Granivores, exclosures, and seed banks: harvester ants and rodents in sagebrush-steppe

Anderson, C. A.; MacMahon, James A.

doi:10.1006/jare.2000.0781

Cited by 40 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Seed removal by ants and birds correlated with seed rain, but rodent consumptions correlated with seed bank. Both results are consistent with the different foraging behaviour among taxa; ants and birds forage almost exclusively on the surface seeds (Anderson & MacMahon 2001, Crist & MacMahon 1992 whereas rodents may collect buried seeds (Hulme 1994). Hence, we conclude that birds and ants have an even more limited spectrum of available food resources during the dry season than rodents do.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Granivory, seed dynamics and suitability of the seed-dish technique for granivory estimations in a neotropical savanna

et al. 2006

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Spatial and seasonal patterns of seed removal by rodents, ants and birds were evaluated using seed-dish experiments in a Trachypogon savanna in Venezuela. Four-day experiments were conducted on three dates and at four different sites. Seeds from 10 native plant species representing a broad mass range were offered at densities equivalent to 3145 seeds m−2. We found that total seed removal and relative importance of granivorous groups varied widely among sites and dates. Rodents were the major seed predators in all the habitats, except for the savanna/forest border where birds dominated. Ants removed more seeds than birds, but since they preferred the smallest seeds, ants ranked last in mass removed. We found a temporally variable relationship between seed removal rates and seed rain or seed bank. We inferred monthly seed predation from seed-dish experiments as well as through the decline of the seed bank in the environment during the dry season, and compared both estimations to evaluate the suitability of the seed-dish technique for estimating granivory. We initially hypothesized that seed-dish experiments that emulate seed availability more closely may yield a better estimate of seed predation, but in fact, they may still overestimate granivory intensity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Granivory, seed dynamics and suitability of the seed-dish technique for granivory estimations in a neotropical savanna

et al. 2006

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“…Vegetation change has been attributed to the foraging activities of harvester ants (MacMahon et al, 2000;Anderson and MacMahon, 2001), and in undisturbed and compacted areas, large ant populations in combination with accumulated litter had the greatest impact on annual seed densities in our study. The most common harvester ant species, M. pergandei, appears to be adept at inhabiting compacted sites such as unpaved road beds (Todd C. Esque, personnel observation), and coarse textured soils may encourage M. pergandei nesting and foraging activity (Johnson, 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Areas with active nests provide favorable growth and reproductive conditions for some prolific annual plant species (Rissing, 1986;Esque, 2004), and we did observe enhanced growth of C. angustifolia, S. barbatus and E. cicutarium on inactive or abandoned ant nests during this study. Depletion of seeds commonly occurs on or within 1 m of ant nests (Anderson and MacMahon, 2001). Yet the positive relationship between annual seed densities and ant nests is not solely explained by seed deposition at the nest because the nests occurred on average >7 m from our seed bank sampling plots.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed banks in a degraded desert shrubland: Influence of soil surface condition and harvester ant activity on seed abundance

DeFalco

Esque

Kane

et al. 2009

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Seed limitation has been attributed to seed loss resulting from predation by granivores, such as rodents (Rodentia) and ants (Formicidae), especially in arid and semiarid ecosystems (Anderson and MacMahon 2001;Hulme 1998;Orrock et al 2003). Suitable microsites, including availability of soil water needed for seed germination, is a significant factor in the colonization process of a disturbed ecosystem (Bochet et al 2007).…”

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confidence: 99%

Evaluating Restoration Methods across a Range of Plant Communities Dominated by Invasive Annual Grasses to Native Perennial Grasses

Nyamai

Prather

Wallace

2011

Invasive plant sci. manag.

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Prairies are imperiled habitats, with remnants being generally small and often existing in isolation. Invasive plants have the potential to invade not just the edge of small remnants but also the interior because smaller remnants experience greater edge effects than do large, contiguous prairies. Additionally, invasive plants limit recruitment of native plants, which can arrest secondary succession. We proposed to assess techniques for restoration that included removing annual grasses and supplementing native species recruitment with seeding of native grass and forb species. We also assessed the effect of specific factors affecting recruitment: soil moisture and seed predation. Treatments included broadcast, spot, or no application of the herbicides imazapic and glyphosate and with or without seeding plus mulch. With treatments nested within each of three plant communities, ranging from annual- to perennial-dominated communities, in four blocks per community, plant characteristics (percentage of cover and plant density), soil moisture availability, and seed-predation losses were measured along a plant community gradient within one season at two locations. A combination of broadcast herbicide application and seeding with mulching was found to be more effective in reducing annual grasses and enhancing the establishment of native grass species in predominately annual and mixed communities (annuals and perennials). Spot herbicide application was effective in predominately perennial communities, whereas only seeding native species did not improve recruitment. Although seed predation reduced seedling recruitment, mulch provided seed protection and enhanced soil moisture retention. Plant community response to imposed treatments differed among communities, suggesting that a decision support tool would facilitate management decisions tailored for each plant community. The decision tool would be useful to ensure that appropriate treatments are applied and that specific factors affecting recruitment, such as seed predation and soil moisture, are addressed.

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Granivores, exclosures, and seed banks: harvester ants and rodents in sagebrush-steppe

Cited by 40 publications

References 43 publications

Granivory, seed dynamics and suitability of the seed-dish technique for granivory estimations in a neotropical savanna

Granivory, seed dynamics and suitability of the seed-dish technique for granivory estimations in a neotropical savanna

Seed banks in a degraded desert shrubland: Influence of soil surface condition and harvester ant activity on seed abundance

Evaluating Restoration Methods across a Range of Plant Communities Dominated by Invasive Annual Grasses to Native Perennial Grasses

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