How landscape modulators function: woody plant impact on seed dispersal and abiotic filtering

Gabay, Ofri; Perevolotsky, Avi; Shachak, Moshe

doi:10.1007/s11258-012-0033-5

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…On the other hand, a shorter distance to the nearest woodland patch resulted in a lower vegetation cover of EMS patches, which conformed to our predictions. This pattern matched the negative effect of woodland proximity on the presence of competitive species in EMS patches, both being probably, but not necessarily exclusively, related to the filtering effect of tree canopies in relation to the amount of propagules that were able to disperse across them (Gabay et al 2012).…”

Section: Species Richness and Relative Cover Sum In Ems Patchessupporting

confidence: 66%

Proximity to successionally advanced vegetation patches can make all the difference to plant community assembly

Roman

Gafta

2013

Plant Ecology & Diversity

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Background: We hypothesised that the relative position of surrounding vegetation patches would account for most floristic patterns observed in patches of exposed gold mine spoil (EMS) scattered over a 60-year-old, abandoned waste heap. Aims: We assessed the extent to which the structure of plant species assemblages from 53 EMS patches was related to distance from woodlands, heathlands and grasslands by controlling for the effect of spatial autocorrelation, patch size, slope and aspect. Results: The most discrepant in terms of species composition were the EMS patches located farthest away from heathlands and those embedded in woodlands. Zoochorous species richness declined with distance from the nearest heathland. Anemochorous, competitive-stress tolerant and total species richness increased with proximity to the nearest woodland. Conversely, competitive species richness and total species cover were larger in EMS patches that were farther away from the nearest woodland, but closer to grasslands. Depending on the identity of colonising species, the woodland stands could act as propagule source, ecological filters or seed dispersal amplifiers. Conclusion: The relative importance of proximity to source habitats for plant community assembly can change dramatically under the confounding or contrasting effects of 'third-party' habitat patches, which are interposed in the landscape.

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Section: Species Richness and Relative Cover Sum In Ems Patchessupporting

confidence: 66%

Proximity to successionally advanced vegetation patches can make all the difference to plant community assembly

Roman

Gafta

2013

Plant Ecology & Diversity

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“…In ungrazed sites, woody vegetation is expected to expand, subsequently reducing the area available for herbaceous species, and hindering the movement of seeds between open patches (Gabay et al. ). In these sites turnover might be driven by a decrease in species richness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, species turnover may be mostly driven by temporal changes in precipitation patterns, demographic stochasticity and increased rates of seed dispersal between open patches via the movement of herbivores. In ungrazed sites, woody vegetation is expected to expand, subsequently reducing the area available for herbaceous species, and hindering the movement of seeds between open patches (Gabay et al 2012). In these sites turnover might be driven by a decrease in species richness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing and temporal turnover in herbaceous communities in a Mediterranean landscape

Bar‐Massada

Hadar

2016

J Vegetation Science

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Question What are the direct and indirect effects of cattle grazing on temporal turnover in Mediterranean herbaceous communities, and are there differences between species (taxonomic) and functional turnover rates? Are turnover rates related to changes in precipitation patterns? Location The long term ecological research (LTER) station, Ramat Hanadiv Nature Park, Israel. Methods We used data from a Mediterranean LTER site to analyse temporal turnover in herbaceous communities under cattle grazing and control conditions, while accounting for the potential effects of precipitation and woody cover. We analysed two types of temporal turnover: taxonomic turnover (changes in species composition) and turnover in functional traits (changes in the relative abundance of species with different functional traits). Results We found that communities exhibited rapid taxonomic turnover between sampling years, which was mostly explained by changes in precipitation patterns. Furthermore, there was a strong and consistent directional trend in taxonomic turnover (21% per decade) throughout the study period, which was correlated with a long‐term trend of decreasing precipitation. This trend, however, was not significantly explained by grazing, woody cover change or their interaction. Grazing did have a significant effect on short‐term turnover rates, but its effects varied in both direction and magnitude among sites located in different habitats. Temporal turnover in functional traits was much slower than taxonomic turnover, and was also inconsistent among traits and sites. Grazing reduced the bi‐annual turnover rates in the composition of different life forms, and reduced the decadal turnover rate in the composition of different height groups in the community. Conclusions The results of this analysis suggest that the effect of cattle grazing on the temporal dynamics of herbaceous communities in Mediterranean ecosystems is habitat‐ and trait‐specific, and unrelated to changes in woody cover. In contrast, inter‐annual changes in precipitation patterns have a much stronger effect on turnover rates. The relationship between temporal species turnover and precipitation in these communities is therefore in line with modern co‐existence theory, by which fluctuating environmental conditions facilitate long‐term species co‐existence.

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“…Modeling suggests that ecosystem engineers can even cause increases in their own rate of spread because of their ability to alter habitat structure [5]. They may also decrease movement, as in the case of shrubs in Mediterranean woodland that act as a physical obstacle to seed dispersal and thereby affect herbaceous plant communities [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of an Ecosystem Engineer on Belowground Movement of Microarthropods

2013

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Ecosystem engineers affect other species by changing physical environments. Such changes may influence movement of organisms, particularly belowground where soil permeability can restrict dispersal. We investigated whether earthworms, iconic ecosystem engineers, influence microarthropod movement. Our experiment tested whether movement is affected by tunnels (i.e., burrows), earthworm excreta (mucus, castings), or earthworms themselves. Earthworm burrows form tunnel networks that may facilitate movement. This effect may be enhanced by excreta, which could provide resources for microarthropods moving along the network. Earthworms may also promote movement via phoresy. Conversely, negative effects could occur if earthworms alter predator-prey relationships or change competitive interactions between microarthropods. We used microcosms consisting of a box connecting a “source” container in which microarthropods were present and a “destination” container filled with autoclaved soil. Treatments were set up within the boxes, which also contained autoclaved soil, as follows: 1) control with no burrows; 2) artificial burrows with no excreta; 3) abandoned burrows with excreta but no earthworms; and 4) earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) present in burrows. Half of the replicates were sampled once after eight days, while the other half were sampled repeatedly to examine movement over time. Rather than performing classical pairwise comparisons to test our hypotheses, we used AICc to assess support for three competing models (presence of tunnels, excreta, and earthworms). More individuals of Collembola, Mesostigmata, and all microarthropods together dispersed when tunnels were present. Models that included excreta and earthworms were less well supported. Total numbers of dispersing Oribatida and Prostigmata+Astigmata were not well explained by any models tested. Further research is needed to examine the impact of soil structure and ecosystem engineering on movement belowground, as the substantial increase in movement of some microarthropods when corridors were present suggests these factors can strongly affect colonization and community assembly.

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How landscape modulators function: woody plant impact on seed dispersal and abiotic filtering

Cited by 15 publications

References 41 publications

Proximity to successionally advanced vegetation patches can make all the difference to plant community assembly

Proximity to successionally advanced vegetation patches can make all the difference to plant community assembly

Grazing and temporal turnover in herbaceous communities in a Mediterranean landscape

Effects of an Ecosystem Engineer on Belowground Movement of Microarthropods

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