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Thapa SK, de Jong JF, Hof AR, Subedi N, Liefting Y, Prins HHT. Integration of the landscape of fear concept in grassland management: An experimental study on subtropical monsoon grasslands in Bardia National Park, Nepal. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70098. [PMID: 39100204 PMCID: PMC11294578 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2024] [Revised: 06/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The 'landscape of fear' concept offers valuable insights into wildlife behaviour, yet its practical integration into habitat management for conservation remains underexplored. In this study, conducted in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal, we aimed to bridge this gap through a multi-year, landscape-scale experimental investigation in Bardia National Park, Nepal. The park has the highest density of tigers (with an estimated density of ~7 individuals per 100 km2) in Nepal, allowing us to understand the effect of habitat management on predation risk and resource availability especially for three cervid species: chital (Axis axis), swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) and hog deer (Axis porcinus). We used plots with varying mowing frequency (0-4 times per year), size (ranging from small: 49 m2 to large: 3600 m2) and artificial fertilisation type (none, phosphorus, nitrogen) to assess the trade-offs between probable predation risk and resources for these cervid species, which constitute primary prey for tigers in Nepal. Our results showed distinct responses of these deer to perceived predation risk within grassland habitats. Notably, these deer exhibited heightened use of larger plots, indicative of a perceived sense of safety, as evidenced by the higher occurrence of pellet groups in the larger plots (mean = 0.1 pellet groups m-2 in 3600 m2 plots vs. 0.07 in 400 m2 and 0.05 in 49 m2 plots). Furthermore, the level of use by the deer was significantly higher in larger plots that received mowing and fertilisation treatments compared to smaller plots subjected to similar treatments. Of particular interest is the observation that chital and swamp deer exhibited greater utilisation of the centre (core) areas within the larger plots (mean = 0.21 pellet groups m-2 at the centre vs. 0.13 at the edge) despite the edge (periphery) also provided attractive resources to these deer. In contrast, hog deer did not display any discernible reaction to the experimental treatments, suggesting potential species-specific variations in response to perceived predation risk arising from management interventions. Our findings emphasise the importance of a sense of security as a primary determinant of habitat selection for medium-sized deer within managed grassland environments. These insights carry practical implications for park managers, providing a nuanced understanding of integrating the 'landscape of fear' into habitat management strategies. This study emphasises that the 'landscape of fear' concept can and should be integrated into habitat management to maintain delicate predator-prey dynamics within ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam Kumar Thapa
- National Trust for Nature ConservationLalitpurNepal
- Zoological Society of London, Nepal OfficeKathmanduNepal
| | - Joost F. de Jong
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Anouschka R. Hof
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Yorick Liefting
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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2
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Defourneaux M, Barrio IC, Boulanger-Lapointe N, Speed JDM. Long-term changes in herbivore community and vegetation impact of wild and domestic herbivores across Iceland. AMBIO 2024; 53:1124-1135. [PMID: 38402492 PMCID: PMC11182994 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-024-01998-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Changes in wild and domestic herbivore populations significantly impact extensive grazing systems, particularly in low productive environments, where increasing wild herbivore populations are perceived as a threat to farming. To assess the magnitude of these changes in Iceland, we compiled time series on herbivore populations from 1986 to 2020 and estimated changes in species densities, metabolic biomass, and consumption of plant biomass in improved lands and unimproved rangelands. We compared estimates of consumption rates to past and present net primary production. Overall, the herbivore community composition shifted from livestock to wildlife dominated. However, wild herbivores only contributed a small fraction (14%) of the total herbivore metabolic biomass and consumption (4-7%), and livestock dominated the overall herbivore biomass. These insights highlight the necessity of developing improved local integrated management for both wild and domestic herbivores where they coexist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Defourneaux
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, 112, Reykjavík, Iceland.
| | - Isabel C Barrio
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, 112, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | | | - James D M Speed
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway
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3
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Trepel J, le Roux E, Abraham AJ, Buitenwerf R, Kamp J, Kristensen JA, Tietje M, Lundgren EJ, Svenning JC. Meta-analysis shows that wild large herbivores shape ecosystem properties and promote spatial heterogeneity. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:705-716. [PMID: 38337048 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02327-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Megafauna (animals ≥45 kg) have probably shaped the Earth's terrestrial ecosystems for millions of years with pronounced impacts on biogeochemistry, vegetation, ecological communities and evolutionary processes. However, a quantitative global synthesis on the generality of megafauna effects on ecosystems is lacking. Here we conducted a meta-analysis of 297 studies and 5,990 individual observations across six continents to determine how wild herbivorous megafauna influence ecosystem structure, ecological processes and spatial heterogeneity, and whether these impacts depend on body size and environmental factors. Despite large variability in megafauna effects, we show that megafauna significantly alter soil nutrient availability, promote open vegetation structure and reduce the abundance of smaller animals. Other responses (14 out of 26), including, for example, soil carbon, were not significantly affected. Further, megafauna significantly increase ecosystem heterogeneity by affecting spatial heterogeneity in vegetation structure and the abundance and diversity of smaller animals. Given that spatial heterogeneity is considered an important driver of biodiversity across taxonomic groups and scales, these results support the hypothesis that megafauna may promote biodiversity at large scales. Megafauna declined precipitously in diversity and abundance since the late Pleistocene, and our results indicate that their restoration would substantially influence Earth's terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Trepel
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Elizabeth le Roux
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew J Abraham
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Robert Buitenwerf
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Johannes Kamp
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jeppe A Kristensen
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Melanie Tietje
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Erick J Lundgren
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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4
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Monk J. Diverse impacts of large herbivores. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:602-603. [PMID: 38337047 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02317-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Monk
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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5
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Tuo B, García-Palacios P, Guo C, Yan ER, Berg MP, Cornelissen JHC. Meta-analysis reveals that vertebrates enhance plant litter decomposition at the global scale. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:411-422. [PMID: 38195996 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02292-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Evidence is mounting that vertebrate defaunation greatly impacts global biogeochemical cycling. Yet, there is no comprehensive assessment of the potential vertebrate influence over plant decomposition, despite litter decay being one of the largest global carbon fluxes. We therefore conducted a global meta-analysis to evaluate vertebrate effects on litter mass loss and associated element release across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here we show that vertebrates affected litter decomposition by various direct and indirect pathways, increasing litter mass loss by 6.7% on average, and up to 34.4% via physical breakdown. This positive vertebrate impact on litter mass loss was consistent across contrasting litter types (woody and non-woody), climatic regions (boreal, temperate and tropical), ecosystem types (aquatic and terrestrial) and vertebrate taxa, but disappeared when evaluating litter nitrogen and phosphorus release. Moreover, we found evidence of interactive effects between vertebrates and non-vertebrate decomposers on litter mass loss, and a larger influence of vertebrates at mid-to-late decomposition stages, contrasting with the invertebrate effect known to be strongest at early decomposition stage. Our synthesis demonstrates a global vertebrate control over litter mass loss, and further stresses the need to account for vertebrates when assessing the impacts of biodiversity loss on biogeochemical cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Tuo
- A-LIFE, Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pablo García-Palacios
- Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias (ICA), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chao Guo
- Forest Zoology, Technische Universität Dresden, Tharandt, Germany.
| | - En-Rong Yan
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Tiantong National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, and Shanghai Key Lab for Urban Ecological Processes and Eco-Restoration, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Eco-Chongming (IEC), Shanghai, China
| | - Matty P Berg
- A-LIFE, Ecology & Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- GELIFES, Conservation and Community Ecology Group, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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6
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Kaštovská E, Mastný J, Konvička M. Rewilding by large ungulates contributes to organic carbon storage in soils. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 355:120430. [PMID: 38428182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
The concept of rewilding, which focuses on managing ecosystem functions through self-regulation by restoring trophic interactions through introduced animal species with little human intervention, has gained increasing attention as a proactive and efficient approach to restoring ecosystems quickly and on a large scale. However, the science of rewilding has been criticized for being largely theory-based rather than evidence-based, with available data being geographically biased towards the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries, and a lack of objective data on rewilding effects on soil processes and C sequestration. In response to a call for data-driven experimental rewilding projects focused on national contexts, we collected unique data on the effects of large herbivore rewilding on soil properties from eight sites in the Czech Republic. These include sites with a wide range of edaphic characteristics that were grazed by Exmoor ponies, European bison, and back-bred Bos primigenius cattle (singly or in combination) for 2-6 years on areas ranging from ≈30 to ≈250 ha. Despite the relatively short duration of rewilding actions and considerable variability in the response rate of soil properties to grazing, our results indicate improved nutrient availability (evidenced by higher nitrification rate or higher soluble nitrogen concentration) and accelerated ecosystem metabolism (higher soil microbial biomass and dissolved carbon content). On longer-grazed pastures, rewilding contributed to soil carbon sequestration associated with increased water holding capacity and improved soil structure. However, other soil properties (reduced dissolved P concentration or total P content) showed signs of low P availability in the soils of the rewilding sites. Therefore, carcass retention should be considered where possible. Our data, although limited in number and geographic coverage, allow us to conclude that large ungulate rewilding has the potential to enhance soil carbon sequestration and related ecosystem services in rewilding areas. At the same time, we urge similar monitoring as an essential part of other rewilding projects, which will ultimately allow much more robust conclusions about the effects of this management on soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Kaštovská
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Jiří Mastný
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Konvička
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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7
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Harris NC, Bhandari A, Doamba B. Ungulate co-occurrence in a landscape of antagonisms. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169552. [PMID: 38142990 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas largely now exist as coupled natural-human ecosystems where human activities are increasingly forcing wildlife to adjust behaviors. For many ungulate species that rely on protected areas for their persistence, they must balance these anthropogenic pressures amid natural regulators. Here, we investigated the pressures exerted from humans and livestock, apex predators, and within guild competitors on ungulate co-occurrence patterns in a fragile protected area complex in West Africa. Specifically, we used multi-species occupancy modeling to quantify co-occurrence among four ungulates (Tragelaphus scriptus, Redunca redunca, Kobus kob, Phacochoerus africanus) and applied structural equation models to discern the relative contributions of pressures on co-occurrence patterns. We observed a strong spatial gradient across with higher co-occurrence in the wetter western portion of our ~13,000 km2 study area. Co-occurrence patterns among ungulate dyads ranged from 0.15 to 0.49 with the smallest body sized pair showing highest levels of sympatry, warthog and reedbuck. We found that anthropogenic pressures, namely cattle had the greatest effect in reducing sympatry among wild ungulates more strongly than the presence of African lions that also exhibited negative effects. Humans, hyenas, and competitors showed positive effects on ungulate co-occurrence. In a region of the world ongoing rapid socio-ecological change with increasing threats from climate and environmental instability, protected areas in West Africa represent a major safeguard for wildlife and human livelihoods alike. Our findings highlight the need for effective interventions that focus on large carnivore conservation, habitat restoration, and containment of livestock grazing to promote the coexistence of biodiversity and socio-economic goals within the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, Yale School of the Environment, United States of America.
| | - Aishwarya Bhandari
- Applied Wildlife Ecology (AWE) Lab, Yale School of the Environment, United States of America
| | - Benoit Doamba
- National Office of Protected Areas (OFINAP), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
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8
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Barbero-Palacios L, Ferraro KM, Barrio IC, Krumins JA, Bartolomé J, Albanell E, Jarque-Bascuñana L, Lavín S, Calleja JA, Carreira JA, Serrano E. Faecal nutrient deposition of domestic and wild herbivores in an alpine grassland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166616. [PMID: 37647958 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of herbivores to ecosystem nutrient fluxes through dung deposition has the potential to, directly and indirectly, influence ecosystem functioning. This process can be particularly important in nutrient-limited ecosystems such as alpine systems. However, herbivore dung content (carbon, C; nitrogen, N; phosphorus, P; potassium, K) and stoichiometry (C/N) may differ among species due to differences in diet, seasonality, body type, feeding strategy, and/or digestive system with consequences for soil biogeochemistry. Here we explore how species, body size, and seasonality may result in differences in dung stoichiometry for four alpine herbivores (chamois, sheep, horse, and cattle). We found that herbivore dung nutrient content often varies among species as well as with body size, with the dung of small herbivores having larger C, N, and P faecal content. Seasonality also showed marked effects on faecal nutrient content, with a general pattern of decreasing levels of faecal P, N and an increase of C/N as the summer progresses following the loss of nutrient value of the vegetation. Moreover, we showed how herbivores play an important role as natural fertilizers of C, N, and P in our study area, especially cattle. Our study highlights the importance of considering the relative contribution of different herbivores to ecosystem nutrient fluxes in management practices, especially with ongoing changes in wild and domestic herbivore populations in alpine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Barbero-Palacios
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, IS-112 Reykjavík, Iceland.
| | - Kristy M Ferraro
- Yale University School of the Environment, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Isabel C Barrio
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Agricultural University of Iceland, Árleyni 22, Keldnaholt, IS-112 Reykjavík, Iceland.
| | | | - Jordi Bartolomé
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Elena Albanell
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Laia Jarque-Bascuñana
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Santiago Lavín
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Juan A Calleja
- Departamento de Biología (Botánica), Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
| | - José A Carreira
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H) and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Meyer GA, Leroux SJ. Towards a mechanistic understanding of animal-ecosystem interactions. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2244-2247. [PMID: 37953435 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Ferraro, K. M., Welker, L., Ward, E. B., Schmitz, O. J., & Bradford, M. A. (2023). Plant mycorrhizal associations mediate the zoogeochemical effects of calving subsidies by a forest ungulate. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14002. Animals play large roles in ecosystem elemental cycling but predicting effects in diverse contexts remains a substantial challenge. Fundamental to progress is (1) identifying mechanisms by which animals impact nutrient distribution and cycling, and (2) disentangling how environmental context mediates the operation of alternative mechanisms. In an elegant field experiment, Ferraro et al. (2023) provide the first detailed exploration of the impact of nutrient inputs from mammalian parturition on soil functioning and the stoichiometry of plant tissues. The authors find that nitrogen from experimental additions of ungulate parturition material (natal fluids) is rapidly incorporated into microsite soil organic pools and plant tissues. They also find that soil processes (soil microbial biomass, rates of carbon mineralization, nitrogen mineralization and nitrification) and the nitrogen content of plant tissues above- and belowground are increased by addition of parturition material. Notably, the authors identify that increases in some soil processes and plant tissue nitrogen are weaker in microsites dominated by ericoid mycorrhizal plants than those dominated by ectomycorrhizal plants. These findings demonstrate that parturition depositions, a ubiquitous but overlooked mechanism of mammalian impacts on ecosystems, impact ecosystem processes and plant tissue stoichiometry. Furthermore, plant-fungal associations are a predictive axis of context dependency mediating zoogeochemical effects at fine scales. Ferraro et al.'s (2023) novel approach simultaneously advances mechanistic understanding of animal-ecosystem interactions at fine scales and facilitates prediction of ungulate effects on nutrient availability at landscape extents.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Adam Meyer
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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10
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Garrote PJ, Bugalho MN, Fedriani JM. Seedling responses to moderate and severe herbivory: a field-clipping experiment with a keystone Mediterranean palm. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2023; 25:1058-1070. [PMID: 37713282 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Plant-ungulate interactions are critical in shaping the structure of Mediterranean plant communities. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of knowledge on how plant intrinsic and extrinsic factors mediate the sign and strength of plant-ungulate interactions. This is most relevant when addressing natural or assisted restoration of plant communities in human-disturbed areas. We conducted field-clipping experiments simulating how different intensities of ungulate herbivory may affect the natural regeneration and establishment of the Mediterranean dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis), a keystone species in Mediterranean ecosystems. We quantified seedling survival and size in two human-disturbed sites (SW Spain) where wild and domestic ungulates exert high herbivory pressure on vegetation. Severe clipping and seedling aging reduced rates of seedling survival. In contrast, moderate clipping did not affect seedling survival, suggesting a certain degree of C. humilis tolerance to herbivory. Severe clipping reduced seedling height strongly but not seedling diameter, and these effects seem to have decreased seedling survival. Nurse shrubs increased seedling size, which likely improved seedling survival. We also found seedling compensatory growth which varied between study sites. Field-clipping experiments can help disentangle effects of plant extrinsic and intrinsic factors on the sign and strength of plant-ungulate interactions and their ecological consequences on the dynamics of human-disturbed ecosystems. We call attention to the importance of appropriately managing scenarios of severe herbivory and summer droughts, particularly frequent in Mediterranean ecosystems, as synergic effects of such key drivers can negatively affect the structure and dynamics of plant communities and endanger their conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Garrote
- Desertification Research Centre (CIDE), CSIC-UVEG-GV, Moncada (Valencia), Spain
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - M N Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - J M Fedriani
- Desertification Research Centre (CIDE), CSIC-UVEG-GV, Moncada (Valencia), Spain
- Doñana Biological Station (EBD), CSIC, C/Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, Seville, Spain
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11
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Swain M, Leroux SJ, Buchkowski R. Strong above-ground impacts of a non-native ungulate do not cascade to impact below-ground functioning in a boreal ecosystem. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2016-2027. [PMID: 37565516 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
1. Experimental studies across biomes demonstrate that herbivores can have significant effects on ecosystem functioning. Herbivore effects, however, can be highly variable with studies demonstrating positive, neutral or negative relationships between herbivore presence and different components of ecosystems. Mixed effects are especially likely in the soil, where herbivore effects are largely indirect mediated through effects on plants. 2. We conducted a long-term experiment to disentangle the effects of non-native moose in boreal forests on plant communities, nutrient cycling, soil composition and soil organism communities. 3. To explore the effect of moose on soils, we conduct separate analyses on the soil organic and mineral horizons. Our data come from 11 paired exclosure-control plots in eastern and central Newfoundland, Canada that provide insight into 22-25 years of moose herbivory. We fit piecewise structural equations models (SEM) to data for the organic and mineral soil horizons to test different pathways linking moose to above-ground and below-ground functioning. 4. The SEMs revealed that moose exclusion had direct positive impacts on adult tree count and an indirect negative impact on shrub percent cover mediated by adult tree count. We detected no significant impact of moose on soil microbial C:N ratio or net nitrogen mineralization in the organic or mineral soil horizon. Soil temperature and moisture, however, was more than twice as variable in the presence (i.e. control) than absence (i.e. exclosure) of moose. Overall, we observed clear impacts of moose on above-ground forest components with limited indirect effects below-ground. Even after 22-25 years of exclusion, we did not find any evidence of moose impacts on soil microbial C:N ratio and net nitrogen mineralization. 5. Our long-term study and mechanistic path analysis demonstrates that soils can be resilient to ungulate herbivore effects despite evidence of strong effects above-ground. Long-term studies and analyses such as this one are relatively rare yet critical for reconciling some of the context-dependency observed across studies of ungulates effects on ecosystem functions. Such studies may be particularly valuable in ecosystems with short growing seasons such as the boreal forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makayla Swain
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland, Canada
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12
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Esmaeili S, King SRB, Schoenecker KA. Browsers or Grazers? New Insights into Feral Burro Diet Using a Non-Invasive Sampling and Plant DNA Metabarcoding Approach. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2683. [PMID: 37627474 PMCID: PMC10451565 DOI: 10.3390/ani13162683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ungulates play a large role in shaping ecosystems and communities by influencing plant composition, structure, and productivity. We investigated the summer diets of feral burros in two ecosystems in which they are found in the United States: a subtropical desert in Arizona and a temperate juniper shrubland in Utah. Between 24 June and 16 July of 2019, we gathered 50 burro fecal samples from each location and used plant DNA metabarcoding to determine the burros' diets. We found that during our sampling period the burros in the Sonoran Desert consumed a higher proportion of woody browse and had a narrower dietary niche breadth and lower degree of diet diversity compared to the burros in the juniper shrubland ecosystem, where the burros consumed higher proportions of graminoids and forbs and had a higher diet diversity index and broader dietary niche breadth. The burros in the Sonoran Desert relied primarily on Prosopis spp. (mesquite) and Poaceae grasses, whereas the burros in the juniper shrubland relied on a wider variety of forb and grass species, likely due to the greater variability in the forage species temporally and spatially available in that temperate ecosystem. We found that feral burros are highly adaptable with respect to diet and appear to be employing a mixed feeding strategy, similar to their ancestor, the African wild ass, to meet their nutritional needs in whichever ecosystem they are found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeideh Esmaeili
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, and in Cooperation with USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Sarah R. B. King
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, and in Cooperation with USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;
| | - Kathryn A. Schoenecker
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA;
- Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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13
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Pringle RM, Abraham JO, Anderson TM, Coverdale TC, Davies AB, Dutton CL, Gaylard A, Goheen JR, Holdo RM, Hutchinson MC, Kimuyu DM, Long RA, Subalusky AL, Veldhuis MP. Impacts of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystems. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R584-R610. [PMID: 37279691 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Large herbivores play unique ecological roles and are disproportionately imperiled by human activity. As many wild populations dwindle towards extinction, and as interest grows in restoring lost biodiversity, research on large herbivores and their ecological impacts has intensified. Yet, results are often conflicting or contingent on local conditions, and new findings have challenged conventional wisdom, making it hard to discern general principles. Here, we review what is known about the ecosystem impacts of large herbivores globally, identify key uncertainties, and suggest priorities to guide research. Many findings are generalizable across ecosystems: large herbivores consistently exert top-down control of plant demography, species composition, and biomass, thereby suppressing fires and the abundance of smaller animals. Other general patterns do not have clearly defined impacts: large herbivores respond to predation risk but the strength of trophic cascades is variable; large herbivores move vast quantities of seeds and nutrients but with poorly understood effects on vegetation and biogeochemistry. Questions of the greatest relevance for conservation and management are among the least certain, including effects on carbon storage and other ecosystem functions and the ability to predict outcomes of extinctions and reintroductions. A unifying theme is the role of body size in regulating ecological impact. Small herbivores cannot fully substitute for large ones, and large-herbivore species are not functionally redundant - losing any, especially the largest, will alter net impact, helping to explain why livestock are poor surrogates for wild species. We advocate leveraging a broad spectrum of techniques to mechanistically explain how large-herbivore traits and environmental context interactively govern the ecological impacts of these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - T Michael Anderson
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, USA
| | - Tyler C Coverdale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Andrew B Davies
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology & Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82072, USA
| | - Ricardo M Holdo
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Duncan M Kimuyu
- Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Ryan A Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA
| | - Amanda L Subalusky
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Michiel P Veldhuis
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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14
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Allen K, Bellingham PJ, Richardson SJ, Allen RB, Burrows LE, Carswell FE, Husheer SW, St John MG, Peltzer DA. Long-term exclusion of invasive ungulates alters tree recruitment and functional traits but not total forest carbon. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2836. [PMID: 36890426 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Forests are major carbon (C) sinks, but their ability to sequester C and thus mitigate climate change, varies with the environment, disturbance regime, and biotic interactions. Herbivory by invasive, nonnative ungulates can have profound ecosystem effects, yet its consequences for forest C stocks remain poorly understood. We determined the impact of invasive ungulates on C pools, both above- and belowground (to 30 cm), and on forest structure and diversity using 26 paired long-term (>20 years) ungulate exclosures and adjacent unfenced control plots located in native temperate rainforests across New Zealand, spanning 36-41° S. Total ecosystem C was similar between ungulate exclosure (299.93 ± 25.94 Mg C ha-1 ) and unfenced control (324.60 ± 38.39 Mg C ha-1 ) plots. Most (60%) variation in total ecosystem C was explained by the biomass of the largest tree (mean diameter at breast height [dbh]: 88 cm) within each plot. Ungulate exclusion increased the abundance and diversity of saplings and small trees (dbh ≥2.5, <10 cm) compared with unfenced controls, but these accounted for ~5% of total ecosystem C, demonstrating that a few, large trees dominate the total forest ecosystem C but are unaffected by invasive ungulates at a timescale of 20-50 years. However, changes in understory C pools, species composition, and functional diversity did occur following long-term ungulate exclusion. Our findings suggest that, although the removal of invasive herbivores may not affect total forest C at the decadal scale, major shifts in the diversity and composition of regenerating species will have longer term consequences for ecosystem processes and forest C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara Allen
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | - Peter J Bellingham
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Robert B Allen
- Independent Researcher, 8 Roblyn Place, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | - Larry E Burrows
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | - Fiona E Carswell
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
| | - Sean W Husheer
- New Zealand Forest Surveys Limited, Hastings Aerodrome, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
| | - Mark G St John
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Duane A Peltzer
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand
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15
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de Tombeur F, Raven JA, Toussaint A, Lambers H, Cooke J, Hartley SE, Johnson SN, Coq S, Katz O, Schaller J, Violle C. Why do plants silicify? Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:275-288. [PMID: 36428125 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite seminal papers that stress the significance of silicon (Si) in plant biology and ecology, most studies focus on manipulations of Si supply and mitigation of stresses. The ecological significance of Si varies with different levels of biological organization, and remains hard to capture. We show that the costs of Si accumulation are greater than is currently acknowledged, and discuss potential links between Si and fitness components (growth, survival, reproduction), environment, and ecosystem functioning. We suggest that Si is more important in trait-based ecology than is currently recognized. Si potentially plays a significant role in many aspects of plant ecology, but knowledge gaps prevent us from understanding its possible contribution to the success of some clades and the expansion of specific biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix de Tombeur
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France; School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - John A Raven
- Division of Plant Science, University of Dundee at the James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, UK; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Aurèle Toussaint
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Hans Lambers
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Julia Cooke
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Sue E Hartley
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Scott N Johnson
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Sylvain Coq
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Ofir Katz
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Mount Masada, Tamar Regional Council, Israel; Eilat Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Eilat, Israel
| | - Jörg Schaller
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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16
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Ohsaki H, Miyamoto R, Sembongi Y, Tajima M, Sakamoto Y, Okuda K, Yamawo A. Plant–plant interaction by Aster leiophyllus affects herbivory by Sika deer, Cervus nippon. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2022; 109:54. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01827-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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17
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Laneng LA, Tachiki Y, Akamatsu R, Kobayashi K, Takahata C, Nakamura F. Seasonal home range and habitat selection patterns of sika deer
Cervus nippon
in southern Hokkaido, Japan. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lauretta Andrew Laneng
- Dept of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido Univ. Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | | | | | | | - Chihiro Takahata
- Dept of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido Univ. Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
| | - Futoshi Nakamura
- Dept of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido Univ. Sapporo Hokkaido Japan
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18
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Maestre FT, Le Bagousse-Pinguet Y, Delgado-Baquerizo M, Eldridge DJ, Saiz H, Berdugo M, Gozalo B, Ochoa V, Guirado E, García-Gómez M, Valencia E, Gaitán JJ, Asensio S, Mendoza BJ, Plaza C, Díaz-Martínez P, Rey A, Hu HW, He JZ, Wang JT, Lehmann A, Rillig MC, Cesarz S, Eisenhauer N, Martínez-Valderrama J, Moreno-Jiménez E, Sala O, Abedi M, Ahmadian N, Alados CL, Aramayo V, Amghar F, Arredondo T, Ahumada RJ, Bahalkeh K, Ben Salem F, Blaum N, Boldgiv B, Bowker MA, Bran D, Bu C, Canessa R, Castillo-Monroy AP, Castro H, Castro I, Castro-Quezada P, Chibani R, Conceição AA, Currier CM, Darrouzet-Nardi A, Deák B, Donoso DA, Dougill AJ, Durán J, Erdenetsetseg B, Espinosa CI, Fajardo A, Farzam M, Ferrante D, Frank ASK, Fraser LH, Gherardi LA, Greenville AC, Guerra CA, Gusmán-Montalvan E, Hernández-Hernández RM, Hölzel N, Huber-Sannwald E, Hughes FM, Jadán-Maza O, Jeltsch F, Jentsch A, Kaseke KF, Köbel M, Koopman JE, Leder CV, Linstädter A, le Roux PC, Li X, Liancourt P, Liu J, Louw MA, Maggs-Kölling G, Makhalanyane TP, Issa OM, Manzaneda AJ, Marais E, Mora JP, Moreno G, Munson SM, Nunes A, Oliva G, Oñatibia GR, Peter G, Pivari MOD, Pueyo Y, Quiroga RE, Rahmanian S, Reed SC, Rey PJ, Richard B, Rodríguez A, Rolo V, Rubalcaba JG, Ruppert JC, Salah A, Schuchardt MA, Spann S, Stavi I, Stephens CRA, Swemmer AM, Teixido AL, Thomas AD, Throop HL, Tielbörger K, Travers S, Val J, Valkó O, van den Brink L, Ayuso SV, Velbert F, Wamiti W, Wang D, Wang L, Wardle GM, Yahdjian L, Zaady E, Zhang Y, Zhou X, Singh BK, Gross N. Grazing and ecosystem service delivery in global drylands. Science 2022; 378:915-920. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abq4062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Grazing represents the most extensive use of land worldwide. Yet its impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain because pervasive interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil properties, and biodiversity may occur but have never been addressed simultaneously. Using a standardized survey at 98 sites across six continents, we show that interactions between grazing pressure, climate, soil, and biodiversity are critical to explain the delivery of fundamental ecosystem services across drylands worldwide. Increasing grazing pressure reduced ecosystem service delivery in warmer and species-poor drylands, whereas positive effects of grazing were observed in colder and species-rich areas. Considering interactions between grazing and local abiotic and biotic factors is key for understanding the fate of dryland ecosystems under climate change and increasing human pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando T. Maestre
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramón Margalef,” Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
- Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
- Unidad Asociada CSIC-UPO (BioFun), Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - David J. Eldridge
- Department of Planning and Environment, c/o Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Hugo Saiz
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Huesca, Spain
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Miguel Berdugo
- Institut de Biología Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beatriz Gozalo
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramón Margalef,” Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Victoria Ochoa
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramón Margalef,” Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilio Guirado
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramón Margalef,” Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Miguel García-Gómez
- Departamento de Ingeniería y Morfología del Terreno, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Valencia
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan J. Gaitán
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Instituto de Suelos-CNIA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Luján, Departamento de Tecnología, Luján, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sergio Asensio
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramón Margalef,” Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Betty J. Mendoza
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Spain
| | - César Plaza
- Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paloma Díaz-Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Rey
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Hang-Wei Hu
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ji-Zheng He
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jun-Tao Wang
- Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Anika Lehmann
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Biology, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias C. Rillig
- Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Biology, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Cesarz
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig University, Institute of Biology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig University, Institute of Biology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jaime Martínez-Valderrama
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio “Ramón Margalef,” Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Eduardo Moreno-Jiménez
- Department of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Osvaldo Sala
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Global Drylands Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Mehdi Abedi
- Department of Range Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran Province, Iran
| | - Negar Ahmadian
- Department of Range Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran Province, Iran
| | | | - Valeria Aramayo
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Fateh Amghar
- Laboratoire de Recherche: Biodiversité, Biotechnologie, Environnement et Développement Durable (BioDev), Faculté des Sciences, Université M’hamed Bougara de Boumerdès, Boumerdès, Algérie
| | - Tulio Arredondo
- Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, A.C., San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo J. Ahumada
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina
| | - Khadijeh Bahalkeh
- Department of Range Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Noor, Mazandaran Province, Iran
| | - Farah Ben Salem
- Laboratory of Range Ecology, Institut des Régions Arides (IRA), Médenine, Tunisia
| | - Niels Blaum
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Conservation Biology, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Bazartseren Boldgiv
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Matthew A. Bowker
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Donaldo Bran
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche, Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Chongfeng Bu
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Rafaella Canessa
- Ecological Plant Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Helena Castro
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ignacio Castro
- Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez (UNESR), Instituto de Estudios Científicos y Tecnológicos (IDECYT), Centro de Estudios de Agroecología Tropical (CEDAT), Miranda, Venezuela
| | - Patricio Castro-Quezada
- Universidad de Cuenca, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Carrera de Ingeniería Agronómica, Grupo de Agroforestería, Manejo y Conservación del paisaje, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Roukaya Chibani
- Laboratory of Range Ecology, Institut des Régions Arides (IRA), Médenine, Tunisia
| | - Abel A. Conceição
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Courtney M. Currier
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Global Drylands Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Balázs Deák
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - David A. Donoso
- Departamento de Biología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
- Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Andrew J. Dougill
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
| | - Jorge Durán
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Misión Biolóxica de Galicia, CSIC, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Batdelger Erdenetsetseg
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Carlos I. Espinosa
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Alex Fajardo
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I3), Vicerrectoría Académica, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Mohammad Farzam
- Department of Range and Watershed Management, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Daniela Ferrante
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria EEA Santa Cruz, Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina
| | - Anke S. K. Frank
- School of Agriculture, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Lauchlan H. Fraser
- Department of Natural Resource Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Laureano A. Gherardi
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Aaron C. Greenville
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Carlos A. Guerra
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | - Rosa M. Hernández-Hernández
- Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez (UNESR), Instituto de Estudios Científicos y Tecnológicos (IDECYT), Centro de Estudios de Agroecología Tropical (CEDAT), Miranda, Venezuela
| | - Norbert Hölzel
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Frederic M. Hughes
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Bahia, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica (INMA), Espírito Santo, Brazil
| | - Oswaldo Jadán-Maza
- Universidad de Cuenca, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Carrera de Ingeniería Agronómica, Grupo de Agroforestería, Manejo y Conservación del paisaje, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Conservation Biology, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Kudzai F. Kaseke
- Earth Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Melanie Köbel
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jessica E. Koopman
- Microbiome@UP, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Cintia V. Leder
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Sede Atlántica, CEANPa, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Anja Linstädter
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Biodiversity Research/Systematic Botany Group, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Peter C. le Roux
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Xinkai Li
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Pierre Liancourt
- Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Pruhonice, Czech Republic
- Botany Department, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Jushan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Michelle A. Louw
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Thulani P. Makhalanyane
- Microbiome@UP, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Oumarou Malam Issa
- Institut d’Écologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris (iEES-Paris), Sorbonne Université, IRD, CNRS, INRAE, Université Paris Est Creteil, Université de Paris, Centre IRD de France Nord, Bondy, France
| | - Antonio J. Manzaneda
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación del Sistema Tierra en Andalucía, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Eugene Marais
- Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Walvis Bay, Namibia
| | - Juan P. Mora
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I3), Vicerrectoría Académica, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Gerardo Moreno
- Forestry School, INDEHESA, Universidad de Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain
| | - Seth M. Munson
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Alice Nunes
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gabriel Oliva
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria EEA Santa Cruz, Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina
| | - Gastón R. Oñatibia
- Cátedra de Ecología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA-CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guadalupe Peter
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Sede Atlántica, CEANPa, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Marco O. D. Pivari
- Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Yolanda Pueyo
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE, CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - R. Emiliano Quiroga
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina
- Cátedra de Manejo de Pastizales Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina
| | - Soroor Rahmanian
- Department of Range and Watershed Management, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, Brasov, Romania
| | - Sasha C. Reed
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT, USA
| | - Pedro J. Rey
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación del Sistema Tierra en Andalucía, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | | | - Alexandra Rodríguez
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Víctor Rolo
- Forestry School, INDEHESA, Universidad de Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain
| | | | - Jan C. Ruppert
- Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Max A. Schuchardt
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Sedona Spann
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Ilan Stavi
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Yotvata, Israel
| | - Colton R. A. Stephens
- Department of Natural Resource Science, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Anthony M. Swemmer
- South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Phalaborwa, Kruger National Park, South Africa
| | - Alberto L. Teixido
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Andrew D. Thomas
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK
| | - Heather L. Throop
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Samantha Travers
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - James Val
- Science Division, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, New South Wales Government, Buronga, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Orsolya Valkó
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | | | - Sergio Velasco Ayuso
- Cátedra de Ecología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA-CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Frederike Velbert
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Wanyoike Wamiti
- Zoology Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Deli Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Lixin Wang
- Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Glenda M. Wardle
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Laura Yahdjian
- Cátedra de Ecología, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA-CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eli Zaady
- Department of Natural Resources, Agricultural Research Organization, Institute of Plant Sciences, Gilat Research Center, Mobile Post Negev, Israel
| | - Yuanming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiaobing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Brajesh K. Singh
- Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicolas Gross
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Unité Mixte de Recherche Ecosystème Prairial, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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19
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Konôpka B, Šebeň V, Pajtík J, Shipley LA. Influence of Tree Species and Size on Bark Browsing by Large Wild Herbivores. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2925. [PMID: 36365378 PMCID: PMC9653979 DOI: 10.3390/plants11212925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Although an important part of the ecosystem, large wild herbivores (LWH), especially red deer (Cervus elaphus L.), cause significant damage to economically valuable timber in forests of Central Europe. Recent work has demonstrated that less valuable softwood broadleaved trees can act as “biological control” that helps reduce bark browsing on more valuable trees in a mixed stand. To better understand the factors that influence how much bark area and mass are removed by LWH from these broadleaved trees, we took advantage of a novel “natural” experiment that occurred after a breach in a herbivory exclosure surrounding a 10-year old mixed broadleaved/conifer stand in the Western Carpathians in north-western Slovakia. We measured the area of old (up to 2 years previously) and new browsed patches on stems of common aspen (Populus tremula L.), common rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) and goat willow (Salix caprea L.), and their position along the vertical profile of the stem. The browsed bark area (cm2) was then converted to the bark mass (g) removed and the proportion of browsed bark to total bark (%) using conversion equations. Our models demonstrated that the amount of bark removed was influenced by tree species, stem diameter, age of browsing (old vs. new), and stem section along the vertical profile. LWH removed the most bark area from willow but the most bark mass from aspen because aspen had thicker bark than the other tree species. Bark browsing was greater on trees > 6 cm basal diameter. The distribution of bark browsing along the vertical profile was symmetrical (unimodal) with maximum intensity at 101−125 cm from the ground, which corresponds with the height most optimal for feeding by red deer. However, previous browsing in 2019 and 2020 caused new browsing on willow in 2021 to be focused in stem sections lower (51−75 cm) and higher (126−150 cm) than that optima. By quantifying browsing patterns and the amount of bark that is accessible to LWH for forage on the most attractive softwood broadleaved trees, our work will contribute to developing better methods for protecting commercially important species such as European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) in areas of Central Europe that are greatly affected by increasing population density of LWH, especially red deer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bohdan Konôpka
- National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute, T. G. Masaryka 22, SK-960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 000 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Šebeň
- National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute, T. G. Masaryka 22, SK-960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Jozef Pajtík
- National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute, T. G. Masaryka 22, SK-960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Lisa A. Shipley
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2812, USA
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20
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Loss of grazing by large mammalian herbivores can destabilize the soil carbon pool. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211317119. [PMID: 36252005 PMCID: PMC9618051 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211317119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Grazing by mammalian herbivores can be a climate mitigation strategy as it influences the size and stability of a large soil carbon (soil-C) pool (more than 500 Pg C in the world's grasslands, steppes, and savannas). With continuing declines in the numbers of large mammalian herbivores, the resultant loss in grazer functions can be consequential for this soil-C pool and ultimately for the global carbon cycle. While herbivore effects on the size of the soil-C pool and the conditions under which they lead to gain or loss in soil-C are becoming increasingly clear, their effect on the equally important aspect of stability of soil-C remains unknown. We used a replicated long-term field experiment in the Trans-Himalayan grazing ecosystem to evaluate the consequences of herbivore exclusion on interannual fluctuations in soil-C (2006 to 2021). Interannual fluctuations in soil-C and soil-N were 30 to 40% higher after herbivore exclusion than under grazing. Structural equation modeling suggested that grazing appears to mediate the stabilizing versus destabilizing influences of nitrogen (N) on soil-C. This may explain why N addition stimulates soil-C loss in the absence of herbivores around the world. Herbivore loss, and the consequent decline in grazer functions, can therefore undermine the stability of soil-C. Soil-C is not inert but a very dynamic pool. It can provide nature-based climate solutions by conserving and restoring a functional role of large mammalian herbivores that extends to the stoichiometric coupling between soil-C and soil-N.
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21
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Bai Y, Cotrufo MF. Grassland soil carbon sequestration: Current understanding, challenges, and solutions. Science 2022; 377:603-608. [PMID: 35926033 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo2380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Grasslands store approximately one third of the global terrestrial carbon stocks and can act as an important soil carbon sink. Recent studies show that plant diversity increases soil organic carbon (SOC) storage by elevating carbon inputs to belowground biomass and promoting microbial necromass contribution to SOC storage. Climate change affects grassland SOC storage by modifying the processes of plant carbon inputs and microbial catabolism and anabolism. Improved grazing management and biodiversity restoration can provide low-cost and/or high-carbon-gain options for natural climate solutions in global grasslands. The achievable SOC sequestration potential in global grasslands is 2.3 to 7.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year (CO2e year-1) for biodiversity restoration, 148 to 699 megatons of CO2e year-1 for improved grazing management, and 147 megatons of CO2e year-1 for sown legumes in pasturelands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - M Francesca Cotrufo
- Department of Soil and Crop Science and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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22
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Koltz AM, Civitello DJ, Becker DJ, Deem SL, Classen AT, Barton B, Brenn-White M, Johnson ZE, Kutz S, Malishev M, Preston DL, Vannatta JT, Penczykowski RM, Ezenwa VO. Sublethal effects of parasitism on ruminants can have cascading consequences for ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2117381119. [PMID: 35533278 PMCID: PMC9171767 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117381119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitic infections are common, but how they shape ecosystem-level processes is understudied. Using a mathematical model and meta-analysis, we explored the potential for helminth parasites to trigger trophic cascades through lethal and sublethal effects imposed on herbivorous ruminant hosts after infection. First, using the model, we linked negative effects of parasitic infection on host survival, fecundity, and feeding rate to host and producer biomass. Our model, parameterized with data from a well-documented producer–caribou–helminth system, reveals that even moderate impacts of parasites on host survival, fecundity, or feeding rate can have cascading effects on ruminant host and producer biomass. Second, using meta-analysis, we investigated the links between helminth infections and traits of free-living ruminant hosts in nature. We found that helminth infections tend to exert negative but sublethal effects on ruminant hosts. Specifically, infection significantly reduces host feeding rates, body mass, and body condition but has weak and highly variable effects on survival and fecundity. Together, these findings suggest that while helminth parasites can trigger trophic cascades through multiple mechanisms, overlooked sublethal effects on nonreproductive traits likely dominate their impacts on ecosystems. In particular, by reducing ruminant herbivory, pervasive helminth infections may contribute to a greener world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M. Koltz
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | | | | | - Sharon L. Deem
- Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Aimée T. Classen
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Brandon Barton
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Maris Brenn-White
- Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110
| | - Zoë E. Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762
| | - Susan Kutz
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | | | - Daniel L. Preston
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523
| | - J. Trevor Vannatta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | | | - Vanessa O. Ezenwa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
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23
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Using Satellite NDVI Time-Series to Monitor Grazing Effects on Vegetation Productivity and Phenology in Heterogeneous Mediterranean Forests. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14102322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The reintroduction of livestock grazing to regulate biomass load is being tested for large-scale restoration in Mediterranean landscapes affected by rural abandonment. Concurrently, there is a need to develop cost-effective methods to monitor such interventions. Here, we investigate if satellite data can be used to monitor the response of vegetation phenology and productivity to grazing disturbance in a heterogenous forest mosaic with herbaceous, shrub, and tree cover. We identify which vegetation seasonal metrics respond most to grazing disturbances and are relevant to monitoring efforts. The study follows a BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) design applied to a grazing intervention in a Pyrenean oak forest (Quercus pyrenaica) in central Portugal. Using NDVI time-series from Sentinel-2 imagery for the period between June 2016 and June 2021, we observed that each type of vegetation exhibited a distinct phenology curve. Herbaceous vegetation was the most responsive to moderate grazing disturbances with respect to changes in phenology and productivity metrics, namely an anticipation of seasonal events. Results for shrubs and trees suggest a decline in peak productivity in grazed areas but no changes in phenology patterns. The techniques demonstrated in this study are relevant to a broad range of use cases in the large-scale monitoring of fine-grained heterogeneous landscapes.
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Kerby JT, Krivak-Tetley FE, Shikesho SD, Bolger DT. Livestock impacts on an iconic Namib Desert plant are mediated by abiotic conditions. Oecologia 2022; 199:229-242. [PMID: 35524862 PMCID: PMC9120118 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05177-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Resolving the relative contributions of top-down versus bottom-up drivers of vegetation dynamics is a major challenge in drylands. In the coming decades, growing livestock populations and shifts in water availability will simultaneously impact many arid systems, but a lack of empirical data on plant responses to these pressures limits understanding of how plants will respond. Here, we combine ground and drone observations from an herbivore exclosure experiment to identify ungulate visitation patterns and their impacts on the cover and melon production of !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus), a large, long-lived desert plant in the hyper-arid Namib Desert. !Nara are of key ecological, social, and economic importance to Namib ecosystems and to the local Topnaar people. At our study site, we find that among native and domestic herbivores, free-ranging donkeys have the largest impact on !nara cover and melon production. !Nara cover was negatively affected by herbivores close to the desert-ephemeral river ecotone during a dry period, whereas !nara cover increased on all plants across the landscape during a wetter period, regardless of herbivore access. !Nara near the river channel and those protected from herbivores had more mature melons, particularly during the wetter period. At this site, the potential for conflict between Topnaar !nara melon harvesting and pastoral practices varies with a plant's distance from the river and prevailing abiotic conditions. This work advances monitoring approaches and adds empirical support to the understanding that top-down and bottom-up regulation of plant dynamics varies with spatiotemporal context, even within landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey T Kerby
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6B, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA.
| | - Flora E Krivak-Tetley
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Saima D Shikesho
- Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Douglas T Bolger
- Department of Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
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25
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Chard M, Foster CN, Lindenmayer DB, Cary GJ, MacGregor CI, Blanchard W. Post-fire pickings: Large herbivores alter understory vegetation communities in a coastal eucalypt forest. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8828. [PMID: 35475176 PMCID: PMC9034452 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire and herbivores alter vegetation structure and function. Future fire activity is predicted to increase, and quantifying changes in vegetation communities arising from post‐fire herbivory is needed to better manage natural environments. We investigated the effects of post‐fire herbivory on understory plant communities in a coastal eucalypt forest in southeastern Australia. We quantified herbivore activity, understory plant diversity, and dominant plant morphology following a wildfire in 2017 using two sizes of exclosures. Statistical analysis incorporated the effect of exclusion treatments, time since fire, and the effect of a previous prescribed burn. Exclusion treatments altered herbivore activity, but time since fire did not. Herbivory reduced plant species richness, diversity, and evenness and promoted the dominance of the most abundant plants within the understory. Increasing time since fire reduced community diversity and evenness and influenced morphological changes to the dominant understory plant species, increasing size and dead material while decreasing abundance. We found the legacy effects of a previous prescribed burn had no effect on herbivores or vegetation within our study. Foraging by large herbivores resulted in a depauperate vegetation community. As post‐fire herbivory can alter vegetation communities, we postulate that management burning practices may exacerbate herbivore impacts. Future fire management strategies to minimize herbivore‐mediated alterations to understory vegetation could include aggregating management burns into larger fire sizes or linking fire management with herbivore management. Restricting herbivore access following fire (planned or otherwise) can encourage a more diverse and species‐rich understory plant community. Future research should aim to determine how vegetation change from post‐fire herbivory contributes to future fire risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Chard
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Claire N Foster
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - David B Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Geoffrey J Cary
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Christopher I MacGregor
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia.,Threatened Species Recovery Hub National Environmental Science Program Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Wade Blanchard
- Fenner School of Environment & Society The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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26
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27
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Zhong Z, Li X, Smit C, Li T, Wang L, Aschero V, Vázquez D, Ritchie M, Cushman JH, Wang D. Large herbivores facilitate a dominant grassland forb via multiple indirect effects. Ecology 2022; 103:e3635. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Zhong
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education/Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Xiaofei Li
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences/Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural University Changchun Jilin China
| | - Christian Smit
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Conservation Ecology Group University of Groningen CC Groningen the Netherlands
| | - Tianyun Li
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education/Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Ling Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education/Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station Northeast Normal University Changchun China
| | - Valeria Aschero
- Argentine Institute for Nivology, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences, CONICET & National University of Cuyo, Av. Ruiz Leal s/n Mendoza Argentina
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences National University of Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300 Mendoza Argentina
| | - Diego Vázquez
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences National University of Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300 Mendoza Argentina
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, CONICET & National University of Cuyo, Av. Ruiz Leal s/n Mendoza Argentina
| | - Mark Ritchie
- Department of Biology Syracuse University Syracuse New York USA
| | - J. Hall Cushman
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science University of Nevada Nevada USA
| | - Deli Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education/Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station Northeast Normal University Changchun China
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Perrin W, Fontana S, Coq S, Berlioz L, Jay-Robert P, Moretti M. The Influence of Fine-Scale Grazing Heterogeneity on Dung Beetle Assemblages: What Trait Analysis Teaches Us. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 50:1332-1343. [PMID: 34580707 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvab091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Livestock grazing puts major anthropogenic pressure on biological communities worldwide. Not all species are expected to be affected in the same way, and the impacts will depend on species' traits. Focusing on traits thus helps identify the mechanisms underlying changes in community composition under grazing pressures. We investigated how fine-scale grazing heterogeneity affects the trait composition and diversity of dung beetle assemblages in Western Europe. We sampled dung beetles in habitat patches differing in terms of grazing intensity within rangelands of two distinct biogeographical areas: a Mediterranean lowland steppe and Western alpine meadows. We measured five morphological traits expected to respond to the local-scale filtering pressure exerted by variations in grazing intensity. Using individual-based data, we assessed responses in terms of single-trait mean values in communities and complementary trait diversity indices. We found strong shifts in trait composition and diversity between the habitat patches. In both study areas, variations in habitat conditions are likely to have filtered the local occurrence and abundance of dung beetles by the mean of traits such as body mass (which have several functional implications), as well as traits linked to underground activity. We hypothesize that fine-scale variation in resource availability (i.e., droppings) and disturbance intensity (i.e., trampling) are key drivers of the observed patterns in species assemblages. Trait richness peaks at moderate grazing intensity in both study areas, suggesting that patches with an intermediated level of available resources and soil disturbance enable individuals with a greater range of autecological requirements to coexist.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Perrin
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Simone Fontana
- Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sylvain Coq
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Laurent Berlioz
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Jay-Robert
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - Marco Moretti
- Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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Karp AT, Faith JT, Marlon JR, Staver AC. Global response of fire activity to late Quaternary grazer extinctions. Science 2021; 374:1145-1148. [PMID: 34822271 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj1580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison T Karp
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - A Carla Staver
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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30
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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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31
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Kreling SE, Gaynor KM, McInturff A, Calhoun KL, Brashares JS. Site fidelity and behavioral plasticity regulate an ungulate's response to extreme disturbance. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15683-15694. [PMID: 34824782 PMCID: PMC8601917 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
With rapid global change, the frequency and severity of extreme disturbance events are increasing worldwide. The ability of animal populations to survive these stochastic events depends on how individual animals respond to their altered environments, yet our understanding of the immediate and short-term behavioral responses of animals to acute disturbances remains poor. We focused on animal behavioral responses to the environmental disturbance created by megafire. Specifically, we explored the effects of the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire in northern California, USA, on the behavior and body condition of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). We predicted that deer would be displaced by the disturbance or experience high mortality post-fire if they stayed in the burn area. We used data from GPS collars on 18 individual deer to quantify patterns of home range use, movement, and habitat selection before and after the fire. We assessed changes in body condition using images from a camera trap grid. The fire burned through half of the study area, facilitating a comparison between deer in burned and unburned areas. Despite a dramatic reduction in vegetation in burned areas, deer showed high site fidelity to pre-fire home ranges, returning within hours of the fire. However, mean home range size doubled after the fire and corresponded to increased daily activity in a severely resource-depleted environment. Within their home ranges, deer also selected strongly for patches of surviving vegetation and woodland habitat, as these areas provided forage and cover in an otherwise desolate landscape. Deer body condition significantly decreased after the fire, likely as a result of a reduction in forage within their home ranges, but all collared deer survived for the duration of the study. Understanding the ways in which large mammals respond to disturbances such as wildfire is increasingly important as the extent and severity of such events increases across the world. While many animals are adapted to disturbance regimes, species that exhibit high site fidelity or otherwise fixed behavioral strategies may struggle to cope with increased climate instability and associated extreme disturbance events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha E.S. Kreling
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & ManagementUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
- School of Environmental and Forest ScienceUniversity of Washington SeattleSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Kaitlyn M. Gaynor
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & ManagementUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and SynthesisUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alex McInturff
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & ManagementUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
- Bren School of Environmental Science & ManagementUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kendall L. Calhoun
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & ManagementUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Justin S. Brashares
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & ManagementUniversity of California BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
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32
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Synnøve Lilleeng M, Joar Hegland S, Rydgren K, Moe SR. Ungulate herbivory reduces abundance and fluctuations of herbivorous insects in a boreal old-growth forest. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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33
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Villar N, Medici EP. Large wild herbivores slow down the rapid decline of plant diversity in a tropical forest biodiversity hotspot. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nacho Villar
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Emília Patrícia Medici
- Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative Institute for Ecological Research Campo Grande Brazil
- School of Environmental Conservation and Sustainability Nazaré Paulista Brazil
- International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival CommissionTapir Specialist Group Campo Grande Brazil
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34
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Kristensen JA, Svenning JC, Georgiou K, Malhi Y. Can large herbivores enhance ecosystem carbon persistence? Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 37:117-128. [PMID: 34801276 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in aligning the wildlife conservation and restoration agenda with climate change mitigation goals. However, the presence of large herbivores tends to reduce aboveground biomass in some open-canopy ecosystems, leading to the possibility that large herbivore restoration may negatively influence ecosystem carbon storage. Belowground carbon storage is often ignored in these systems, despite the wide recognition of soils as the largest actively-cycling terrestrial carbon pool. Here, we suggest a shift away from a main focus on vegetation carbon stocks, towards inclusion of whole ecosystem carbon persistence, in future assessments of large herbivore effects on long-term carbon storage. Failure to do so may lead to counterproductive biodiversity and climate impacts of land management actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe A Kristensen
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK; Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) and Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
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35
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Monk JD, Schmitz OJ. Landscapes shaped from the top down: predicting cascading predator effects on spatial biogeochemistry. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia D. Monk
- School of the Environment, Yale Univ. New Haven CT USA
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36
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Daufresne T. A consumer-driven recycling theory for the impact of large herbivores on terrestrial ecosystem stoichiometry. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2598-2610. [PMID: 34523233 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Biological control of nutrient cycles is well documented in aquatic ecosystems, where consumer-driven recycling by herbivores can significantly impact ecosystem stoichiometry. In contrast, little is known in terrestrial ecosystems, where there is evidence that herbivores can also impact ecosystem stoichiometry. I studied a stoichiometric model of the soil-plant-herbivore system. The model shows that herbivores influence the ecosystem stoichiometry mainly through the direct and indirect controls of ecosystem inputs and losses, in a more complex way than predicted by the classic consumer-driven recycling theory. Overall, it shows that herbivores affect nutrient ratios in terrestrial ecosystems mostly independently of their own stoichiometric ratios, and that their impact may be different in forest versus grassland. The results highlight the sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystems to elusive actors, negligible in biomass but capable of modifying nutrient loss rates with major impacts on nutrient cycles and ecosystem stoichiometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanguy Daufresne
- Unite Eco&Sols, INRAE, (French Institute for Agriculture and Environmental Research), Montpellier, France
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37
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Chollet S, Baltzinger C, Maillard M, Martin JL. Deer exclusion unveils abiotic filtering in forest understorey plant assemblages. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 128:371-381. [PMID: 34175940 PMCID: PMC8389181 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The role of deer (family Cervidae) in ecosystem functioning has traditionally been neglected by forest ecologists due to the animal's scarcity in most parts of the northern hemisphere. However, the dramatic rebound in deer populations throughout the 20th century has brought deer browsing to the forefront of forest ecological questioning. Today there is ample evidence that deer affect tree regeneration, understorey plant and animal diversity, and even litter decomposition. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of deer on forest ecosystems remain unclear. Among others, the relative role of abiotic factors versus biotic interactions (e.g. herbivory) in shaping plant assemblages remains largely unknown. METHODS We used a large-scale experiment with exclosures distributed along abiotic gradients to understand the role of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitchensis) on the forest understorey on the Haida Gwaii archipelago (western Canada), a unique context where most of the key ecological effects of deer presence have already been intensively studied. KEY RESULTS Our results demonstrate that 20 years of deer exclusion resulted in a clear increase in vascular plant richness, diversity and cover, and caused a decline in bryophyte cover. Exclusion also unveiled abiotic (i.e. soil water availability and fertility) filtering of plant assemblages that would otherwise have been masked by the impact of abundant deer populations. However, deer exclusion did not lead to an increase in beta diversity, probably because some remnant species had a competitive advantage to regrow after decades of over browsing. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that long-term herbivory by deer can be a dominant factor structuring understorey plant communities that overwhelms abiotic factors. However, while exclosures prove useful to assess the overall effects of large herbivores, the results from our studies at broader scales on the Haida Gwaii archipelago suggest that exclosure experiments should be used cautiously when inferring the mechanisms at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Chollet
- University of Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution] – UMR 6553, Rennes, France
| | - Christophe Baltzinger
- INRAE Val de Loire, Research Unit Forest Ecosystems, Domaine des Barres, 45290, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Morgane Maillard
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
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38
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Leroux SJ, Charron L, Hermanutz L, Feltham J. Cumulative effects of spruce budworm and moose herbivory on boreal forest ecosystems. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | - Louis Charron
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | - Luise Hermanutz
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | - Janet Feltham
- Terra Nova National ParkParks Canada Glovertown NL Canada
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39
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Climate change, not human population growth, correlates with Late Quaternary megafauna declines in North America. Nat Commun 2021; 12:965. [PMID: 33594059 PMCID: PMC7886903 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21201-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The disappearance of many North American megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene is a contentious topic. While the proposed causes for megafaunal extinction are varied, most researchers fall into three broad camps emphasizing human overhunting, climate change, or some combination of the two. Understanding the cause of megafaunal extinctions requires the analysis of through-time relationships between climate change and megafauna and human population dynamics. To do so, many researchers have used summed probability density functions (SPDFs) as a proxy for through-time fluctuations in human and megafauna population sizes. SPDFs, however, conflate process variation with the chronological uncertainty inherent in radiocarbon dates. Recently, a new Bayesian regression technique was developed that overcomes this problem-Radiocarbon-dated Event-Count (REC) Modelling. Here we employ REC models to test whether declines in North American megafauna species could be best explained by climate changes, increases in human population densities, or both, using the largest available database of megafauna and human radiocarbon dates. Our results suggest that there is currently no evidence for a persistent through-time relationship between human and megafauna population levels in North America. There is, however, evidence that decreases in global temperature correlated with megafauna population declines.
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40
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Scott AL, York PH, Rasheed MA. Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) grazing plot formation creates structural changes in a multi-species Great Barrier Reef seagrass meadow. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 162:105183. [PMID: 33065522 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) contains extensive seagrass meadows with abundant and diverse herbivore populations. Typically, meadows in the region are multi-species and dominated by fast growing opportunistic seagrass species. However, we know little about how herbivores modify these types of seagrass meadows by grazing. We conducted the first megaherbivore exclusion study in the GBR at Green Island (Queensland) to understand how green turtle grazing structures these multi-species tropical seagrass meadows. After excluding green turtles for three months, we found that grazing only impacted seagrasses at one site, where green turtles created a grazing plot by actively feeding on both above and below ground seagrass structures, a rare observation for the species. Within this grazing plot at the end of the experiment, the un-caged control treatments open to grazing had a 60% reduction in both above and below ground biomass, and shoot height was reduced by 75%, but there was no impact of grazing on the seagrass species mix. Our study shows that grazing plot formation by green turtles occurs in GBR fast growing seagrass communities and reduces both above and below ground seagrass biomass, this behaviour may be targeting elevated leaf nutrients, or nutritional content of rhizomes. This study is the first documented case of grazing plot formation by green turtles in the GBR and suggests that grazing pressure has a major influence on seagrass meadow structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail L Scott
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, QLD, Australia; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, QLD, Australia.
| | - Paul H York
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, QLD, Australia
| | - Michael A Rasheed
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, QLD, Australia; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, 4870, QLD, Australia
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41
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Villar N, Paz C, Zipparro V, Nazareth S, Bulascoschi L, Bakker ES, Galetti M. Frugivory underpins the nitrogen cycle. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nacho Villar
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) São Paulo Brazil
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Claudia Paz
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) São Paulo Brazil
| | - Valesca Zipparro
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) São Paulo Brazil
| | - Sergio Nazareth
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) São Paulo Brazil
| | - Leticia Bulascoschi
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) São Paulo Brazil
| | - Elisabeth S. Bakker
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Departamento de Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) São Paulo Brazil
- Department of Biology University of Miami Coral Gables FL USA
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42
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Schmitz OJ, Leroux SJ. Food Webs and Ecosystems: Linking Species Interactions to the Carbon Cycle. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-011720-104730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
All species within ecosystems contribute to regulating carbon cycling because of their functional integration into food webs. Yet carbon modeling and accounting still assumes that only plants, microbes, and invertebrate decomposer species are relevant to the carbon cycle. Our multifaceted review develops a case for considering a wider range of species, especially herbivorous and carnivorous wild animals. Animal control over carbon cycling is shaped by the animals’ stoichiometric needs and functional traits in relation to the stoichiometry and functional traits of their resources. Quantitative synthesis reveals that failing to consider these mechanisms can lead to serious inaccuracies in the carbon budget. Newer carbon-cycle models that consider food-web structure based on organismal functional traits and stoichiometry can offer mechanistically informed predictions about the magnitudes of animal effects that will help guide new empirical research aimed at developing a coherent understanding of the interactions and importance of all species within food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oswald J. Schmitz
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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43
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Dodge VJ, Eviner VT, Cushman JH. Context-dependent effects of a reintroduced ungulate on soil properties are driven by soil texture, moisture, and herbivore activity. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:10858-10871. [PMID: 33072301 PMCID: PMC7548165 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Although there is considerable evidence that large mammalian herbivores influence ecosystem-level processes, studies have reported such widely varying results that generalizations have remained elusive. Here, we use an 18-year-old exclosure experiment-stratified across a landscape heterogeneous with respect to soil texture, moisture and herbivore activity-to understand the variable effects of tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes), a native reintroduced herbivore, on soil properties along the coast of northern California. Elk significantly increased soil bulk density and created a compacted layer at shallow soil depth, while decreasing infiltration rate and pH. The effects of elk on bulk density, penetration resistance, and pH varied with soil type, being least pronounced in coarse, sandy loams, and greatest in loose sand. The effects of elk on nutrient availability varied along gradients of soil texture and moisture. In coarser soils, elk decreased ammonium availability, but increased it in finer soils. Elk also decreased soil moisture content, in part through their positive effect on bulk density, and this effect was most pronounced in coarser soils. Through decreasing soil moisture content, elk also decreased nitrate availability in coarser soils. At greater levels of elk activity (as measured by dung deposition), the elk effect on bulk density was amplified, and this had a corresponding negative effect on nitrate and phosphate availability. Our study has demonstrated that a better understanding of spatial variation in the effects of herbivores on ecosystems can emerge by evaluating their influences across gradients of soil texture, soil moisture, and herbivore activity. These data enabled us to evaluate several frameworks that have been developed to understand the variable effects of herbivores on ecosystems, which is a significant step in reconciling the many competing ideas put forth to explain the context-dependent effects of large herbivores on grazed ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa J Dodge
- Department of Biology Sonoma State University Rohnert Park CA USA
| | - Valerie T Eviner
- Department of Plant Sciences University of California Davis CA USA
| | - J Hall Cushman
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science University of Nevada Reno NV USA
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Leroux SJ, Wiersma YF, Vander Wal E. Herbivore Impacts on Carbon Cycling in Boreal Forests. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:1001-1010. [PMID: 32800352 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Large herbivores can have substantial effects on carbon (C) cycling, yet these animals are often overlooked in C budgets. Zoogeochemical effects may be particularly important in boreal forests, where diverse human activities are facilitating the expansion of large herbivore populations. Here, we argue that considering trophic dynamics is necessary to understand spatiotemporal variability in boreal forest C budgets. We propose a research agenda to scale local studies to landscape extents to measure the zoogeochemical impacts of large herbivores on boreal forest C cycling. Distributed networks of exclosure experiments, empirical studies across gradients in large herbivore abundance, multiscale models using herbivore distribution data, and remote sensing paired with empirical data will provide comprehensive accounting of C source-sink dynamics in boreal forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Yolanda F Wiersma
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
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Atwood TB, Valentine SA, Hammill E, McCauley DJ, Madin EMP, Beard KH, Pearse WD. Herbivores at the highest risk of extinction among mammals, birds, and reptiles. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabb8458. [PMID: 32923612 PMCID: PMC7457337 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
As a result of their extensive home ranges and slow population growth rates, predators have often been perceived to suffer higher risks of extinction than other trophic groups. Our study challenges this extinction-risk paradigm by quantitatively comparing patterns of extinction risk across different trophic groups of mammals, birds, and reptiles. We found that trophic level and body size were significant factors that influenced extinction risk in all taxa. At multiple spatial and temporal scales, herbivores, especially herbivorous reptiles and large-bodied herbivores, consistently have the highest proportions of threatened species. This observed elevated extinction risk for herbivores is ecologically consequential, given the important roles that herbivores are known to play in controlling ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha B. Atwood
- Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5210, USA
| | - Shaley A. Valentine
- Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5210, USA
- Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6511, USA
| | - Edd Hammill
- Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5210, USA
| | - Douglas J. McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology and the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | | | - Karen H. Beard
- Department of Wildland Resource and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5230, USA
| | - William D. Pearse
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5210, USA
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Rd., Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
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Effects of elk and bison carcasses on soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions in Yellowstone, USA. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Abstract
AbstractUngulates have become abundant in many temperate forests, shifting tree species composition by browsing and altering soil physical conditions by trampling. Whether these effects cascade down to other trophic levels and ecosystem processes is poorly understood. Here, we assess the paths through which ungulates have cascading effects on other trophic levels (regeneration, litter, invertebrates, rodents and organic matter decomposition). We compared ungulate effects by comparing 15 response variables related to different trophic levels between paired fenced and unfenced plots in twelve temperate forest sites across the Netherlands, and used pathway analysis model to identify the (in)direct pathways through which ungulates have influenced these variables. We found that plots with ungulates (that is, unfenced) compared to plots without (that is, fenced) had lower litter depth, sapling diversity, sapling density, rodent activity, macro-invertebrate biomass, decomposition rate of tea bags, pine and birch litter and higher soil compaction. These findings were used in a path analysis to establish potential causal relationships, which showed that ungulate presence: decreased sapling density, which indirectly decreased rodent activity; decreased litter depth, which indirectly reduced invertebrate diversity; increased soil compaction, which also decreased invertebrate diversity. Soil pH decreased invertebrate biomass, which also increased nitrogen mineralization. Yet, we did not find cascading effects of ungulates on decomposition rates. Importantly, an increase in ungulate abundance strengthens the cascading effects in this system. Our results suggest that ungulates can trigger cascading effects on lower trophic levels, yet decomposition and mineralization rates are resilient to ungulate browsing and trampling. Therefore, temperate forests conservation could benefit by limiting ungulate abundance.
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Cecil EM, Spasojevic MJ, Cushman JH. Cascading effects of mammalian herbivores on ground-dwelling arthropods: Variable responses across arthropod groups, habitats and years. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1319-1331. [PMID: 31135962 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Large mammalian herbivores are well known to shape the structure and function of ecosystems world-wide, and these effects can in turn cascade through systems to indirectly influence other animal species. A wealth of studies has explored the effects of large mammals on arthropods, but to date they have reported such widely varying results that generalizations have been elusive. Three factors are likely drivers of this variability: the widely varying life-history characteristics of different arthropod groups, the highly variable landscapes that mammalian herbivores commonly inhabit and temporal variation in environmental conditions. Here, we use an 18-year-old exclosure experiment stratified across three distinct coastal prairie habitats in northern California to address the effects of a reintroduced mammalian herbivore, tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) on the composition, richness and abundance of ground-dwelling arthropods over two years with very different precipitation regimes. We found that elk shifted the composition of arthropod communities, increasing the abundance of ants, beetles, spiders and mites, decreasing the abundance of woodlice and bristletails in some but not all habitats types, and having no effect on the abundance of bugs, crickets and springtails. Elk also increased richness and changed the composition of ant genera and beetle morpho-species. Interestingly, the effects of elk on arthropod composition, richness and abundance varied little between years, despite very different precipitation levels, biomass accumulation and thatch height. Elk reduced shrub cover, above-ground herbaceous biomass and thatch height and increased soil compaction, and these changes predicted the abundance and richness of arthropods, although taxonomic groups varied in their responses, presumably due to differences in environmental requirements. Synthesis. Our research highlights the importance of using long-term experiments to assess the cascading effects of large herbivores on the composition of grounddwelling arthropod communities and to identify the mechanisms that indirectly shape arthropod responses to herbivores among variable habitats and years in order to develop a greater understanding of the variable responses of arthropods to large mammalian herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Cecil
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California
| | - Marko J Spasojevic
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California - Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - J Hall Cushman
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
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