Abstract: Korean pine seeds can't escape from the ripe cone and reach the habitat where it can germinate without the help of animals. So the Korean pine should rely on the animals for its natural regeneration. The seeds predators include rodents, birds and some large mammals. Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), Eurasian nutcrackers (Nucifraga caryocatactes) and Nuthatches (Sitta europaea) are scatter hoarding species among the predators, while the first two species are important in seeds hoarding. After pulling out the seeds from the cone and eating some seeds, they transport them to the hoarding place with cheek pouch or sublingual pouch, and bury the seeds under forest floor for their future foraging. One or several seeds are put in one cache. Transporting distance may be as far as hundreds meters or several kilometers. Caches microhabitat is good for the seed germination, and many seeds would not be recovered by the hoarders owing to the large number of caches, and may germinate under proper condition in 20 months since being buried. But microhabitat may be not good for the seedlings' continuous growing. The seeds pathway is based on4 levels (tree, ground, under forest floor and nest) in the virgin broad leaved Korean pine mixed forest due to animals' predation and transportation. Only small part of seeds on forest floor level would germinate. Animals also have an influence on the growth of seedlings. The animal population dynamics would be affected by the seeds output in different years.

Key words: Pendimethalin, Fungi, Degradation