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.