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Law BS, Madani G, Gonsalves L, Brassil T, Hall L, Sujaraj A, Lloyd A, Turbill C. The impact of fire severity from the 2019 to 2020 mega‐fires on roosting ecology of a rainforest‐dependent bat (
Phoniscus papuensis
). AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bradley S. Law
- Forest Science NSW Primary Industries Locked Bag 5022 Parramatta New South Wales 2124 Australia
| | | | - Leroy Gonsalves
- Forest Science NSW Primary Industries Locked Bag 5022 Parramatta New South Wales 2124 Australia
| | - Traecey Brassil
- Forest Science NSW Primary Industries Locked Bag 5022 Parramatta New South Wales 2124 Australia
| | | | | | - Anna Lloyd
- Biodiversity and Conservation Department of Planning and Environment Coffs Harbour New South Wales Australia
| | - Christopher Turbill
- School of Science Western Sydney University Richmond New South Wales Australia
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2
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Chard M, Foster CN, Lindenmayer DB, Cary GJ, MacGregor CI, Blanchard W. Time since fire influences macropod occurrence in a fire‐prone coastal ecosystem. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Chard
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - Claire N. Foster
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - Geoffrey J. Cary
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
| | - Christopher I. MacGregor
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub National Environmental Science Program Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Wade Blanchard
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 Australia
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Li X, Wang S, Prather C, Wan HY, Zhu H, Nummi P, Inbar M, Gao Q, Wang D, Zhong Z. Large herbivores facilitate an insect herbivore by modifying plant community composition in a temperate grassland. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16314-16326. [PMID: 34824829 PMCID: PMC8601924 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Large herbivores often co-occur and share plant resources with herbivorous insects in grassland ecosystems; yet, how they interact with each other remains poorly understood. We conducted a series of field experiments to investigate whether and how large domestic herbivores (sheep; Ovis aries) may affect the abundance of a common herbivorous insect (aphid; Hyalopterus pruni) in a temperate grassland of northeast China. Our exclosure experiment showed that 3 years (2010-2012) of sheep grazing had led to 86% higher aphid abundance compared with ungrazed sites. Mechanistically, this facilitative effect was driven by grazing altering the plant community, rather than by changes in food availability and predator abundance for aphids. Sheep significantly altered plant community by reducing the abundance of unpalatable forbs for the aphids. Our small-scale forb removal experiment revealed an "associational plant defense" by forbs which protect the grass Phragmites australis from being attacked by the aphids. However, selective grazing on forbs by sheep indirectly disrupted such associational plant defense, making P. australis more susceptible to aphids, consequentially increasing the density of aphids. These findings provide a novel mechanistic explanation for the effects of large herbivores on herbivorous insects by linking selective grazing to plant community composition and the responses of insect populations in grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Li
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin ProvinceJilin Agricultural UniversityChangchunChina
- Institute of Grassland ScienceKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of EducationSongnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research StationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Shengnan Wang
- Institute of Grassland ScienceKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of EducationSongnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research StationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | | | - Ho Yi Wan
- Department of WildlifeHumboldt State UniversityArcataCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hui Zhu
- Institute of Grassland ScienceKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of EducationSongnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research StationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Petri Nummi
- Wetland Ecology GroupDepartment of Forest SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Moshe Inbar
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental BiologyUniversity of HaifaHaifaIsrael
| | - Qiang Gao
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin ProvinceJilin Agricultural UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Deli Wang
- Institute of Grassland ScienceKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of EducationSongnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research StationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Zhiwei Zhong
- Institute of Grassland ScienceKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of EducationSongnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research StationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
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4
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Morgan JW. Overabundant native herbivore impacts on native plant communities in south‐eastern Australia. ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/emr.12437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Tovar-Márquez J, Torres RA, Alvarez-Garcia DM. Diversity of orb-weaving spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from tropical dry forest in Northern Colombia, with eleven new records for the country. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1943030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José Tovar-Márquez
- Grupo de Investigación en Zoología y Ecología, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia
| | - Richard A. Torres
- Grupo de Investigación en Zoología y Ecología, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil
| | - Deivys M. Alvarez-Garcia
- Grupo de Investigación en Zoología y Ecología, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia de Insecta, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
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Saikkonen T, Vahtera V, Koponen S, Suominen O. Effects of reindeer grazing and recovery after cessation of grazing on the ground-dwelling spider assemblage in Finnish Lapland. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7330. [PMID: 31346502 PMCID: PMC6642629 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of reindeer Rangifer tarandus L. grazing on the ground-dwelling spider assemblage in Northern Finland was studied. Changes in species richness, abundance and evenness of spider assemblages were analyzed in relation to changes in vegetation and environmental factors in long term grazed and ungrazed sites as well as sites that had recently switched from grazed to ungrazed and vice versa. Grazing was found to have a significant impact on height and biomass of lichens and other ground vegetation. However, it seemed not to have an impact on the total abundance of spiders. This is likely caused by opposing family and species level responses of spiders to the grazing regime. Lycosid numbers were highest in grazed and linyphiid numbers in ungrazed areas. Lycosidae species richness was highest in ungrazed areas whereas Linyphiidae richness showed no response to grazing. Four Linyphiidae, one Thomisidae and one Lycosidae species showed strong preference for specific treatments. Sites that had recovered from grazing for nine years and the sites that were grazed for the last nine years but were previously ungrazed resembled the long term grazed sites. The results emphasize the importance of reindeer as a modifier of boreal forest ecosystems but the impact of reindeer grazing on spiders seems to be family and species specific. The sites with reversed grazing treatment demonstrate that recovery from strong grazing pressure at these high latitudes is a slow process whereas reindeer can rapidly change the conditions in previously ungrazed sites similar to long term heavily grazed conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teemu Saikkonen
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Varpu Vahtera
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Seppo Koponen
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Otso Suominen
- Kevo Subarctic Research Institute, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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Yekwayo I, Pryke JS, Gaigher R, Samways MJ. Wandering spiders recover more slowly than web-building spiders after fire. Oecologia 2019; 191:231-240. [PMID: 31350591 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04471-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fire is a natural feature of many ecosystems, with some vegetation types highly adapted to fire. However, very little is known about the effect of fire on spiders, especially as fires have become more frequent owing to human activity. We determine whether different spider functional guilds (web builders vs. wanderers) respond differently to fires in the sclerophyllous fynbos. We determine also the effect of rockiness as refuge for these guilds and whether it influences their post-fire recovery. There were three site categories of time-since-last fire: 3 months, 1 year, and 7 years. We found that fire caused a decline in spider richness and abundance, with the 3-month category supporting the lowest. In sites that were burned within 1 year, abundance of wanderers was as high as in sites that had 7 years to recover, whereas species richness and abundance of web builders in sites that were burned 1 year ago were as low as in recently burned sites. However, assemblages of wanderers differed among categories, while no differences were observed for web builders, highlighting that wanderers took longer time to recover than web builders. Species richness and abundance of both guilds were not affected by different levels of rockiness. However, rockiness is important in shaping assemblages of wanderers. The results emphasize that the assemblages of greatest conservation concern with increased fire frequencies are wanderers and are candidate surrogates for monitoring post-fire recovery. These results highlight the need to allow fynbos vegetation to recover fully between fire intervals and draws attention to the dangers of frequent unplanned fires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inam Yekwayo
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit, South Africa. .,Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa.
| | - James S Pryke
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | - René Gaigher
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | - Michael J Samways
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
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Gordon IJ, Prins HHT, Mallon J, Puk LD, Miranda EBP, Starling-Manne C, van der Wal R, Moore B, Foley W, Lush L, Maestri R, Matsuda I, Clauss M. The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing in Other Vertebrate Taxa. THE ECOLOGY OF BROWSING AND GRAZING II 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-25865-8_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
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Lindenmayer DB, Blanchard W, Crane M, Michael D, Sato C. Biodiversity benefits of vegetation restoration are undermined by livestock grazing. Restor Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
- National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Wade Blanchard
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Mason Crane
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
- National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Damian Michael
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
- National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Chloe Sato
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
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10
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Westgate MJ, MacGregor C, Scheele BC, Driscoll DA, Lindenmayer DB. Effects of time since fire on frog occurrence are altered by isolation, vegetation and fire frequency gradients. DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin J. Westgate
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Christopher MacGregor
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Long‐term Ecological Research Network Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Ben C. Scheele
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- National Environmental Science Programme Threatened Species Recovery Hub The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Don A. Driscoll
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Intregrative Ecology Deakin University Burwood Vic. Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
- Long‐term Ecological Research Network Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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11
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Cunningham RB, Lindenmayer DB. Approaches to Landscape Scale Inference and Study Design. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40823-016-0019-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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12
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Tulloch AIT, Mortelliti A, Kay GM, Florance D, Lindenmayer D. Using empirical models of species colonization under multiple threatening processes to identify complementary threat-mitigation strategies. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2016; 30:867-882. [PMID: 26711716 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Approaches to prioritize conservation actions are gaining popularity. However, limited empirical evidence exists on which species might benefit most from threat mitigation and on what combination of threats, if mitigated simultaneously, would result in the best outcomes for biodiversity. We devised a way to prioritize threat mitigation at a regional scale with empirical evidence based on predicted changes to population dynamics-information that is lacking in most threat-management prioritization frameworks that rely on expert elicitation. We used dynamic occupancy models to investigate the effects of multiple threats (tree cover, grazing, and presence of an hyperaggressive competitor, the Noisy Miner (Manorina melanocephala) on bird-population dynamics in an endangered woodland community in southeastern Australia. The 3 threatening processes had different effects on different species. We used predicted patch-colonization probabilities to estimate the benefit to each species of removing one or more threats. We then determined the complementary set of threat-mitigation strategies that maximized colonization of all species while ensuring that redundant actions with little benefit were avoided. The single action that resulted in the highest colonization was increasing tree cover, which increased patch colonization by 5% and 11% on average across all species and for declining species, respectively. Combining Noisy Miner control with increasing tree cover increased species colonization by 10% and 19% on average for all species and for declining species respectively, and was a higher priority than changing grazing regimes. Guidance for prioritizing threat mitigation is critical in the face of cumulative threatening processes. By incorporating population dynamics in prioritization of threat management, our approach helps ensure funding is not wasted on ineffective management programs that target the wrong threats or species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha I T Tulloch
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Alessio Mortelliti
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA
| | - Geoffrey M Kay
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Daniel Florance
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - David Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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