Scatter-hoarding behavior of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)

Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are known to larder hoard food, but thei r scatter-hoarding behavior is poorly documented. Eleven deer mice were eac h presented with 150 Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) seeds in 10 x 10-m enclo sures in Jeffrey pine forests on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada. Subje cts made a mean +/- 1 s of 31.2 +/- 30.0 caches per trial. Caches were shal low (most 2-12 mm deep) and usually contained only 1 or 2 seeds. Most cache s were made at the edge of antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) shrubs in mineral soil or in thin layers of plant litter. These results suggest t hat deer mice might make a significant contribution to the dispersal of Jef frey pine.