Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals
We assess whether the knowledge of livestock diet helps to link grazing effects with changes in plant cover and soil seed bank size, aiming at inferring the consequences of grazing on seed-eating animals. Specifically, we test whether continuous and heavy grazing reduce the cover, number of reproduc...
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| Acceso en línea: | https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol |
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paper:paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol2023-06-08T16:09:17Z Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals Sagario, María Cecilia Cascade causality Disturbance ecology Livestock diet Seed-eating animals' diet desert ecological impact environmental disturbance food availability granivory grass grazing livestock plant community seed bank seed predation vegetation dynamics Argentina Mendoza Monte Desert We assess whether the knowledge of livestock diet helps to link grazing effects with changes in plant cover and soil seed bank size, aiming at inferring the consequences of grazing on seed-eating animals. Specifically, we test whether continuous and heavy grazing reduce the cover, number of reproductive structures and seed reserves of the same grass species whose seeds are selected and preferred by granivorous animals in the central Monte desert, Argentina. Grass cover and the number of grass spikes usually diminished under grazing conditions in the two localities studied (Telteca and Ñacuñán), and soil seed bank was consistently reduced in all three years evaluated owing to a decline of perennial grass and forb seeds. In particular, the abundance of those seeds selected and preferred by birds and ants (in all cases grass species) declined 70-92% in Ñacuñán, and 52-72% in Telteca. Reduction of perennial grass cover and spike number in grazed sites reinforced the causal link between livestock grazing and the decline of grass soil seed reserves throughout failed plant reproduction. Grass seed bank depletion suggests that grazing may trigger a "cascade" of mechanisms that affect the abundance and persistence of valuable fodder species as well as the availability of seed resources for granivorous animals. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. Fil:Sagario, M.C. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. 2014 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol |
| institution |
Universidad de Buenos Aires |
| institution_str |
I-28 |
| repository_str |
R-134 |
| collection |
Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) |
| topic |
Cascade causality Disturbance ecology Livestock diet Seed-eating animals' diet desert ecological impact environmental disturbance food availability granivory grass grazing livestock plant community seed bank seed predation vegetation dynamics Argentina Mendoza Monte Desert |
| spellingShingle |
Cascade causality Disturbance ecology Livestock diet Seed-eating animals' diet desert ecological impact environmental disturbance food availability granivory grass grazing livestock plant community seed bank seed predation vegetation dynamics Argentina Mendoza Monte Desert Sagario, María Cecilia Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals |
| topic_facet |
Cascade causality Disturbance ecology Livestock diet Seed-eating animals' diet desert ecological impact environmental disturbance food availability granivory grass grazing livestock plant community seed bank seed predation vegetation dynamics Argentina Mendoza Monte Desert |
| description |
We assess whether the knowledge of livestock diet helps to link grazing effects with changes in plant cover and soil seed bank size, aiming at inferring the consequences of grazing on seed-eating animals. Specifically, we test whether continuous and heavy grazing reduce the cover, number of reproductive structures and seed reserves of the same grass species whose seeds are selected and preferred by granivorous animals in the central Monte desert, Argentina. Grass cover and the number of grass spikes usually diminished under grazing conditions in the two localities studied (Telteca and Ñacuñán), and soil seed bank was consistently reduced in all three years evaluated owing to a decline of perennial grass and forb seeds. In particular, the abundance of those seeds selected and preferred by birds and ants (in all cases grass species) declined 70-92% in Ñacuñán, and 52-72% in Telteca. Reduction of perennial grass cover and spike number in grazed sites reinforced the causal link between livestock grazing and the decline of grass soil seed reserves throughout failed plant reproduction. Grass seed bank depletion suggests that grazing may trigger a "cascade" of mechanisms that affect the abundance and persistence of valuable fodder species as well as the availability of seed resources for granivorous animals. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. |
| author |
Sagario, María Cecilia |
| author_facet |
Sagario, María Cecilia |
| author_sort |
Sagario, María Cecilia |
| title |
Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals |
| title_short |
Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals |
| title_full |
Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals |
| title_fullStr |
Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: Implications for seed-eating animals |
| title_sort |
grazing impact on desert plants and soil seed banks: implications for seed-eating animals |
| publishDate |
2014 |
| url |
https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_1146609X_v55_n_p58_Pol |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT sagariomariacecilia grazingimpactondesertplantsandsoilseedbanksimplicationsforseedeatinganimals |
| _version_ |
1768545891475521536 |