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Aszalósné Balogh R, Farkas E, Tüdősné Budai J, Lőkös L, Matus G. Cryptogamic Biomass in Pannonic Acidic Sand Steppes Subject to Changing Land-Use. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2972. [PMID: 37631183 PMCID: PMC10458599 DOI: 10.3390/plants12162972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Cryptogams, often neglected in vegetation dynamics studies, compose a large part of biomass and contribute to the biodiversity of sandy grasslands. Since the work of Verseghy (1970s), their productivity has not been analyzed in Hungary. We studied the lichen and bryophyte dynamics (hereinafter called cryptogams) at two Eastern Hungarian dry sandy grassland sites. The sites of Corynephorus canescens and of Festuca vaginata dominance, respectively, belonging to the community Festuco vaginatae-Corynephoretum have been monitored. We aimed at (1) quantifying the diversity and biomass of the cryptogamic communities; (2) exploring the cryptogamic response to management changes; and (3) studying the effect of experimental management (fencing) on the cryptogamic assemblages. The sites have been compared in 2013 and 2018, respectively. Forty microplots per site per management have been analyzed in both years. Samples of lichens and bryophytes were hand-sorted, dried and then measured. Fencing has led to increased biomass of cryptogams within a few years. Lichens in general benefited comparatively more from exclosure than bryophytes. The increase in lichen biomass (especially that of Cladonia rangiformis) is clearly due to the over 10-year absence of grazing. The only lichen favored by moderate grazing is the legally protected C. magyarica. Short spells of low-intensity grazing can promote the species richness of cryptogams in the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeka Aszalósné Balogh
- Department of Applied Plant Biology, Institute of Crop Sciences, University of Debrecen, Böszörményi u. 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences & Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - Edit Farkas
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163 Vácrátót, Hungary;
| | - Júlia Tüdősné Budai
- Research Institute of Karcag, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kisújszállási u. 166, 5300 Karcag, Hungary;
| | - László Lőkös
- Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Pf. 137, 1431 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Gábor Matus
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences & Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
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Espunyes J, Serrano E, Chaves S, Bartolomé J, Menaut P, Albanell E, Marchand P, Foulché K, Garel M. Positive effect of spring advance on the diet quality of an alpine herbivore. Integr Zool 2021; 17:78-92. [PMID: 34223702 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Changes in vegetation phenology related to global warming are having alarming effects on the life history traits of many herbivore species. Such changes are particularly critical in alpine ecosystems, where strong climate limitations on plant growth make seasonal synchronization imperative for the growth, reproduction and survival of herbivores. However, despite the pivotal role of resource-use strategies on the performances of such species, few studies have explicitly assessed the mechanistic impact of climate change on their diets. We aimed to fill this gap by studying the effect of spring onset on the dietary composition and quality of a medium-size alpine herbivore while considering density-dependent processes and age- and sex-specific differences in foraging behavior. Using an exceptional, long-term (24 years) direct individual-based dietary monitoring of a Pyrenean chamois population (Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica), we showed that ongoing earlier onsets of spring are leading to an earlier access to high-quality forage and therefore a higher diet quality at a fixed date, without apparent changes in diet composition. We also showed that at high densities, intraspecific competition reduced diet quality by driving animals to feed more on woody plants and less on nutritious forbs and graminoids. By assessing the mechanistic effects of global warming on the dietary patterns of species at the center of trophic networks, this study is an essential step for predictive models aiming at understanding the ongoing ecosystem consequences of the global climatic crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Espunyes
- Wildlife Ecology and Health group (WE&H) i Servei d'Ecopatologia de la Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group (WildCoM), Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Research and Conservation Department, Zoo de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Wildlife Ecology and Health group (WE&H) i Servei d'Ecopatologia de la Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Sara Chaves
- Wildlife Ecology and Health group (WE&H) i Servei d'Ecopatologia de la Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.,Group of Ruminant Research (G2R), Department of Animal and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jordi Bartolomé
- Group of Ruminant Research (G2R), Department of Animal and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Pierre Menaut
- French Agency for Biodiversity, Direction Régionale Occitanie, Service d'Appui aux Acteurs et Mobilisation du Territoire, Villeneuve de Rivière, France
| | - Elena Albanell
- Group of Ruminant Research (G2R), Department of Animal and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Pascal Marchand
- French Agency for Biodiversity, Direction de la Recherche et Appui Scientifique, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, Gières, France
| | - Kévin Foulché
- French Agency for Biodiversity, Direction Régionale Occitanie, Service d'Appui aux Acteurs et Mobilisation du Territoire, Villeneuve de Rivière, France
| | - Mathieu Garel
- French Agency for Biodiversity, Direction de la Recherche et Appui Scientifique, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, Gières, France
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Merrill E, Killeen J, Pettit J, Trottier M, Martin H, Berg J, Bohm H, Eggeman S, Hebblewhite M. Density-Dependent Foraging Behaviors on Sympatric Winter Ranges in a Partially Migratory Elk Population. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
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Ramamonjisoa N, Rakotonoely H, Natuhara Y. Animal or Algal Materials: Food Toughness, Food Concentration, and Competitor Density Influence Food Choice in an Omnivorous Tadpole. HERPETOLOGICA 2016. [DOI: 10.1655/herpetologica-d-15-00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Mysterud A, Austrheim G. The Role of Individual Traits and Environmental Factors for Diet Composition of Sheep. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146217. [PMID: 26731411 PMCID: PMC4701509 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Large herbivore consumption of forage is known to affect vegetation composition and thereby ecosystem functions. It is thus important to understand how diet composition arises as a mixture of individual variation in preferences and environmental drivers of availability, but few studies have quantified both. Based on 10 years of data on diet composition by aid of microhistological analysis for sheep kept at high and low population density, we analysed how both individual traits (sex, age, body mass, litter size) linked to preference and environmental variation (density, climate proxies) linked to forage availability affected proportional intake of herbs (high quality/low availability) and Avenella flexuosa (lower quality/high availability). Environmental factors affecting current forage availability such as population density and seasonal and annual variation in diet had the most marked impact on diet composition. Previous environment of sheep (switch between high and low population density) had no impact on diet, suggesting a comparably minor role of learning for density dependent diet selection. For individual traits, only the difference between lambs and ewes affected proportion of A. flexuosa, while body mass better predicted proportion of herbs in diet. Neither sex, body mass, litter size, ewe age nor mass of ewe affected diet composition of lambs, and there was no effect of age, body mass or litter size on diet composition of ewes. Our study highlights that diet composition arises from a combination of preferences being predicted by lamb and ewes’ age and/or body mass differences, and the immediate environment in terms of population density and proxies for vegetation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
| | - Gunnar Austrheim
- Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Section of Natural History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
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Simard A, Huot J, De Bellefeuille S, Côté SD. Influences of habitat composition, plant phenology, and population density on autumn indices of body condition in a northern white-tailed deer population. WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/wmon.1010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anouk Simard
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
- Ministère du Développement durable; de l'environnement; de la Faune et des Parcs; Direction de l'Expertise sur la faune et ses habitats; 880 Chemin Sainte-Foy Québec QC, Canada G1S 4X4
| | - Jean Huot
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Sonia De Bellefeuille
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Steeve D. Côté
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
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Mysterud A, Austrheim G. Lasting effects of snow accumulation on summer performance of large herbivores in alpine ecosystems may not last. J Anim Ecol 2014; 83:712-9. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Atle Mysterud
- Department of Biosciences; Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); University of Oslo; P.O. Box 1066 Blindern Oslo NO-0316 Norway
| | - Gunnar Austrheim
- Section of Natural History; Museum of Natural History and Archaeology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Trondheim NO-7491 Norway
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Catorci A, Tardella F, Cesaretti S, Bertellotti M, Santolini R. The interplay among grazing history, plant-plant spatial interactions and species traits affects vegetation recovery processes in Patagonian steppe. COMMUNITY ECOL 2012. [DOI: 10.1556/comec.13.2012.2.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Mobaek R, Mysterud A, Holand Ø, Austrheim G. Temporal variation in density dependent body growth of a large herbivore. OIKOS 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.20888.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Age class, density and temporal effects on diet composition of sheep in an alpine ecosystem. Basic Appl Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2012.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Mobaek R, Mysterud A, Loe LE, Holand Ø, Austrheim G. Experimental evidence of density dependent activity pattern of a large herbivore in an alpine ecosystem. OIKOS 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.20286.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Mysterud A, Askilsrud H, Loe LE, Veiberg V. Spatial patterns of accumulated browsing and its relevance for management of red deer Cervus elaphus. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.2981/09-043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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