Pollen consumption by free-living mice

We present the first evidence of mice actively searching and consuming the pollen of Bromeliaceae and describe this behavior for the first time based on video-recorded evidence in the wild. Following repeated observations of nocturnal florivory in several individuals of Tillandsia macropetala, mice of the genus Peromyscus were recorded consuming pollen from this bromeliad during the dry season in the tropical montane cloud forest of central Veracruz, Mexico. The mice first consumed the anthers and, although it also consumed part of the filaments, the majority of these were discarded once the mice had consumed the pollen. The mice seem to be opportunistic consumers of pollen in a season when other resources are possibly scarce. It would be of value to determine the proportion of the rodent diet represented by pollen and other floral products during periods of low food availability, as well as to determine the potential impact of such herbivory on plant reproductive success.

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