Conservation biology of the Pyrenean larkspur (Delphinium montanum): a case of conflict of plant versus animal conservation?

Simon, Joan; Bosch, María; Molero, Julià; Blanché, Cèsar

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(00)00169-5

Cited by 27 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The idea that conservation focused on one species, elephants, for example, may be to the detriment of other species of importance is not new (e.g. Simon et al 2001;Gadd 2002;Roemer and Wayne 2003;Gangoso et al 2005), and the resolution of such conXicts may require innovative strategies. The increased bird diversity we found in 4-ha experimental units from which megaherbivores had been excluded indicates that elephant-free zones could be relatively small and still serve as bird refugia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of large herbivorous mammals on bird diversity and abundance in an African savanna

et al. 2008

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Large native mammals are declining dramatically in abundance across Africa, with strong impacts on both plant and animal community dynamics. However, the net eVects of this large-scale loss in megafauna are poorly understood because responses by several ecologically important groups have not been assessed. We used a largescale, replicated exclusion experiment in Kenya to investigate the impacts of diVerent guilds of native and domestic large herbivores on the diversity and abundance of birds over a 2-year period. The exclusion of large herbivorous native mammals, including zebras (Equus burchelli), giraVes (GiraVa camelopardalis), elephants (Loxodonta africana), and buValos (Syncerus caVer), increased the diversity of birds by 30%. Most of this eVect was attributable to the absence of elephants and giraVes; these megaherbivores reduced both the canopy area of subdominant woody vegetation and the biomass of ground-dwelling arthropods, and both of these factors were good predictors of the diversity of birds. The canopy area of subdominant trees was positively correlated with the diversity of granivorous birds. The biomass of ground-dwelling arthropods was positively correlated with the diversity of insectivorous birds. Our results suggest that most native large herbivores are compatible with an abundant and diverse bird fauna, as are cattle if they are at a relatively low stocking rate. Future research should focus on determining the spatial arrangements and densities of megaherbivores that will optimize both megaherbivore abundance and bird diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of large herbivorous mammals on bird diversity and abundance in an African savanna

et al. 2008

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“…D. montanum is a forb up to 70 cm in height, with blue flowers showing a spur which contains nectar. Its pollination is entomophilous and the breeding system is basically outcrossing (Simon et al ., 2001). It grows in rocky places, such as mobile or fixed screes, over calcareous substrates, at altitudes between 1600 and 2400 m. Currently, this species is restricted to seven locations of the ten originally described, four on the French side of the Pyrenees and three within Spain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low genetic diversity and allozymic evidence for autopolyploidy in the tetraploid Pyrenean endemic larkspur Delphinium montanum (Ranunculaceae)

López‐Pujol

Orellana

Bosch

et al. 2007

Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society

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Allozyme electrophoresis was conducted to survey the levels and distribution of genetic diversity in the tetraploid perennial larkspur Delphinium montanum (Ranunculaceae), which is endemic to the eastern Pyrenees of Spain and France and considered to be endangered. Seven populations were sampled, resolving 14 putative enzymatic loci belonging to eight enzymes. Banding patterns stained in gels revealed several enzymatic duplications attributable to autotetraploidy, such as the presence of both balanced and unbalanced heterozygotes and the lack of fixed heterozygosity. However, variability in D. montanum (P = 23.8%, A = 1.48, and He = 0.082) was lower than that expected for an autotetraploid species. This, in addition to the scarcity of loci showing three or four different alleles, could indicate that this species has suffered genetic erosion through population bottlenecks, or, alternatively, that it is undergoing diploidization.

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“…To understand the precise nature of limitations on reproductive success, it is thus essential to jointly evaluate the respective roles of herbivory and pollination (Strauss and Armbruster 1997;Herrera et al 2002). However, most studies of rare plant species have focused on either herbivory (Bevill et al 1999;Lord and Kelly 1999;Fletcher et al 2001;Simon et al 2001) or pollination (Robertson et al 1998;Ke´ry et al 2000) and few studies have compared the relative impact of these two factors on maternal reproductive success of closely related rare and widespread species (Gaston and Kunin 1997;Kunin 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limitations on reproductive success in endemic Aquilegia viscosa (Ranunculaceae) relative to its widespread congener Aquilegia vulgaris: the interplay of herbivory and pollination

2004

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Plant reproduction can be strongly affected by herbivory and different features of pollination ecology, such as pollinator visitation rates and capacity for self-pollination. The purpose of this study is to compare the relative impact of herbivory and pollination on maternal reproductive success in endemic Aquilegia viscosa and its widespread congener Aquilegia vulgaris. We conducted herbivore exclusion experiments in two populations of each species in 2 different years and showed that the maternal fertility of A. viscosa was significantly more limited by floral predation and pre-dispersal seed predation than its widespread congener. In the absence of herbivory, A. viscosa retained significantly lower maternal fertility than A. vulgaris. Experimental pollinations in an insect-free glasshouse showed that the two species have an equal seed/ovule ratio both in the absence of pollinators and in the presence of non-limiting outcross pollination. Pollinator visitation rates were significantly higher in populations of A. vulgaris than in populations of A. viscosa. In addition, path analyses showed that spur length, an important trait for pollinator attraction in Aquilegia, and, indirectly sepal and petal width, contribute positively to the seed/ovule ratio in A. vulgaris, but not in A. viscosa. These results indicate that maternal fertility of endemic A. viscosa is strongly reduced by flower and seed predation despite low rates of pollinator visitation, and that pollen or resource limitation in the wild may further reduce maternal fertility. Finally, floral trait variation appears to be decoupled from fertility variation in endemic A. viscosa, which possibly constrains the evolution of reproductive traits in this species.

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Conservation biology of the Pyrenean larkspur (Delphinium montanum): a case of conflict of plant versus animal conservation?

Cited by 27 publications

References 19 publications

Impacts of large herbivorous mammals on bird diversity and abundance in an African savanna

Impacts of large herbivorous mammals on bird diversity and abundance in an African savanna

Low genetic diversity and allozymic evidence for autopolyploidy in the tetraploid Pyrenean endemic larkspur Delphinium montanum (Ranunculaceae)

Limitations on reproductive success in endemic Aquilegia viscosa (Ranunculaceae) relative to its widespread congener Aquilegia vulgaris: the interplay of herbivory and pollination

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