Small mammal activity alters plant community composition and microbial activity in an old‐field ecosystem

Moorhead, Leigh C.; Souza, Lara; Habeck, Christopher W.; Lindroth, Richard L.; Classen, Aimée T.

doi:10.1002/ecs2.1777

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(107 reference statements)

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“…4, S1 and S2). Previous studies in alpine grassland with traditional continuous grazing showed that high soil respiration occurs in areas of high pika density because excreta deposited by pika in or near their burrows stimulates soil microbial activity 28,40,41 . Additionally, pika frequently haunted in or near active pika holes, which disturbs the soil structure and thus makes organic carbon available to microbial decomposition, leading to an increase in ecosystem CO 2 emission 8,22 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tibetan sheep grazing modifies rodent density and their interactions effect on GHG emissions of alpine meadow

Wang

Yuan

Zhang

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Digging and mound-building by rodents lead to considerable disturbances in the topsoil and may affect plant composition, soil properties. However, little is known about the effects of these activities on GHG emissions, especially under different grazing management. This paper aimed to measure changes in CO2 and CH4 efflux with varying grazing management during the warm and cold seasons and to relate CO2 and CH4 efflux to pika burrow density and zokor mound density with different grazing management. Results of this study showed that CO2 efflux was significantly affected by the grazing season, whereas CH4 efflux was significantly affected by the grazing system. There were significant relationships between GHG efflux and rodent population density which were regulated by grazing management. CO2 efflux increased linearly with rodent density under seasonal continuous grazing in warm season. CO2 and CH4 efflux and rodent population density showed a significant quadratic convex relationship under rotational grazing at 24 SM/ha in warm and cold seasons and rotational grazing at 48 SM/ha in cold season. Under rotational grazing at light stocking rate (24 SM/ha), appropriate populations of rodents were beneficial for decreasing GHG emissions. This results also used to help drive a best-practices model for grazing practices of local herders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tibetan sheep grazing modifies rodent density and their interactions effect on GHG emissions of alpine meadow

Wang

Yuan

Zhang

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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“…Shrews, by contrast, are predominantly foragers at ground level or in subterranean burrows (Churchfield et al, 1991). Experimental studies show that when rodents are excluded from grasslands, aboveground plant biomass increases, litter decomposes slower and graminoids invade plant community over 2-3 year time scales (Howe et al, 2006;Moorhead et al, 2017). In bioelectromagnetic research, small rodents comprise an extensively studied group of vertebrates.…”

Section: Interactions Between Plants and Vertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of bioactive mobile telephony radiation at the level of a plant community – Possible mechanisms and indicators of the effects

Czerwiński

Januszkiewicz

Vian

et al. 2020

Ecological Indicators

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Environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from mobile telephony has rapidly increased in the last two decades and this trend is expected to continue. The effects of this exposure at plant community level are unknown and difficult to assess in a scientifically appropriate manner. Such an assessment can be scientifically adequate if a studied plant community is completely new and control-impact radiation treatment is used. In this review we aimed to predict ecological effects and identify indicators of the impact of bioactive RF-EMFs at the mobile telephony frequency range on plant communities. We considered the scenario where a plant community was exposed to radiation generated by a base transmitting station antenna mounted on a nearby mast. This plant community can be represented by mesic meadow, ruderal or arable weed community, or other herbaceous, moderately productive vegetation type. We concentrated primarily on radiation effects that can be recorded for a year since the exposure started. To predict them we used physical theories of radiowave propagation in vegetation and the knowledge on plants physiological responses to RF-EMF. Our indicators can be used for the detection of the impact of RF-EMFs on vegetation in a control-impact experiment. The identified indicators can be classified into the following groups: (1) canopy parameters; (2) plant characteristics to be measured in the field or laboratory in a number of individuals that represent the populations of selected species; (3) community weighted means/medians (CWMs) of plant traits and strategies; (4) the abundance of other organisms that interact with plants and can influence their fitness or population size. The group of canopy parameters includes mean height, vertical vegetation structure and dry weight of above-ground standing phytomass. Plant characteristics requiring biometric sampling in the field are plant height, the number of fruits and seeds, as well as seed viability. The group of plant traits that are calculated as CWMs covers seed releasing height, seed dispersal mode, SLA, leaf orientation, month of germination and flowering, Ellenberg's light indicator value, and the proportion of individuals in the classes of competitors and stress tolerators according to Grime's CSR strategy scheme. The group of "non-plant" indicators includes primarily the frequency of flower visits by beetles, wasps, hoverflies, and bees that have their nests over ground. To detect ecological responses that occur for the first year since a herbaceous community has been exposed to potentially bioactive RF-EMF, the first two indicators groups should be used.

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“…In grasslands, large domestic herbivores and small native herbivores commonly coexist and play key roles in shaping plant community composition and species diversity (Bakker, Ritchie, Olff, Milchunas, & Knops, 2006;Moorhead, Souza, Habeck, Lindroth, & Classen, 2017). Competition between large and small herbivores is increasingly recognized as a major concern for management and conservation of grasslands world-wide (Augustine & Springer, 2013;Li, Yin, et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary shifts influenced by livestock grazing shape the gut microbiota composition and co‐occurrence networks in a local rodent species

Kohl

et al. 2018

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The collapse of large wild herbivores with replacement of livestock is causing global plant community and diversity shifts, resulting in altered food availability and diet composition of other sympatric small herbivores in grasslands. How diet shifts affect the gut microbiota of small mammals and whether these changes may translate into complex interactions among coexisting herbivores remain largely unknown. We conducted both a field experiment and a laboratory diet manipulation experiment to test whether sheep grazing induces a diet shift and thus alters the gut microbiota of a small rodent species living in grassland. We found that enclosures subjected to grazing were mostly dominated by Stipa krylovii (accounting for 53.6% of the total biomass) and that voles consumed significantly more S. krylovii and less Cleistogenes squarrosa in grazed enclosures. Voles in grazing enclosures exhibited significantly lower abundances of Firmicutes, higher abundances of Bacteroidetes and significantly lower measurements of alpha diversity. The microbiota from voles in the grazed enclosures had a smaller and more simplified co‐occurrence network with relatively higher percentage of positive interactions. Analysis based on dietary clusters indicated that grazing‐induced changes in diet composition contributed to the distinct gut microbial community of voles in enclosures. We verified our findings using laboratory experiments, in which voles were exclusively fed C. squarrosa (high carbohydrate, high fibre and high in secondary compounds), S. krylovii (low carbohydrate, low fibre and low in secondary compounds) or Leymus chinensis (nutritionally intermediate). We observed that the gut microbiota of voles changed with the three different diets, supporting the idea that the effects of sheep grazing on the gut microbiota of Brandt's voles may be related to grazing‐induced diet shifts. Our results highlighted the negative effects of livestock grazing on small mammals in grassland via changes in plant community and gut microbiota of small mammals and help to better understand the cascading consequences of realistic scenarios of world‐wide decline in large wild herbivores.

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Small mammal activity alters plant community composition and microbial activity in an old‐field ecosystem

Cited by 27 publications

References 60 publications

Tibetan sheep grazing modifies rodent density and their interactions effect on GHG emissions of alpine meadow

Tibetan sheep grazing modifies rodent density and their interactions effect on GHG emissions of alpine meadow

The influence of bioactive mobile telephony radiation at the level of a plant community – Possible mechanisms and indicators of the effects

Dietary shifts influenced by livestock grazing shape the gut microbiota composition and co‐occurrence networks in a local rodent species

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