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Vaz PG, Bugalho MN, Fedriani JM. Grazing hinders seed dispersal during crop failure in a declining oak woodland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:167835. [PMID: 37839490 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167835] [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: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Masting, the synchronized production of variable quantities of seeds, is a global phenomenon in diverse ecosystems, including treed grazing systems where trees and grazing animals coexist. This phenomenon can be interspersed with years of extreme crop failure, whose frequency and unpredictability are increasing. Yet, the combined impact of crop failure and grazing on seed dispersal and seed-to-seedling transition remains poorly understood. To address this concern, we investigated rodent-mediated cork-oak (Quercus suber) acorn predation, dispersal, and seedling emergence in cattle grazed and non-grazed areas in central Portugal during years with contrasting masting seasons. We found that the acorns supplied in the crop failure year were dispersed more rapidly and over longer distances than those supplied in the crop success year when other acorns were naturally available. The crop failure year also had 83 % more dispersal events and 84 % more predated acorns than the reproductive success year. However, the higher acorn predation was offset by a 2.4-fold higher percentage of unpredated dispersed acorns recruiting into seedlings. Both years ended up recruiting a similar number of seedlings. Acorns emerged seedlings 3.4 times farther in the crop failure year than in the crop success year. Cattle grazing was the main constraint on seed dispersal distance by rodents, reducing it by 53 %. Our study provides empirical evidence that cattle grazing modulates how an extreme crop failure year can surprisingly be an opportunity for the few existing acorns to have seedlings established farther apart than in a crop success year. If we are to better manage and preserve the high conservation and socio-economic value of Mediterranean cork oak woodlands in the face of climate change, we must prioritize fecund trees and carefully manage seed dispersal factors such as cattle grazing, particularly during years of crop failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G Vaz
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE, Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, C2, Piso 5, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jose M Fedriani
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación CIDE, CSIC-UVEG-GV, Carretera de Moncada a Náquera, km 4.5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain; Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), c/Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain
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Pen-Mouratov S, Dayan T. Seasonal fluctuations attenuate stimulatory or inhibitory impacts of colonial birds on abundance, structure and diversity of soil biota. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1080625. [PMID: 37206328 PMCID: PMC10191211 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1080625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Soil microorganisms and free-living nematodes were investigated in association with the nesting and roosting habitats of the following piscivorous and omnivorous colonial birds: black kite (Milvus migrans), great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and little egret (Egretta garzetta), in Israel's Mediterranean region. Abiotic variables, abundance, trophic structure, sex ratio and genus diversity of soil free-living nematodes, and total abundance of bacteria and fungi, were measured during the wet season, following our previous study conducted during the dry season. The observed soil properties were important drivers of soil biota structure. Presence of the most efficient elements for soil organisms, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, was strongly dependent on the diet of the compared piscivorous and omnivorous bird colonies; levels of these nutrients were notably higher in the bird habitats than in their respective control sites during the study period. Ecological indices showed that the different species of colonial birds can have different (stimulatory or inhibitory) impacts on abundance and diversity of the soil biota, affecting the structure of the soil free-living nematode population at the generic, trophic and sexual levels during the wet season. A comparison with results from the dry season illustrated that seasonal fluctuations can change, and even attenuate the effect of bird activity on the abundance, structure and diversity of the soil communities.
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Kittipalawattanapol K, Jones ME, Barmuta LA, Bain G. Assessing the value of restoration plantings for wildlife in a temperate agricultural landscape. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania 7005 Australia
| | - Leon A. Barmuta
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania 7005 Australia
| | - Glen Bain
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania 7005 Australia
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How Does the Engineering Species Affect Forest Ecosystems? Changes in Germination and Development Rate of Non-Forest Species Under the Nests of Ardea cinerea L. EKOLÓGIA (BRATISLAVA) 2020. [DOI: 10.2478/eko-2020-0019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
An ecosystem engineer is a species that indirectly changes the availability of resources for other organisms via physical modification of the habitat. A good example of such species is Ardea cinerea L. – a big waterbird that forms colonies up to a few hundreds of nests during the breeding season. The colonies modify the habitat in the close vicinity of the nests mainly through heavy input of organic matter (feces, dropped or regurgitated food leftovers, eggshells, dead birds, etc.), which in turn affects vegetation. In our previous study, we observed that the probability of occurrence of non-forest species under the nests was 29.5 times higher in control plots in two types of forest vegetation (oligotrophic pine forest and riparian mixed forest). Adaptation for long-distance dispersal turned out to be insignificant for the probability of species occurrence, which suggested that the diaspores of those species must have been present in the forest soil before the establishment of the grey heron colony. In the present study, we used the seedling emergence method to compare the structure of the soil seed bank in breeding sites and control plots in two forest ecosystems mentioned above. We also tested whether the increased amount of nitrates in soil had a positive effect on the rate of germination and growth of seedlings. The results have shown that some reservoir of ruderal species was indeed present in the control plots, although their amount was higher under the heronries. We have proved that the number of germinating seeds of ruderal species depends on the concentration of nitrate in the soil of the pine forest. Comparison of the dry weight of 30- and 60-day-old seedlings of Rumex acetosella (pine forest) and Betula pendula (riparian forest) from the control and breeding sites showed an increased size of seedlings coming from the breeding sites of both forest communities.
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Vaz PG, Bugalho MN, Fedriani JM, Branco M, Lecomte X, Nogueira C, Caldeira MC. Unravelling associations between tree-seedling performance, herbivory, competition, and facilitation in high nature value farmlands. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 232:1066-1074. [PMID: 33395758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Herbivory, plant facilitation, and competition have complex impacts on tree regeneration which are seldom investigated together. Grazing exclosure experiments have allowed quantification of the effects of large herbivores on tree regeneration dynamics but have often ignored the effect of herbivorous insects. We experimentally tested how folivory (percentage of leaf damaged by insects) and microenvironment (tree canopy cover and herbs) jointly alter performance (growth and survival) of seedlings of two dominant Mediterranean oak-species within ungulate exclosures in a 3-year field study. An agroforestry system dominated by cork oak (Quercus suber) and holm oak (Q. rotundifolia) was assessed in south-east Portugal. We aimed also to determine whether the two oak species differed in the interdependences between folivory, microenvironment, covaring factors, and seedling performance. Unexpectedly, under the low-moderate insect defoliation, growth and survival of cork and holm oak seedlings were positively associated with herbivore damage. Herb removal increased oak folivory by 1.4 times. Herb removal was also positively associated with growth, directly and indirectly through its negative effect on oak folivory. Tree canopy favored insect folivory upon cork oak seedlings directly and upon holm oak indirectly via decreasing light availability. Folivory was threefold greater upon cork than upon holm oak-seedlings. Our study shows that tree canopy, herbs, and covarying factors can affect cork and holm oak-seedling performances through complex pathways, which markedly differ for the two species. The combined effect of insect herbivory and positive and negative plant-plant interactions need to be integrated into future tree regeneration efforts toward tackling the regeneration crisis of oak agroforestry systems of the Mediterranean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G Vaz
- Centre of Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Centre of Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - José M Fedriani
- Centre of Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal; Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), c/Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Manuela Branco
- Forest Research Centre (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Xavier Lecomte
- Forest Research Centre (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carla Nogueira
- Forest Research Centre (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria C Caldeira
- Forest Research Centre (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal
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Fedriani JM, Garrote PJ, Calvo G, Delibes M, Castilla AR, Żywiec M. Combined effects of seed provenance, plant facilitation and restoration site on revegetation success. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jose M. Fedriani
- Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”/InBioInstitute Superior of AgronomyUniversity of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) Seville Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación CIDECSIC‐UVEG‐GVCarretera de Moncada a Náquera Moncada (Valencia) Spain
| | - Pedro J. Garrote
- Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”/InBioInstitute Superior of AgronomyUniversity of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
| | - Gemma Calvo
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) Seville Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) Seville Spain
| | - Antonio R. Castilla
- Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”/InBioInstitute Superior of AgronomyUniversity of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) Seville Spain
| | - Magdalena Żywiec
- Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”/InBioInstitute Superior of AgronomyUniversity of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
- W. Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of Sciences Krakow Poland
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Fedriani JM, Wiegand T, Ayllón D, Palomares F, Suárez-Esteban A, Grimm V. Assisting seed dispersers to restore oldfields: An individual-based model of the interactions among badgers, foxes and Iberian pear trees. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jose M. Fedriani
- Department of Ecological Modelling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ; Leipzig Germany
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD - C.S.I.C.); Seville Spain
- Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”/InBio; Institute of Agronomy; University of Lisbon; Lisboa Portugal
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Department of Ecological Modelling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ; Leipzig Germany
| | - Daniel Ayllón
- Department of Ecological Modelling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ; Leipzig Germany
| | | | - Alberto Suárez-Esteban
- Department of Renewable Resources; University of Alberta; Edmonton Canada
- Yukon College; Whitehorse YT Canada
| | - Volker Grimm
- Department of Ecological Modelling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ; Leipzig Germany
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