Ecological engineers’ nests benefit plant recovery following fire in a semiarid grassland, New Mexico, USA
Ecological engineers’ nests benefit plant recovery following fire in a semiarid grassland, New Mexico, USA
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美国新墨西哥州半干旱草原火灾后，生态工程师的巢穴有利于植物恢复
DOI：
10.1111/jvs.12755
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发表时间：
2019
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Overbeck, Gerhard
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Nicolai, Nancy;Overbeck, Gerhard
蚂蚁和啮齿动物被公认为全球生态系统工程师，它们创造了改良土壤的巢穴和拥有上级资源的相邻边缘。在火烧和未火烧生境中，鼠和蚂蚁对巢和边缘的影响在功能群的覆盖度、密度、花序数和物种数上是相似的。我们假设一年生和多年生双子叶植物在鼠斑上的恢复速度比在燃烧过的草地上快，双子叶植物和草在蚂蚁斑上的恢复速度比在燃烧过的草地上快，一年生双子叶植物在鼠斑上的恢复速度比在蚂蚁斑上快，而草在蚂蚁斑上的恢复速度比在鼠斑上快。火灾后两年，在凉爽和温暖的季节，在80个巢穴中燃烧和未燃烧的地块中的草和亚灌木。数据收集在巢顶（土墩），边缘，20米（对照）从edge.ResultsCover，密度和物种丰富度的不同功能组低动物土丘在未烧毁和烧毁的情节。蚂蚁边缘有更大的多年生双子叶植物覆盖，草覆盖和丰富度，而大鼠边缘有较低的草密度和丰富度比对照网站在未烧毁和烧毁的地块。多年生双子叶植物密度和丰富度恢复更快的鼠土丘和边缘比控制。蚂蚁边缘产生更快的恢复草花序比对照。双子叶植物恢复更快的大鼠比蚂蚁土丘，而草生长更快的蚂蚁edge.ConclusionsRats创建巢提高密度的恢复双子叶植物和蚂蚁边缘有利于恢复草的繁殖。当火灾减少草竞争时，动物巢和草地之间的相等更新普遍发生。Dysochory，granivory和火灾强度可能会影响恢复。巢可能是重建和种子传播的来源。草地的恢复可能会被放大，因为植物填充从工程巢。
QuestionsAnts and rodents are recognized as ecosystem engineers worldwide creating soil‐modified nests and adjacent edges with superior resources. The influence ofDipodomys spectabilis(rat) andPogonomyrmex rugosus(ant) on nests and edges would be similar in burned and unburned habitat on functional groups’ cover, density, number of inflorescences and species number. We hypothesize that annual and perennial dicots would recover faster on rat patches than on burned grassland, dicots and grasses would recover faster on ant patches than on burned grassland, and annual dicots would recover faster on rat than on ant patches, whereas grasses would recover faster on ant than on rat patches.LocationSemiarid grassland, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA.MethodsWe analyzed annual and perennial dicots, grasses and subshrubs in burned and unburned plots at 80 nests during cool‐ and warm‐seasons two years post‐fire. Data were collected at nest top (mound), edge, and 20 m (control) from the edge.ResultsCover, density and species richness of different functional groups were low on animal mounds in unburned and burned plots. Ant edges had greater perennial dicot cover, grass cover and richness while rat edges had lower grass density and richness than control sites at unburned and burned plots. Perennial dicot density and richness recovered faster at rat mounds and edges than control. Ant edges yielded faster recovery of grass inflorescences than control. Dicots recovered faster on rat than ant mounds whereas grasses grew faster on ant edges.ConclusionsRats create nests enhancing density of recovering dicots and ant edges facilitate reproduction of recovering grasses. Equal regeneration between animal nests and grassland occurred commonly when fire reduced grass competition. Dysochory, granivory and fire intensity may influence recovery. Nests may be sources of reestablishment and seed dispersal. Recovery of grassland may be amplified as plants infill from engineered nests.