Seed predation by rodents can strongly influence plant recruitment and establishment. The extent to which predation risk indirectly alters plant survival in tropical forests via impacts on granivory is unclear, making it difficult to assess the cascading impacts of widespread predator loss on tree recruitment and species composition. Experimental field studies that manipulate predation risk can help address these knowledge gaps and reveal whether antipredator responses among small mammals influence plant survival. We used camera traps and seed predation experiments to test the effects of perceived predation risk (via predator urine gel) on foraging behaviour of and seed removal by murid rodents in an unlogged and unhunted rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. We also explored the influence of seed traits (e.g., seed size) on removal by granivores and assessed whether granivore preferences for particular species were affected by predator urine. Murid visits to seed plots were positively related to overall seed removal, but were not affected by predator scent. Granivory was the lowest for the largest-seeded (>6 g) plant in our study, but was not influenced by predation risk. Predator urine significantly affected removal of one seed taxon (Dimoocarpus, ∼0.8 g), suggesting that removal by granivores may be affected by predation risk for some seed species but not others. This could have implications for plant species composition but may not affect the overall level of granivory.

Bamboos are mainly distributed in subtropical to tropical areas. Bamboos provide numerous ecosystem services, while the expansion of bamboo gives negative impacts on forest ecosystems. Despite big impacts of bamboos on a forest ecosystem, ecological characteristics of bamboo remain poorly understood. The spatial distributional patterns of three bamboo species, Cephalostachyum pergracile, Bambusa polymorpha, and Dinochloa maclellandii, were studied in a commercial tree plantation of native deciduous tree species in the Bago Mountains, Myanmar. A point process analysis revealed a clumped distribution for each bamboo species. The distributional overlapping of the species was analysed for every pair of two species. The distribution of C. pergracile was little overlapped with those of D. maclellandii and B. polymorpha. Cephalostachyum pergracile was significantly more abundant on gently sloping ridges, whereas D. maclellandii was more abundant on a steeply sloping site. Bambusa polymorpha did not show these patterns with topography. The exclusive distribution of C. pergracile and D. maclellandii may be, at least partly, explained by the opposite topographic preferences of the species. Cephalostachyum pergracile tended to be found far from large trees that cast shade, although B. polymorpha tended to be found with large trees, suggesting that B. polymorpha may be more shade tolerant than C. pergracile. The difference in shade tolerance may contribute to the exclusive distribution of the species. The habitat preference information obtained in this study will contribute to sound bamboo management practices in Myanmar and enable bamboo population sizes to be increased through creation of favourable habitats in forests.

Prey seek to minimize predation risk by moving across the landscape in search of safer areas. Yet, these movements are associated with risks that depend on the intrinsic attributes of the species involved. We evaluated the effect of presence of an apex predator (Puma concolor) on the composition of a community of medium and large-bodied terrestrial mammal species in 23 forest fragments in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, based on overnight footprint surveys over 2 y. We tested if (1) presence of the puma decreases species richness (prey and mesopredator), (2) landscape features interact with puma effects, altering the composition and richness of prey, (3) darker nights strengthen the predation risk effects of puma and (4) this effect can vary among prey species. The puma reduced the richness of prey species by ~45% and presence of mesopredator by 11%. Larger forest fragments and darker nights strengthened the effects of puma on the mammal community. Most prey species showed negative associations with the apex predator, while others were unaffected or showed a positive association. These results add new knowledge about the effects of predation risk and of the landscape characteristics on the composition of the mammal community and the behaviour of different species. Furthermore, our results indicate that medium and large mammals live in a landscape of fear in Neotropical forest remnants.

Growing urban expansion can alter ecological processes within trophic networks. Predation on herbivores is known to vary with the size of the area covered by vegetation, successional stage, altitude and predator community structure; however there are gaps in understanding how this occurs in urban and suburban environments. The purpose of this study was to determine whether predation pressure on artificial models of caterpillars varied with the degree of urbanisation and type of substrate. Artificial caterpillars were placed on two types of substrates (leaf vs. stem) in two areas of the city (urban vs. suburban). Total predation was measured as the number of models with evidence of attack by predators, with the predation rate estimated on a weekly basis. Predation was affected by the degree of urbanisation, being higher in urban (x̄ = 9.88%; SD = 4.09%, n = 8) than suburban areas (x̄ = 5.75%, SD = 4.21%, n = 8). Attack marks were observed in 23.8% (n = 125) of artificial caterpillars. The weekly predation rate on leaves (x̄ = 9.63%, SD = 5.95%, n = 8) was higher than that on stems (x̄ = 6%, SD = 4.2%, n = 8). These results suggest that the incidence of predation might vary with the degree of urbanisation and by the type of substrate on which prey organisms are found.