This blog post is provided by Chuan Yan and colleagues and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the paper “The network architecture and phylogeographic drivers of interactions between rodents and seed plants at continental scales”, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study, Yan and colleagues compiled and examined the largest dataset of rodent-seed interactions to date, revealing that rodents play a key role in maintaining and regenerating forest ecosystems.

When you think of forest regeneration, you might picture birds dispersing seeds or bees pollinating flowers. But did you know rodents—like squirrels, mice, and chipmunks—are also key players? These small mammals interact with seeds in surprising ways: some eat seeds on the spot, while others scatter or stash them. These behaviours can make rodents either seed predators or accidental dispersers and gardeners. Our team set out to map these interactions on continental scales.

We compiled the largest dataset of rodent-seed interactions to date and focused on three behaviours: Predation (eating seeds); Scatter hoarding (hiding seeds in many spots, some forgotten, helping plants grow); Larder hoarding (stockpiling seeds in one place, often eaten later). Then we built interaction networks across five continents, linking rodents to the plants they interact with (Fig. 1).

We found these rodent-seed networks are modular: they form tight-knit groups where certain rodents interact with specific plants. This structure might help ecosystem function of seed dispersal withstand disturbances. Surprisingly, these networks weren’t “nested”—unlike bee-flower networks, where specialists rely on generalists, rodents and plants don’t follow this pattern on the continental scale. Geography Rules are the most important factor in shaping rodent-seed networks at the continental scale. Evolutionary history and rodent traits played smaller roles.

Species traits are related to their roles in networks but vary across different behaviours. For example, larger, omnivorous, cathemeral (active day and night) species likely scattered more plants. Ground-dwelling and small-ranged larder-hoarding rodents stuck to fewer plants.

Rodents aren’t just seed eaters—they’re ecosystem architects. We believe rodent-seed networks are overlooked but important threads holding ecosystems together. Understanding them may help us predict how seed dispersal and plant generation might respond to threats like deforestation or climate change. Our work also highlights gaps: Africa’s networks are understudied, and small-ranged species are missing from the picture.

Next steps? We need more data on understudied regions and species. Innovations like camera traps and DNA analysis could reveal hidden interactions. By combining local and global data, we can build a fuller picture of how these networks sustain biodiversity.

Read the paper

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70013