Call it a sort of second-tier survival strategy - a way to keep seed predators at bay.ĭeer, bears and other acorn eaters will roam farther for food in years when the nuts are less plentiful. Making acorns annually would sap too much energy from the tree, scientists say.įollowing any mass masting event, oaks produce hardly any acorns for several years. A single large oak can dump that many in a mast year, biologists say.īut oaks don't play those odds every year. Only one acorn in 10,000 lives to be an oak tree. Like many trees, for oaks propagation is a numbers game. Scientists also suggest the mass acorn dumps may be something simply ingrained in the tree's genetic makeup, a hedge to guarantee germination of the next generation by flooding the ground with acorns. Others point to rain, drought and hurricanes. One theory suggests oak tree masting is triggered by ideal winds. Heavy masting years have been known to help raccoons, rats, mice and other rodents flourish. Biologists say such acorn onslaughts also bring in rodents.
Other trees, such as hickory, maple, fir and birch, also show patterns of producing bumper crops of seeds.įlorida hunters and wildlife viewers keep watch for acorn mass droppings, which can herald healthy deer, duck and turkey influxes.īut there's a potential downside to all these nuts.
Weather alone can't explain it, scientists say. View Gallery: Photos: Acorn onslaught hits Space Coast
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