Natures wonders: a bird like squirrels (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, February 23, 2015, 23:12 (3559 days ago) @ David Turell

The spotted nutcracker of Switzerland hides seeds to eat after the Aug/Sept seeding season is over:-http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/clever-bird-uses-nature-as-its-breadbox/?WT.mc_id=SA_EVO_20150223-"By comparing their experimental caches with those of the birds, Neuschulz discovered that the nutcrackers explicitly chose to hide seeds in the areas that were least likely to sprout a tree—sites that lacked the requisite soil moisture or were heavily shaded. The team also found that all caches were equally likely to be pilfered, no matter their surroundings, according to results published in January in the Journal of Animal Ecology.-"“The Swiss stone pine can [live] more than 500 years,” Neuschulz says, “so it doesn't need a lot of successful germination events to maintain population viability.” That life cycle explains how these evergreens evolved to rely on birds that attempt to hide the seeds where they are least likely to result in a new tree. Just a few germinated seeds each season spread out over multiple centuries can yield quite a lot of offspring. Meanwhile the spotted nutcrackers have learned to use nature as a breadbox, keeping their food from spoiling."-Two entirely different life forms have worked out a zero-sum game. How?