Physical Ecosystem Engineers as Agents of Biogeochemical Heterogeneity

Gutiérrez, Jorge L.; Jones, Clive G.

doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2006)056[0227:peeaao]2.0.co;2

Cited by 130 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…De esta manera, la actividad de establecimiento de los nidos de S. geminata, que pueden llegar hasta 1.5 m de profundidad (Perfecto & Vandermeer 1996), podría resultar beneficiosa tanto para la diversidad de la micro y macro fauna del suelo, como para los procesos biogeoquímicos del suelo, ya que mediante la remoción de suelo, se pueden afectar las condiciones abióticas como temperatura, humedad, disponibilidad de oxígeno y flujo de materiales que pueden a su vez promover el desarrollo de microorganismos que favorecen procesos como el ciclo del nitrógeno y del carbono (Gutierrez & Jones 2006).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…En este sentido las hormigas juegan un papel como ingenieros del ecosistema (Folgarait 1998, Jones et al 1994 influenciando procesos biogeoquímicos que pueden afectar la disponibilidad de recursos, los flujos de materiales, las condiciones de humedad y temperatura del suelo, que afectan a otros organismos y procesos del sistema (Gutierrez & Jones 2006, Huhta 2007, da Silva et al 2009). Las hormigas además son bioindicadores de disturbio debido a su alta diversidad y abundancia, a la variedad de nichos que ocupan, a su rápida respuesta a cambios ambientales y a su identificación relativamente fácil, pudiendo ser útiles en la evaluación de respuestas bióticas frente a prácticas agrícolas como la fertilización, la fumigación y las quemas (Folgarait 1998, Graham et al 2008, Peck et al 1998.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

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Efecto del uso de suelo en las hormigas (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) de Tikinmul, Campeche, México

Chanatásig-Vaca

Lwanga

Fernández

et al. 2011

AZM

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. 2011. Efecto del uso de suelo en las hormigas (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) de Tikinmul, Campeche, México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana (n. s.), 27(2): 441-461. RESUMEN. Se comparó el efecto del uso de suelo sobre la mirmecofauna del ejido de Tikinmul, Campeche, México. El estudio se llevó a cabo en monocultivos de cedro y huertos caseros, durante la época seca y lluviosa. Para la colecta de especies se utilizó el método Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility (TS-BF) modificado para sistemas agroforestales. Se encontraron un total de 37 morfoespecies, de las cuales nueve son exclusivas de cada uno de los dos sistemas, mientras 19 están presentes en ambos. Se observa una similitud (Sörensen) de 60.4% entre sistemas y 68% entre épocas. La subfamilia Myrmicinae con 8 géneros y 17 especies fue la mejor representada en el estudio. Solenopsis geminata y Dorymyrmex sp. fueron especies dominantes e indicadoras del monocultivo. La densidad de hormigas fue más alta en los monocultivos. No se encontró relación directa de la intensidad de manejo con la riqueza de especies. La cantidad de hojarasca se muestra como el factor determinante de abundancia de las hormigas. Los agroquímicos afectan de manera indirecta a sus poblaciones. Palabras clave: agroecosistemas, riqueza de especies, mirmecofauna.

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Section: Discussionunclassified

Section: Introductionunclassified

Efecto del uso de suelo en las hormigas (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) de Tikinmul, Campeche, México

Chanatásig-Vaca

Lwanga

Fernández

et al. 2011

AZM

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“…Subtle changes in shallow-water estuarine geomorphology create a complex landscape mosaic with multiple habitat types in a narrow elevation range (Fagherazzi et al 2006). Physical and biological characteristics of these habitats vary and have been demonstrated to affect sediment properties and biogeochemical cycling (Gutierrez and Jones 2006, Eyre and Maher 2010, Eyre et al 2010b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat-specific distinctions in estuarine denitrification affect both ecosystem function and services

2011

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Abstract. Resource limitation controls the base of food webs in many aquatic ecosystems. In coastal ecosystems, nitrogen (N) has been found to be the predominant limiting factor for primary producers. Due to the important role nitrogen plays in determining ecosystem function, understanding the processes that modulate its availability is critical. Shallow-water estuarine systems are highly heterogeneous. In temperate estuaries, multiple habitat types can exist in close proximity to one another, their distribution controlled primarily by physical energy, tidal elevation and geomorphology. Distinctions between these habitats such as rates of primary productivity and sediment characteristics likely affect material processing. We used membrane inlet mass spectrometry to measure changes in N 2 flux (referred to here as denitrification) in multiple shallow-water estuarine habitats through an annual cycle. We found significantly higher rates of denitrification (DNF) in structured habitats such as submerged aquatic vegetation, salt marshes and oyster reefs than in intertidal and subtidal flats. Seasonal patterns were also observed, with higher DNF rates occurring in the warmer seasons. Additionally, there was an interaction between habitat type and season that we attributed to the seasonal patterns of enhanced productivity in individual habitat types. There was a strong correlation between denitrification and sediment oxygen demand (SOD) in all habitats and all seasons, suggesting the potential to utilize SOD to predict DNF. Denitrification efficiency was also higher in the structured habitats than in the flats. Nitrogen removal by these habitats was found to be an important contributor to estuarine ecosystem function. The ecosystem service of DNF in each habitat was evaluated in US dollars using rates from a regional nutrient-offset market to determine the cost to replace N through management efforts. Habitat-specific values of N removal ranged from approximately three thousand U.S. dollars per acre per year in the submerged aquatic vegetation to approximately four hundred U.S. dollars per acre per year in the subtidal flat. Because of the link between habitat type and processes such as DNF, changes in habitat area and distribution will have consequences for both ecosystem function and the delivery of ecosystem services.

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“…Litter moderates evaporative loss of soil moisture and reduces the formation of physical soil crusts by reducing raindrop impact on the surface (Stavi et al, 2009). Enhanced soil moisture and greater litter production beneath woody canopies lead to greater microbial activity and the accumulation of organic matter (Gutiérrez and Jones, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of infiltration vary with disturbance in a shrub-encroached woodland

Daryanto

Eldridge²,

Wang

2013

Geomorphology

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Woody plant encroachment is known to have substantial effects on a range of ecosystem processes. Research worldwide indicates that the area around shrubs and trees has higher levels of infiltration than the interspaces. Little is known, however, about the hydrological consequences of shrub removal on infiltration, and how this might be influenced by grazing. We examined the spatial patterns of infiltration across three treatments relating to shrub removal and grazing: (i) undisturbed (ungrazed, unploughed), (ii) grazed but unploughed, and (iii) grazed and ploughed. In general we found that disturbance was associated with a greater cover of bare soil but lower infiltrability, our laboratory-based measure of infiltration. At the undisturbed site, bare soil was patchy and localized, with an autocorrelation range or connectivity of 1.4 m. The autocorrelation range of infiltrability at this site (A0 = 3 m) was larger than would be predicted from the size of the shrub canopy, and this was attributed to the presence of a well-developed understorey layer and biological soil crust community. At both grazed sites, infiltration was confined to the immediate canopy area of the remaining shrubs (A0 = 1.2 m in the unploughed-grazed site). Additionally, there was increasing connectivity of bare soil with disturbance, up to 6.8 m at the ploughed-grazed site. With increasing disturbance, resource-rich shrub patches are likely to become more developed, further reinforcing their growth and persistence at the expense of the bare interspaces. Our results indicate the importance of shrubs for maintaining landscape connectivity, and the long-term unsustainable practice of removal by ploughing, which is likely to promote shrub dominance rather than suppression.

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Physical Ecosystem Engineers as Agents of Biogeochemical Heterogeneity

Abstract: Physical ecosystem engineers are organisms that physically modify the abiotic environment. They can affect biogeochemical processing by changing the availability of resources for microbes (e.g., carbon, nutrients)

Cited by 130 publications

References 53 publications

Efecto del uso de suelo en las hormigas (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) de Tikinmul, Campeche, México

Efecto del uso de suelo en las hormigas (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) de Tikinmul, Campeche, México

Habitat-specific distinctions in estuarine denitrification affect both ecosystem function and services

Spatial patterns of infiltration vary with disturbance in a shrub-encroached woodland

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