5. Conclusions
Slope position did significantly affect rodent-mediated seed dispersal,
leading to differences in vegetation regeneration among different
slopes, which supports our hypothesis that there was a significant seed
dispersal limitation in the ridge region, which may act as an important
influence on forest regeneration in ridge. Also interesting was that
seed dispersal and regeneration were best in midslope, providing the
best evidence for the long standing suppositions named Mid-domain Effect
and the Resource Availability Hypothesis. These findings emphasize the
key role of rodents in seed dispersal, and elucidate to some extent the
mechanism of rodent storage feeding on the regeneration pattern ofQ. wutaishanica forest communities from a slope perspective,
providing a scientific basis for further explaining the regeneration
dynamics of mountain forests and improving the theoretical system of
plant and animal interactions. Future research is still needed to
explore the specific causes of seed dispersal limitation and how to
improve the restoration and regeneration strategies of forest
ecosystems.