Experimental Forest

Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) exhibits cone crop periodicity, producing seed in a cyclic pattern. Variation in seed production has been noted between individuals of a population, but synchronization on a large scale is common. The theory that ultimately these periodic large cone crops have resulted from the selective pressures of seed and cone predators, referred to as the predator satiation hypothesis, is considered. Assuming predator pressures have operated over evolutionary time to select for periodic synchrony, associations between seed and cone predators and cone crop production levels were anticipated. These potential consequences of predator satiation were examined. …