1
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Paterson JT, Proffitt KM, Rotella JJ. Incorporating vital rates and harvest into stochastic population models to forecast elk population dynamics. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelly M. Proffitt
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Bozeman 59718 MT USA
| | - Jay J. Rotella
- Montana State University 310 Lewis Hall Bozeman MT 59718 USA
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2
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Khorsand RS, Awolaja O. Breeding System and Pollination of Thermopsis divaricarpa (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae) in the Southern Rocky Mountains. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2020. [DOI: 10.3398/064.080.0408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roxaneh S. Khorsand
- Department of Organismal Biology and Ecology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
| | - Olufisayo Awolaja
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639
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3
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Cushman JH, Saunders LE, Refsland TK. Long-term and interactive effects of different mammalian consumers on growth, survival, and recruitment of dominant tree species. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:8801-8814. [PMID: 32884658 PMCID: PMC7452786 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout the world, numerous tree species are reported to be in decline, either due to increased mortality of established trees or reduced recruitment. The situation appears especially acute for oaks, which are dominant features of many landscapes in the northern hemisphere. Although numerous factors have been hypothesized to explain reductions in tree performance, vertebrate herbivores and granivores may serve as important drivers of these changes. Here, using data from 8- and 14-year-old exclosure experiments, we evaluated the individual and interactive effects of large and small mammalian herbivores on the performance of three widespread oak species in California-coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), California black oak (Q. kelloggii), and Oregon white oak (Q. garryana). Although impacts varied somewhat by species and experiment, herbivory by black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) reduced the height and survival of juvenile coast live oaks and altered their architecture, as well as reduced the abundance of black oak seedlings, the richness of woody species and the cover of nonoak woody species. Small mammals (Microtus californicus and Peromyscus maniculatus) had even more widespread effects, reducing the abundance of black oak seedlings and the height and cover of all three oak species. We also detected numerous interactions between small mammals and deer, with one herbivore having positive or negative effects on oak abundance and cover when the other herbivore was either present or absent. For example, deer often had negative effects on seedling abundance only when, or even more so when, small mammals were present. In summary, mammalian consumers play crucial roles in limiting oak recruitment by reducing seedling abundance, maintaining trees in stunted states, and preventing them from reaching sapling stages and becoming reproductive. Interactions between large and small mammals can also alter the intensity and direction of their effects on trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Hall Cushman
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNVUSA
| | | | - Tyler K. Refsland
- Department of Natural Resources & Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNVUSA
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4
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Hinton JW, Freeman AE, St‐Louis V, Cornicelli L, D'Angelo GJ. Habitat Selection by Female Elk During Minnesota's Agricultural Season. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph W. Hinton
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY 13210 USA
| | - Alicia E. Freeman
- Department of Biological Sciences Minnesota State University‐Mankato, Trafton Science Center South Mankato MN 56001 USA
| | - Véronique St‐Louis
- Wildlife Biometrics Unit, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 5463 W. Broadway Avenue Forest Lake MN 55025 USA
| | - Louis Cornicelli
- Division of Fish and Wildlife, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul MN 51555 USA
| | - Gino J. D'Angelo
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia 180 E. Green Street Athens GA 30605 USA
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5
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Ellis TD, Cushman JH. Indirect effects of a large mammalian herbivore on small mammal populations: Context-dependent variation across habitat types, mammal species, and seasons. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12115-12125. [PMID: 30598804 PMCID: PMC6303759 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple consumer species frequently co-occur in the same landscape and, through effects on surrounding environments, can interact in direct and indirect ways. These interactions can vary in occurrence and importance, and focusing on this variation is critical for understanding the dynamics of interactions among consumers. Large mammalian herbivores are important engineers of ecosystems worldwide, have substantial impacts on vegetation, and can indirectly affect small-mammal populations. However, the degree to which such indirect effects vary within the same system has received minimal attention. We used a 16-year-old exclosure experiment, stratified across a heterogeneous landscape, to evaluate the importance of context-dependent interactions between tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) and small mammals (deer mice [Peromyscus maniculatus], meadow voles [Microtus californicus], and harvest mice [Reithrodontymys megalotis]) in a coastal grassland in California. Effects of elk on voles varied among habitats and seasons: In open grasslands, elk reduced vole numbers during fall 2013 but not summer 2014; in Lupinus-dominated grasslands, elk reduced vole numbers during summer 2014 but not fall 2013; and in Baccharis-dominated grasslands, elk had no effect on vole numbers in either season. Effects of elk on the two mice species also varied among habitats and seasons, but often in different ways from voles and each other. In fall 2013, elk decreased mice abundances in Lupinus-dominated grasslands, but not in Baccharis-dominated or open grasslands. In summer 2014, elk decreased the abundance of harvest mice consistently across habitat types. In contrast, elk increased deer-mice numbers in open grasslands but not other habitats. Within the same heterogenous study system, the influence of elk on small mammals was strongly context-dependent, varying among habitats, mammal species, and seasons. We hypothesize that such variability is common in nature and that failure to consider it may yield inaccurate findings and limit our understanding of interactions among co-occurring consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor D. Ellis
- Department of BiologySonoma State UniversityRohnert ParkCalifornia
- Present address:
Point Reyes National SeashoreCalifornia
| | - J. Hall Cushman
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevada
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6
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Yuan S, Fu H, Wu X, Yang S, Malqin X, Yue X. Effects of grazing on the northern three-toed jerboa pre- and post-hibernation. J Wildl Manage 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Yuan
- College of Grassland; Resources and Environment; Inner Mongolia Agricultural University; 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010011 P. R. China
| | - Heping Fu
- College of Grassland; Resources and Environment; Inner Mongolia Agricultural University; 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010011 P. R. China
| | - Xiaodong Wu
- College of Grassland; Resources and Environment; Inner Mongolia Agricultural University; 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010011 P. R. China
| | - Suwen Yang
- College of Grassland; Resources and Environment; Inner Mongolia Agricultural University; 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010011 P. R. China
| | - Xingan Malqin
- College of Grassland; Resources and Environment; Inner Mongolia Agricultural University; 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District Hohhot Inner Mongolia 010011 P. R. China
| | - Xiuxian Yue
- Institute of Forestry Monitoring and Planning of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; Hohhot 010020 P. R. China
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7
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Rogers PC, McAvoy DJ. Mule deer impede Pando's recovery: Implications for aspen resilience from a single-genotype forest. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203619. [PMID: 30332420 PMCID: PMC6192553 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspen ecosystems (upland Populus-dominated forests) support diverse species assemblages in many parts of the northern hemisphere, yet are imperiled by common stressors. Extended drought, fire suppression, human development, and chronic herbivory serve to limit the sustainability of this keystone species. Here we assess conditions at a renowned quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) grove—purportedly the largest living organism on earth—with ramifications for aspen biogeography globally. The “Pando” clone is 43 ha and estimated to contain 47,000 genetically identical aspen ramets. This iconic forest is threatened in particular by herbivory, and current management activities aim to reverse the potential for type conversion, likely to a non-forest state. We set out to gauge agents affecting recent deterioration through a network of monitoring plots and by examining a chronosequence of historic aerial photos to better understand the timing of putative departure from a sustainable course. Sixty-five permanent forest monitoring plots were located in three management regimes existing within Pando: no fencing, fencing with active and passive treatments, fencing with passive-only treatment. At each sample plot we measured live and dead mature trees, stem recruitment and regeneration, forest and shrub cover, browse level, and feces counts as a surrogate for ungulate presence. Ordination results indicate that aspen regeneration was the strongest indicator of overall forest conditions at Pando, and that mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) presence strongly impacts successful regeneration. Additionally, fencing with active/passive treatments yielded the most robust regeneration levels; however, a fence penetrable by ungulates in the passive-only treatment most likely played a role in this outcome. The aerial photo sequence depicts various human intrusions over the past seven decades, but perhaps most telling, a decline in self-replacement beginning 30–40 years ago. Aspen communities in many locations in North American and Europe are impacted by unchecked herbivory. The Pando clone presents a unique opportunity for understanding browse mechanisms in a forest where tree genotype, closely aligned with growth and chemical defense, is uniform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul C. Rogers
- Western Aspen Alliance, Wildland Resources Department, and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Darren J. McAvoy
- Forestry Extension and Wildland Resources Department, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
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8
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Ostfeld JK, Keesing F. Impacts of large mammals on movements of the pouched mouse (
Saccostomus mearnsi
) in central Kenya. Afr J Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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Coggan NV, Hayward MW, Gibb H. A global database and "state of the field" review of research into ecosystem engineering by land animals. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:974-994. [PMID: 29488217 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers have been widely studied for terrestrial systems, but global trends in research encompassing the range of taxa and functions have not previously been synthesised. We reviewed contemporary understanding of engineer fauna in terrestrial habitats and assessed the methods used to document patterns and processes, asking: (a) which species act as ecosystem engineers and with whom do they interact? (b) What are the impacts of ecosystem engineers in terrestrial habitats and how are they distributed? (c) What are the primary methods used to examine engineer effects and how have these developed over time? We considered the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in knowledge related to each of these questions and suggested a conceptual framework to delineate "significant impacts" of engineering interactions for all terrestrial animals. We collected peer-reviewed publications examining ecosystem engineer impacts and created a database of engineer species to assess experimental approaches and any additional covariates that influenced the magnitude of engineer impacts. One hundred and twenty-two species from 28 orders were identified as ecosystem engineers, performing five ecological functions. Burrowing mammals were the most researched group (27%). Half of all studies occurred in dry/arid habitats. Mensurative studies comparing sites with and without engineers (80%) were more common than manipulative studies (20%). These provided a broad framework for predicting engineer impacts upon abundance and species diversity. However, the roles of confounding factors, processes driving these patterns and the consequences of experimentally adjusting variables, such as engineer density, have been neglected. True spatial and temporal replication has also been limited, particularly for emerging studies of engineer reintroductions. Climate change and habitat modification will challenge the roles that engineers play in regulating ecosystems, and these will become important avenues for future research. We recommend future studies include simulation of engineer effects and experimental manipulation of engineer densities to determine the potential for ecological cascades through trophic and engineering pathways due to functional decline. We also recommend improving knowledge of long-term engineering effects and replication of engineer reintroductions across landscapes to better understand how large-scale ecological gradients alter the magnitude of engineering impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole V Coggan
- Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC., Australia
| | - Matthew W Hayward
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Subiaco East, W.A., Australia.,School of the Environment, Bangor University, Wales, UK
| | - Heloise Gibb
- Department of Zoology, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC., Australia
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10
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Harris NC, Garshong RA, Gray M. Distinct isotopic signatures reveal effect of ecoregion on small mammals of Ghana. J Mammal 2018; 99:117-123. [PMID: 29674787 PMCID: PMC5901091 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Species reside in dynamic environments, simultaneously experiencing variations in climatic conditions, habitat availability and quality, interspecific interactions, and anthropogenic pressures. We investigated variation in foraging ecology of the small mammal community between land-use classifications (i.e., protected national parks and unprotected lands abutting them) in Mole National Park (MNP) and Digya National Park (DNP), representing distinct ecoregions of Ghana. In 5,064 trap nights, we sampled 153 individuals of 23 species within the 2 national parks and adjacent lands outside protected boundaries to describe variation in community composition. We also used δ13 C and δ15 N isotopic ratios from fresh feces to determine main effects and interactions between land use and ecoregion on trophic structure in species and communities of small mammals. Small mammals exhibited distinct community assemblages between ecoregions (i.e., national parks): Gerbilliscus guineae, Hybomys trivirgatus, Malacomys edwardsi, Lemniscomys bellieri, L. zebra, and Taterillus gracilis were only captured in the dry savanna ecoregion of MNP. Additionally, isotopic signatures for nitrogen were significantly lower in MNP (2.83 ± 0.17‰) compared to DNP (4.97 ± 0.33‰), indicating that small mammals occupied different trophic levels between ecoregions. The most common species, Praomys daltoni exhibited variation in isotopic signatures between ecoregions and land use, with higher δ15 N found within MNP boundaries. We found no distinction in δ13 C at the community or species level within or across protected areas. Ultimately, understanding shifts in the ecology of species can inform predictions about community structure and ecosystem function under future environmental and anthropogenic scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nyeema C Harris
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Reuben A Garshong
- Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, Legon- Accra, Ghana
| | - Morgan Gray
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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11
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Allen BL, Allen LR, Andrén H, Ballard G, Boitani L, Engeman RM, Fleming PJ, Ford AT, Haswell PM, Kowalczyk R, Linnell JD, David Mech L, Parker DM. Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science? FOOD WEBS 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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12
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Lecomte X, Caldeira MC, Bugalho MN, Fedriani JM. Combined effects of deer, mice and insect seed predation on the reproductive success of a Mediterranean shrub. Basic Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2017.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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13
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Long RA, Wambua A, Goheen JR, Palmer TM, Pringle RM. Climatic variation modulates the indirect effects of large herbivores on small-mammal habitat use. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:739-748. [PMID: 28342277 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Large mammalian herbivores (LMH) strongly shape the composition and architecture of plant communities. A growing literature shows that negative direct effects of LMH on vegetation frequently propagate to suppress the abundance of smaller consumers. Indirect effects of LMH on the behaviour of these consumers, however, have received comparatively little attention despite their potential ecological significance. We sought to understand (i) how LMH indirectly shape small-mammal habitat use by altering the density and distribution of understorey plants; (ii) how these effects vary with climatic context (here, seasonality in rainfall); and (iii) the extent to which behavioural responses of small mammals are contingent upon small-mammal density. We tested the effects of a diverse LMH community on small-mammal habitat use using 4 years of spatially explicit small-mammal trapping and vegetation data from the UHURU Experiment, a replicated set of LMH exclosures in semi-arid Kenyan savanna. Small-mammal habitat use was positively associated with tree density and negatively associated with bare (unvegetated) patches in all plots and seasons. In the presence of LMH, and especially during the dry season, small mammals consistently selected tree cover and avoided bare patches. In contrast, when LMH were excluded, small mammals were weakly associated with tree cover and did not avoid bare patches as strongly. These behavioural responses of small mammals were largely unaffected by changes in small-mammal density associated with LMH exclusion. Our results show that LMH indirectly affect small-mammal behaviour, and that these effects are influenced by climate and can arise via density-independent mechanisms. This raises the possibility that anthropogenic LMH declines might interact with changing patterns of rainfall to alter small-mammal distribution and behaviour, independent of numerical responses by small mammals to these perturbations. For example, increased rainfall in East Africa (as predicted in many recent climate-model simulations) may relax constraints on small-mammal distribution where LMH are rare or absent, whereas increased aridity and/or drought frequency may tighten them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Long
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Alois Wambua
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya
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14
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Roberson EJ, Chips MJ, Carson WP, Rooney TP. Deer herbivory reduces web-building spider abundance by simplifying forest vegetation structure. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2538. [PMID: 27703868 PMCID: PMC5047144 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Indirect ecological effects are a common feature of ecological systems, arising when one species affects interactions among two or more other species. We examined how browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) indirectly affected the abundance and composition of a web-building spider guild through their effects on the structure of the ground and shrub layers of northern hardwood forests. We examined paired plots consisting of deer-free and control plots in the Allegheny Plateau region Pennsylvania and Northern Highlands region of Wisconsin. We recorded the abundance of seven types of webs, each corresponding to a family of web-building spiders. We quantified vegetation structure and habitat suitability for the spiders by computing a web scaffold availability index (WSAI) at 0.5 m and 1.0 m above the ground. At Northern Highlands sites, we recorded prey availability. Spider webs were twice as abundant in deer-free plots compared to control plots, while WSAI was 7–12 times greater in deerfree plots. Prey availability was lower in deer-free plots. With the exception of funnel web-builders, all spider web types were significantly more abundant in deer-free plots. Both deer exclusion and the geographic region of plots were significant predictors of spider community structure. In closed canopy forests with high browsing pressure, the low density of tree saplings and shrubs provides few locations for web-building spiders to anchor webs. Recruitment of these spiders may become coupled with forest disturbance events that increase tree and shrub recruitment. By modifying habitat structure, deer appear to indirectly modify arthropod food web interactions. As deer populations have increased in eastern North America over the past several decades, the effects of deer on web-building spiders may be widespread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Roberson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
| | - Michael J Chips
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Pittsburgh Sewer and Water Authority, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Walter P Carson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Thomas P Rooney
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, United States
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15
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Campos CM, Campos VE, Miguel F, Cona MI. Management of Protected Areas and Its Effect on an Ecosystem Function: Removal of Prosopis flexuosa Seeds by Mammals in Argentinian Drylands. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162551. [PMID: 27655222 PMCID: PMC5031424 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological function of animal seed dispersal depends on species interactions and can be affected by drivers such as the management interventions applied to protected areas. This study was conducted in two protected areas in the Monte Desert: a fenced reserve with grazing exclusion and absence of large native mammals (the Man and Biosphere Ñacuñán Reserve; FR) and an unfenced reserve with low densities of large native and domestic animals (Ischigualasto Park; UFR). The study focuses on Prosopis flexuosa seed removal by different functional mammal groups: "seed predators", "scatter-hoarders", and "opportunistic frugivores". Under both interventions, the relative contribution to seed removal by different functional mammal groups was assessed, as well as how these groups respond to habitat heterogeneity (i.e. vegetation structure) at different spatial scales. Camera traps were used to identify mammal species removing P. flexuosa seeds and to quantify seed removal; remote sensing data helped analyze habitat heterogeneity. In the FR, the major fruit removers were a seed predator (Graomys griseoflavus) and a scatter-hoarder (Microcavia asutralis). In the UFR, the main seed removers were the opportunistic frugivores (Lycalopex griseus and Dolichotis patagonum), who removed more seeds than the seed predator in the FR. The FR shows higher habitat homogeneity than the UFR, and functional groups respond differently to habitat heterogeneity at different spatial scales. In the FR, because large herbivores are locally extinct (e.g. Lama guanicoe) and domestic herbivores are excluded, important functions of large herbivores are missing, such as the maintenance of habitat heterogeneity, which provides habitats for medium-sized opportunistic frugivores with consequent improvement of quality and quantity of seed dispersal services. In the UFR, with low densities of large herbivores, probably one important ecosystem function this group performs is to increase habitat heterogeneity, allowing for the activity of medium-sized mammals who, behaving as opportunistic frugivores, did the most significant seed removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M. Campos
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (UNCuyo- Gobierno de Mendoza-CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina
- * E-mail:
| | - Valeria E. Campos
- Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y la Biosfera (UNSJ- CONICET), Interacciones Biológicas del Desierto (INTERBIODES), San Juan, Argentina
| | - Florencia Miguel
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (UNCuyo- Gobierno de Mendoza-CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Mónica I. Cona
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas (UNCuyo- Gobierno de Mendoza-CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina
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16
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Herder MD, Helle S, Niemelä P, Henttonen H, Helle T. Large Herbivore Grazing Limits Small-Mammal Densities in Finnish Lapland. ANN ZOOL FENN 2016. [DOI: 10.5735/086.053.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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17
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Zeng ZG, Bi JH, Li SR, Wang Y, Robbins TR, Chen SY, Du WG. Habitat Alteration Influences a Desert Steppe Lizard Community: Implications of Species-Specific Preferences and Performance. HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS 2016. [DOI: 10.1655/herpmonographs-d-14-00008.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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18
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LI G, HOU X, WAN X, ZHANG Z. Sheep grazing causes shift in sex ratio and cohort structure of Brandt's vole: Implication of their adaptation to food shortage. Integr Zool 2016; 11:76-84. [DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Guoliang LI
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management; Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
- College of Life Science; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
| | - Xianglei HOU
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management; Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
- College of Life Science; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
| | - Xinrong WAN
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management; Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
| | - Zhibin ZHANG
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management; Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
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Successive sheep grazing reduces population density of Brandt’s voles in steppe grassland by altering food resources: a large manipulative experiment. Oecologia 2015; 180:149-59. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3455-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Veblen KE, Nehring KC, McGlone CM, Ritchie ME. Contrasting effects of different mammalian herbivores on sagebrush plant communities. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118016. [PMID: 25671428 PMCID: PMC4324772 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivory by both grazing and browsing ungulates shapes the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems worldwide, and both types of herbivory have been implicated in major ecosystem state changes. Despite the ecological consequences of differences in diets and feeding habits among herbivores, studies that experimentally distinguish effects of grazing from spatially co-occurring, but temporally segregated browsing are extremely rare. Here we use a set of long-term exclosures in northern Utah, USA, to determine how domestic grazers vs. wild ungulate herbivores (including browsers and mixed feeders) affect sagebrush-dominated plant communities that historically covered ~62 million ha in North America. We sampled plant community properties and found that after 22 years grazing and browsing elicited perceptible changes in overall plant community composition and distinct responses by individual plant species. In the woody layer of the plant community, release from winter and spring wild ungulate herbivory increased densities of larger Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata, ssp. wyomingensis) at the expense of small sagebrush, while disturbance associated with either cattle or wild ungulate activity alone was sufficient to increase bare ground and reduce cover of biological soil crusts. The perennial bunchgrass, bottlebrush squirretail (Elymus elymoides), responded positively to release from summer cattle grazing, and in turn appeared to competitively suppress another more grazing tolerant perennial grass, Sandberg's blue grass (Poa secunda). Grazing by domestic cattle also was associated with increased non-native species biomass. Together, these results illustrate that ungulate herbivory has not caused sagebrush plant communities to undergo dramatic state shifts; however clear, herbivore-driven shifts are evident. In a dry, perennial-dominated system where plant community changes can occur very slowly, our results provide insights into potential long-term trajectories of these plant communities under different large herbivore regimes. Our results can be used to guide long-term management strategies for sagebrush systems and improve habitat for endemic wildlife species such as sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kari E. Veblen
- Ecology Center and Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Kyle C. Nehring
- Ecology Center and Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Christopher M. McGlone
- USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Mark E. Ritchie
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States of America
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Romero GQ, Gonçalves-Souza T, Vieira C, Koricheva J. Ecosystem engineering effects on species diversity across ecosystems: a meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:877-90. [PMID: 25174581 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Revised: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem engineering is increasingly recognized as a relevant ecological driver of diversity and community composition. Although engineering impacts on the biota can vary from negative to positive, and from trivial to enormous, patterns and causes of variation in the magnitude of engineering effects across ecosystems and engineer types remain largely unknown. To elucidate the above patterns, we conducted a meta-analysis of 122 studies which explored effects of animal ecosystem engineers on species richness of other organisms in the community. The analysis revealed that the overall effect of ecosystem engineers on diversity is positive and corresponds to a 25% increase in species richness, indicating that ecosystem engineering is a facilitative process globally. Engineering effects were stronger in the tropics than at higher latitudes, likely because new or modified habitats provided by engineers in the tropics may help minimize competition and predation pressures on resident species. Within aquatic environments, engineering impacts were stronger in marine ecosystems (rocky shores) than in streams. In terrestrial ecosystems, engineers displayed stronger positive effects in arid environments (e.g. deserts). Ecosystem engineers that create new habitats or microhabitats had stronger effects than those that modify habitats or cause bioturbation. Invertebrate engineers and those with lower engineering persistence (<1 year) affected species richness more than vertebrate engineers which persisted for >1 year. Invertebrate species richness was particularly responsive to engineering impacts. This study is the first attempt to build an integrative framework of engineering effects on species diversity; it highlights the importance of considering latitude, habitat, engineering functional group, taxon and persistence of their effects in future theoretical and empirical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Q Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Camila Vieira
- Graduate Course in Ecology, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julia Koricheva
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, U.K
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire N. Foster
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Philip S. Barton
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the National Environmental Research Program Environmental Decisions Hub; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions and the National Environmental Research Program Environmental Decisions Hub; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
- The Long-term Ecological Research Network; The Australian National University; Canberra ACT Australia
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Oro D, Genovart M, Tavecchia G, Fowler MS, Martínez-Abraín A. Ecological and evolutionary implications of food subsidies from humans. Ecol Lett 2013; 16:1501-14. [PMID: 24134225 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 336] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Revised: 07/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Human activities are the main current driver of global change. From hunter-gatherers through to Neolithic societies-and particularly in contemporary industrialised countries-humans have (voluntarily or involuntarily) provided other animals with food, often with a high spatio-temporal predictability. Nowadays, as much as 30-40% of all food produced in Earth is wasted. We argue here that predictable anthropogenic food subsidies (PAFS) provided historically by humans to animals has shaped many communities and ecosystems as we see them nowadays. PAFS improve individual fitness triggering population increases of opportunistic species, which may affect communities, food webs and ecosystems by altering processes such as competition, predator-prey interactions and nutrient transfer between biotopes and ecosystems. We also show that PAFS decrease temporal population variability, increase resilience of opportunistic species and reduce community diversity. Recent environmental policies, such as the regulation of dumps or the ban of fishing discards, constitute natural experiments that should improve our understanding of the role of food supply in a range of ecological and evolutionary processes at the ecosystem level. Comparison of subsidised and non-subsidised ecosystems can help predict changes in diversity and the related ecosystem services that have suffered the impact of other global change agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Oro
- Population Ecology Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, 07190, Spain
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