Porcupine diggings as a unique ecological system in a desert environment

Gutterman, Yitzchak; Golan, Tzahi; Garsani, M.

doi:10.1007/bf00317352

Cited by 51 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…There, not only has the digging effect of such as the porcupine (Hystrix indica) been well quantified (e.g. Gutterman et al, 1990) but also the "recovery attributes" of the dug-over and/or removed soil (e.g. Gutterman, 1988); this latter is very important in determining the longerterm impacts of digging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animals as Erosion Agents in the Alpine Zone: Some Data and Observations from Canada, Lesotho, and Tibet

Hall

Boelhouwers

Driscoll

1999

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Animals can exert a very strong impact on erosion and sediment transport in the alpine. Although the alpine is recognized for its abundance of animals, animalsoil erosion interactions have been poorly studied. Animals exert a direct influence through their burrowing and digging for food and also indirectly by opening the ground to climatic and geomorphic influences, e.g. rain splash, needle ice, and wind erosion. It is this synergy that is important for alpine erosion. Because the alpine zone is subject to freezing, frost action, and snow melt, exposed sediments and/or the availability of drainage through burrows can have a marked effect on sediment transport and slopes. On the steeper, less stable alpine slopes, the effects of loading can cause failure that produces arcuate slip scars, the exposed faces of which can also be exploited by geomorphic processes. In an attempt to study the effect of animals in the alpine zone, measurements of burrowing and digging based on quadrats (5 m X 5 m) along several transects were made in the alpine zone of the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Results indicated an average of 0.0243 m" 25 m ? sediment displaced due to digging by rodents and a conservative estimation of sediment removal by rodents varying between 600 and 0.6408 m' km? yr-I • Grizzly bears exerted the greatest erosional impact with as much as 0.4958 m ' 25 m ? being measu.ed, Observations (and limited measurements) relating to the impact of animals on the landscape were also obtained from Lesotho and Tibet. These preliminary findings are presented in an attempt to exemplify the various and interrelated effects of animals, climate and geomorphic process for the alpine. It is suggested that significantly more studies are urgently needed as the situation may be exacerbated by climatic warming and/or by the expansion of pastoralism resulting from attempts at sustainable development in developing nations. The impact of animals is an unquantified factor in many development studies, in geomorphic studies in polar or high altitude environments, and in management plans for national parks or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. through logging).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animals as Erosion Agents in the Alpine Zone: Some Data and Observations from Canada, Lesotho, and Tibet

Hall

Boelhouwers

Driscoll

1999

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…Together with badgers (Platt, 1975), kangaroo rats (Guo, 1996;Hawkins, 1996;Anderson & Kay, 1999), porcupines (Gutterman et al, 1990;Alkon, 1999), ibex (Gutterman, 1997) and feral pigs (Kotaman, 1995), rabbits are known to move considerable volumes of soil during excavation of their warrens (Volslamber & Veen, 1985;Rutin, 1992). Surprisingly however, apart from a few references, there is little mention of this in the literature (Rutin, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

The impact of warrens of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on soil and ecological processes in a semi-arid Australian woodland

Eldridge¹,

Myers²

2001

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Porcupine diggings in the Negev Desert have been shown to trap runoff, the primary factor limiting plant productivity (Gutterman et al 1990), thereby increasing annual plant productivity (Boeken et al 1995). Both patch types are colonized by a similar set of species, reflecting a common regional species pool.…”

Section: Generality Of Our Conceptual Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Effects of Ecosystem Engineers on Patch-Scale Species Richness From Primary Productivity

Wright

Jones

2004

Ecology

136

141

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Abstract. Ecosystem engineering-the physical modification of habitats by organisms-can create patches with altered species richness relative to adjacent, unmodified patches. The effect of ecosystem engineering on patch-scale species richness is likely to be difficult to predict from the identity of the engineer, the resources altered as a result of engineering, or the identities of the affected species. Here we develop a simple conceptual model that predicts the effects of ecosystem engineers on species richness based on how the habitat modifications caused by engineers affect primary productivity, assuming a humpshaped relationship between productivity and species richness. We review data from 35 studies that contained 60 comparisons of species richness on patches that had been modified by ecosystem engineers vs. unmodified patches. We found no general patterns in whether species richness at the patch scale was increased or decreased by ecosystem engineering. However, 14 of these studies also contained data on primary productivity on and off engineered patches, giving 30 cases to: (1) test whether the effects of ecosystem engineering on richness depend upon the productivity of the ecosystem, and (2) examine the effect of the engineer on productivity. Matching the predictions of the conceptual model, we found a significant negative relationship between productivity and the engineering effect on species richness when ecosystem engineers increased productivity and a weak positive relationship when engineers decreased productivity. We compare the conceptual model developed here to models predicting the effects of grazing and facilitation on species richness. These results, if supported by further studies, can contribute to our general understanding of ecosystem engineering and have important implications regarding the consequences of the loss or introduction of ecosystem engineers on species richness and ecosystem function across landscapes that vary in productivity.

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Porcupine diggings as a unique ecological system in a desert environment

Cited by 51 publications

References 8 publications

Animals as Erosion Agents in the Alpine Zone: Some Data and Observations from Canada, Lesotho, and Tibet

Animals as Erosion Agents in the Alpine Zone: Some Data and Observations from Canada, Lesotho, and Tibet

The impact of warrens of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on soil and ecological processes in a semi-arid Australian woodland

Predicting Effects of Ecosystem Engineers on Patch-Scale Species Richness From Primary Productivity

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