Seasonal Changes In The Diet Of Teratoscincus Roborowskii And Preliminary Research On The Dispersal Syndrome To The Seed Of Capparis Spinosa

Study on seed dispersal has been an important issue in ecology,and seed dispersal is to construct a corresponding relationship between plants and animals,this process can make the animal and plant interactions both benefit.It is found that Teratoscincus roborowskii has eaten lots of fruits of Capparis spinosa in summer.Based on field investigation and laboratory control experiments,the seasonal changes of eating habits of Teratoscincus roborowskii,the relationship between the activity rhythm of Teratoscincus roborowskii and the circadian rhythm of capers,and the relationship between the width of month and the size and shape of capers were studied.The experiment was conducted to analyze the adaptability syndrome of Teratoscincus roborowskii to the spread of the seeds of caper in Turpan.The main results are as follows:(1)Seasonal changes in the diet of Teratoscincus roborowskii: The results showed that the Teratoscincus roborowskii mainly feed on insects and caper fruit in the Turpan Eremophytes Botanic Garden.Insects are the most common food of the Teratoscincus roborowskii,the frequency of occurrence in each month is the largest.Biomasst was the largest food intake from July to September,and insects is the most in October.There are some differences in the composition of food in different months,which may be related to changes in food availability.The biomass ratio of capers in food was consistent with that of capers in the same period and showed extremely significant positive correlation(r=0.852,P<0.01).The selection index of turpan sand tiger on the fruit of caper is positive(SI>0).The results of the feeding habit analysis showed that the Teratoscincus roborowskii may play an active role in the dispersal of caper seed.(2)Teratoscincus roborowskii activity rhythm and rhythm of Capparis spinosa fruit mature relationship: Synchronizing and asynchrony between predator and prey is a strategy of predator hunting pressure and environmental selection pressure.The fruit riped rhythm of the Capparis spinosa and the activity rhythms of Teratoscincus roborowskii were observed and recorded at the Turpan Desert Botanical Garden from July to September in 2015.In the daily rhythm,the peak of activity rhythm of Teratoscincus roborowskii is synchronized with the riped rhythm of the cape fruit.In the monthly rhythm,the activity period of Teratoscincus roborowskii is asynchronous with the riped fruit of the Capparis spinosa.Thisbenefits for keeping sustainable food supply for Teratoscincus roborowskii in summer,and it is also an adaptive strategy for improving the efficiency of seed dispersal.(3)The relationship between the mouth width of animals and the size and shape of the fruit of Capparis spinosa: The weight,length and width of the cape fruit were measured and compared with the gape width of the main frugivorous vertebrates.There was no constraint for cape fruit on the gape width of Hemiechinus auritus,Meriones meridianus and Teratoscincus roborowskii(Size-matching Index,SMI< 0).The gape width of T.roborowskii is the most closest to the cape fruit size.The larger cape fruits became increasingly elliptical,with width increasing more slowly than length,and it may be the result of the selection pressure of the gape width of T.roborowskii,considering that H.auritus and M.meridianus have the ability to cut and chew food in above three species without constraint of gape width.