Sorbus Aucuparia - Ecology

Ecology

See also List of Lepidoptera that feed on Sorbus

Rowan is very tolerant of cold and is often found at high altitude on mountains; in the UK it occurs at up to 1 000 m altitude, higher than any other tree, and in France up to 2 000 m.

It is very tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions, including thin acid soils and cracks in cliffs. It also fairly frequently grows as an epiphyte in clefts or cavities of larger trees such as Scots Pines, though epiphytic specimens rarely have growing conditions adequate for them to reach maturity.

The fruit is an important food resource for many birds, notably Redwings, Fieldfares, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrushes and Waxwings, which in turn disperse the seeds in their droppings. The seeds are eaten by Pine Grosbeaks and other large finches. The fruit is also known as rowan berries. These berries provide high pH or acid and well-drained soils that keep stress to a minimum.

The foliage and bark is eaten by Red Deer, Roe Deer, and Mountain Hares, and a small number of insect larvae, including the moth Venusia cambrica, the case-bearer moth Coleophora anatipennella and leaf-miners of genus Stigmella. The snail Helix aspersa also feeds on the leaves.