Biotic resistance in a stochastic world: Do rodents act as a filter to alien tree invasion in pampean old fields?

Muschetto, Emiliano; Chaneton, Enrique J.; Mazía, Noemí; Tripodi, Mariel Alejandra; Busch, María

doi:10.1111/1440-1703.12318

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 85 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Where available niche space exists, biotic resistance can prevent or slow establishment of new species through competition for resources or via direct predation from resident animals (Levine et al 2004;Ulloa et al 2023). Herbivory has been shown to be equivalent to the effects of competition in resisting invasive plant encroachment (Levine et al 2004;Santamaría et al 2021), and similarly granivory (seed predation) is seen as a major pathway of biotic resistance (Lopez and Terborgh 2007;Pearson et al 2011Pearson et al , 2012Preukschas et al 2014;Moyano et al 2019b;Muschetto et al 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The enemy of my enemy… Exotic mammals present biotic resistance against invasive alien conifers

Carlin,

Paul,

Dudenhoeffer

et al. 2024

Biol Invasions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plant invasions are a widespread and recurring phenomenon that cause significant economic and environmental damage. Invasive alien conifers are weeds that are not only costly to manage, but consistently reinvade after management efforts. Understanding how many seeds survive to germinate is a key part in understanding the weed life cycle puzzle. Here we investigated the contribution that seed predators have on reducing invasive alien conifer seed survival across both invaded and uninvaded habitats in Aotearoa New Zealand. We combined quantitative and qualitative experiments to measure seed predation across invaded and uninvaded habitats, as well as to identify which fauna are the most prolific seed predators. We utilised ex-situ empirical evidence with in-situ observations to provide realistic impacts from different seed predator species. We found that introduced mammals, particularly rodents, were the primary seed predators of invasive conifers. Seed predation pressure was highest in herbicide treated invasive alien conifer forests, indigenous beech forests, and managed pasture containing grazing livestock. Indigenous tussock areas support fewer vertebrate seed predators and as a result are particularly vulnerable to conifer invasion. The majority of seed predation occurs within the first two weeks post-dispersal. These results suggest that introduced mammal control operations, which are essential to protect endemic New Zealand species, will likely result in increasing invasive conifer populations by reducing seed predation pressure. Seed predation varies greatly between habitats, suggesting invasion and reinvasion rates are higher in ungrazed areas of lower forest density that support fewer introduced mammals.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The enemy of my enemy… Exotic mammals present biotic resistance against invasive alien conifers

Carlin,

Paul,

Dudenhoeffer

et al. 2024

Biol Invasions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Granivory, as any biotic interaction, can be modulated by the ecological setting in which plant-animal encounters occur. In particular, the structure of the vegetation can affect post-dispersal predation rates leading to high spatial variability in the community of recruits (Germain et al 2013), including the establishment of exotic species (as observed in Muschetto et al 2022). Lack of antipredatory cover (e.g., shrubs) can reduce the activity of rodents (García, Zamora, and Amico 2011; Kollmann and Buschor 2003) limiting the probability of seed encounter (Hulme 1994;Wang 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Native and exotic species post - dispersal seed predation: a community scale approach

Campagna¹,

Barberá²,

Morán‐López³

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seed predation is one of the most important biotic filters that determines whether an exotic species can become part of the community. Rodents are generalist seed consumers whose feeding preferences can affect the exotic species recruitment. Their foraging decisions are often modulated by seed traits, abundance, and the environmental context in which rodents encounter seeds. Besides, the consumption preference for exotic seeds may depend on how different they are from natives. We evaluated the combined effect of species-specific seed size, their relative abundance, and vegetation structure on predation rates of native and exotic plant species in a Patagonian forest, where two species of contrasting seed sizes are naturalized (Prunus cerasus and Rubus ideaeus). We performed a cafeteria experiment in which we offered seeds of native and exotic species in paired plots located in microhabitats with shrub cover or open. In plots located under shrub cover seed predation rates were 2.3 times higher than in open areas. Feeding preferences of rodents were driven by seed size, selecting seeds of intermediate sizes. As result, they strongly avoided large exotic Prunus seeds, but consumed intermediate Rubus seeds at similar rates to natives. Thereby, in our system, size is a strong modulator of post-dispersal predation of exotic seeds and rarity does not confer any advantage to exotics. Low predation rates in open areas suggest that they could be regeneration foci for all species. Future work quantifying recruitment across microhabitats will allow to evaluate if patterns here found have an imprint in the seedling community.

show abstract

“…Granivory, as any biotic interaction, can be modulated by the ecological setting in which plant-animal encounters occur. In particular, the structure of the vegetation can affect post-dispersal predation rates leading to high spatial variability in the community of recruits (Germain et al 2013), including the establishment of exotic species (as observed in Muschetto et al 2022). Areas with low or lack of vegetation cover (e.g., shrubs) can reduce the activity of rodents (García, Zamora, and Amico 2011; Kollmann and Buschor 2003), limiting the probability of seed encounter (Hulme 1994;Wang 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unusually large invasive seeds are spared by rodents in a Patagonian forest

Campagna,

Barberá,

Morales

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seed predation by rodents can act as a barrier, limiting the establishment of exotic species. Predation rates of exotic seeds may depend on their attractiveness, determined by their traits and how different they are from natives. Additionally, at the naturalization stage of the invasion process, exotic seeds may escape post-dispersal predation because they are uncommon in the community. To test these ideas, we assessed granivory in a Patagonian forest, where two species with contrasting seed sizes are naturalized. Rubus idaeus seeds are of similar size to native species, whereas Prunus cerasus seeds are four times larger. The relative abundance of their seeds within the landscape is low compared to native seeds. Throughout the fruiting season, we offered seeds from all species present in the community (native and exotics), whenever they were available in the landscape. To consider the effects of vegetation structure on rodent foraging behavior, we offered seeds in areas with or without understory cover. Seed size affected the probability of removal, with rodents preferentially foraging on those of intermediate sizes. Consequently, they strongly avoided large Prunus seeds, but removed Rubus seeds at similar rates to natives. Contrary to our expectations, seed abundance did not affect predation, and hence, rarity did not confer an advantage to exotic seeds. The presence of shrub cover increased 2.3 times the removal rates compared to open areas. Concluding, the dissimilarity in seed size compared to native species and the presence of shrub cover influenced the predation pressure on exotic species within our community.

show abstract

Biotic resistance in a stochastic world: Do rodents act as a filter to alien tree invasion in pampean old fields?

Cited by 5 publications

References 85 publications

The enemy of my enemy… Exotic mammals present biotic resistance against invasive alien conifers

The enemy of my enemy… Exotic mammals present biotic resistance against invasive alien conifers

Native and exotic species post - dispersal seed predation: a community scale approach

Unusually large invasive seeds are spared by rodents in a Patagonian forest

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About