DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2016.01.035
Scopus记录号: 2-s2.0-84957552522
论文题名: Impact of introduced herbivores on understory vegetation along a regional moisture gradient in Patagonian beech forests
作者: Piazza M.-V. ; Garibaldi L.A. ; Kitzberger T. ; Chaneton E.J.
刊名: Forest Ecology and Management
ISSN: 0378-1127
出版年: 2016
卷: 366 起始页码: 11
结束页码: 22
语种: 英语
英文关键词: Disturbance
; Domestic ungulates
; Functional types
; Herbivory
; Species diversity
Scopus关键词: Agriculture
; Animals
; Biodiversity
; Economic and social effects
; Ecosystems
; Moisture
; Vegetation
; Conservation priorities
; Disturbance
; Domestic ungulates
; Environmental gradient
; Functional types
; Herbivory
; Precipitation gradients
; Understory communities
; Forestry
; Animalia
; Bos
; Bos taurus
; Fagus
; Nothofagus dombeyi
; Ungulata
英文摘要: Introduced ungulates can alter understory structure and composition posing a serious threat to forest biodiversity. Yet how large-herbivore impacts in forested regions vary along major environmental gradients remains little explored. If ungulate effects shift with habitat conditions, then management could be tailored to protect most vulnerable forests. We tested the hypothesis that the extent of livestock impact on understory vegetation increases with habitat moisture across Nothofagus dombeyi forests in Nahuel Huapi National Park, NW Patagonia, Argentina. Understory composition and species diversity were compared for paired sites (N = 5), which were historically used by cattle or remained free of livestock for more than 50 yr, and were located along a regional precipitation gradient (1500-2800 mm/yr). Long-term cattle presence reduced the cover of sub-canopy trees, shrubs and bamboo by 57-83%, and increased the relative cover of ground-layer herbs, regardless of habitat moisture. Livestock effects on species composition increased towards the wettest forests, which contained more species exclusive to either browsed or unbrowsed sites. Livestock presence increased species richness (α diversity) and within-site heterogeneity (β diversity) in some locations, but mostly reduced species evenness (30%) throughout the moisture gradient. Species turnover at the gradient scale was lower across browsed sites than for livestock-free sites. Our results indicate that the historical presence of domestic cattle induced region-wide changes in understory communities, highlighting the vulnerable nature of the local flora to ungulate disturbance. The greater impact of livestock browsing on the species composition of wetter forests was consistent with the role of plant growth-defence trade-offs along resource gradients. We suggest that the erosion of understory vegetation attributed to domestic herbivores in Patagonian beech forests can be mitigated by adjusting current animal stocks, while moister forests should be given the highest conservation priority. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/65011
Appears in Collections: 影响、适应和脆弱性
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作者单位: IFEVA-CONICET and Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Grupo de Investigación en Agroecología (AGRECO), Sede Andina, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro and CONICET, Mitre 630, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina; Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA-CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, Bariloche, Argentina
Recommended Citation:
Piazza M.-V.,Garibaldi L.A.,Kitzberger T.,et al. Impact of introduced herbivores on understory vegetation along a regional moisture gradient in Patagonian beech forests[J]. Forest Ecology and Management,2016-01-01,366