We have just concluded the 8th field season of our long-term study on survival of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) seedlings in animal faeces in Tatra National Park. Since 2017, we have marked 167 faeces of brown bear, mesocarnivores, and birds that contained bilberry seeds. Each year, we inspect them to see how many bilberry seedlings have survived in every scat. We have already removed 66 faeces, where no bilberry seedling was observed for two years. So far, seedling mortality appears to be high. It will take several more years of monitoring before we can draw final conclusions.
