A red squirrel feeding on a lodgepole pine cone. (Photo credit: Matthew Talluto)
A new study shows that trees that store lots of fire-resistant seeds to prepare for forest fires end up attracting more seed-eating red squirrels, which provokes a cascading effect on the ability of forest to grow back after a fire.
The study relies on three years of field study in Yellowstone park and applies to Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine forest, which covers millions of hectares in western North America. Understanding how forests recover from fires and predation could help in forest management and conservation.
Original research paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) on June 16, 2014.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
Matthew Talluto, University of Québec at Rimouski, Quebec
