Foraging pits, litter and plant germination in an arid shrubland

Journal of Arid Environments

Volumn 74, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 516-520

  James, Alex I ^a   Eldridge, David J ^a   Moseby, Katherine E ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES   (Australia)

^b Arid Recovery   (Australia)

Author keywords

Burrowing bettong; Ecosystem engineering; Fertile patch; Foraging digs; Foraging pits; Fossorial; Germination; Greater bilby; Seedling

Indexed keywords

ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING; ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERING; FORAGING BEHAVIOR; GERMINATION; LEAF LITTER; MARSUPIAL; MOISTURE CONTENT; RAINFALL; SEED; SEEDLING; SHRUBLAND; SOIL SURFACE; VASCULAR PLANT;

ANIMALIA; BETTONGIA; BETTONGIA LESUEUR; MACROTIS; MACROTIS LAGOTIS; TRACHEOPHYTA;

EID: 74649086166     PISSN: 01401963     EISSN: 1095922X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.09.016     Document Type: Article

References (36)

1. Aguiar M.R., and Sala O.E. Seed distribution constrains the dynamics of the Patagonian steppe. Ecology 78 (1997) 93-100
2. Alkon P.U. Microhabitat to landscape impacts: crested porcupine digs in the Negev Desert highlands. Journal of Arid Environments 41 (1999) 183-202
3. Anderson M.J., Gorley R.N., and Clarke K.R. PERMANOVA+ for RIMER: Guide to Software and Statistical Methods (2008), PRIMER-E, Plymouth, UK
4. Barbera G.G., Navarro-Cano J.A., and Castillo V.M. Seedling recruitment in a semi-arid steppe: the role of microsite and post-dispersal seed predation. Journal of Arid Environments 67 (2006) 701-714
5. Bertiller M.B. Seasonal variation in the seed bank of a Patagonian grassland in relation to topography. Journal of Vegetation Science 3 (1992) 47-54
6. Bertiller M.B., and Coronato F. Seed bank patterns of Festuca pallescens in semiarid Patagonia (Argentina): a possible limit to bunch reestablishment. Biodiversity and Conservation 3 (1994) 57-67
7. Boeken B., Shachak M., Gutterman Y., and Brand S. Patchiness and disturbance: plant community responses to porcupine diggings in the central Negev. Ecography 18 (1995) 410-421
8. Brooker R.W., Maestre F.T., Callaway R.M., Lortie C.L., Cavieres L.A., Kunstler G., Liancourt P., Tielborger K., Travis J.M.J., Anthelme F., Armas C., Coll L., Corcket E., Delzon S., Forey E., Kikvidze Z., Olofsson J., Pugnaire F., Quiroz C.L., Saccone P., Schiffers K., Seifan M., Touzard B., and Michalet R. Facilitation in plant communities: the past, the present, and the future. Journal of Ecology 96 (2008) 18-34
9. Eldridge D.J., and Mensinga A. Foraging pits of the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) as small-scale patches in a semi-arid Australian box woodland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 39 (2007) 1055-1065
10. Eldridge D.J., and Westoby M. Recruitment and survival in Atriplex vesicaria populations in semi-arid Western New South Wales, 1977-1987. Australian Journal of Ecology 16 (1991) 309-314
11. Elkins N.Z., and Whitford W.G. The role of microarthropods and nematodes in decomposition on a semi-arid ecosystem. Oecologia 55 (1982) 303-310
12. Evans R.A., and Young J. Plant litter and establishment of alien annual weed species in rangeland communities. Weed Science 18 (1970) 697-703
13. Facelli J.M., and Pickett S.T.A. Plant litter: its dynamics, and effects on plant community structure. Botanical Review 57 (1991) 1-32
14. Fowler N.L. What is a safe site?: neighbor, litter, germination date, and patch effects. Ecology 69 (1988) 947-961
15. Garcia-Moya E., and McKell C.M. Contribution of shrubs to the nitrogen economy of a desert-wash plant community. Ecology 51 (1970) 81-88
16. Gutterman Y. Spring and summer daily subsurface temperatures in three microhabitats in a flat natural loess area in the Negev Desert Israel. Journal of Arid Environments 63 (1997) 225-235
17. Gutterman Y., Golan T., and Garsani M. Porcupine diggings as a unique ecological system in a desert environment. Oecologia 85 (1990) 122-127
18. Harper J.L., Williams J.T., and Sagar G.R. The behaviour of seeds in soil: I. The heterogeneity of soil surfaces and its role in determining the establishment of plants from seed. The Journal of Ecology 53 (1965) 273-286
19. Hastwell G.T., and Facelli J.M. Effects of leaf litter on woody seedlings in xeric successional communities. Plant Ecology 148 (2000) 225-231
20. James A.I., and Eldridge D.J. Reintroduction of fossorial native mammals and potential impacts on ecosystem processes in an Australian desert landscape. Biological Conservation 138 (2007) 351-359
21. Longland W.S. Desert rodents in disturbed shrub communitites and their effects on plant recruitment. General Technical Report INT-GTR-315, U.S. In: Roundy B.A., McArthur E.D., Haley J.S., and Mann D.K. (Eds). Proceedings: Wildland Shrub and Arid Land Restoration Symposium (1995), Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Ogden, U.T 209-214
22. Milchunas D.G., Lauenroth W.K., Chapman P.L., and Kazempour M.K. Effects of grazing, topography, and precipitation on the structure of a semiarid grassland. Vegetatio 80 (1989) 11-24
23. Milton S.J. Spatial and temporal patterns in the emergence and survival of seedlings in arid Karoo shrubland. Journal of Applied Ecology 32 (1995) 145-156
24. Minitab. References Manual, Release 15 (2007), Minitab Inc., State College Pennsylvania
25. Noy-Meir I. Desert ecosystems: environment and producers. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 5 (1973) 195-214
26. Olympic Dam Operations, 1994. Environmental Management Program Annual Report 01/03/93-28/02/94. Olympic Dam Operations: Olympic Dam, South Australia.
27. Pake C.E., and Venable D.L. Seed banks in desert annuals: implications for persistence and coexistence in variable environments. Ecology 77 (1996) 1427-1435
28. Parker L.W., Santos P.F., Phillips J., and Whitford W.G. Carbon and nitrogen dynamics during decomposition of litter and roots of a Chihuahuan desert annual, Lepidium lasiocarpum. Ecological Monographs 54 (1984) 339-360
29. Payne R.W., Lane P.W., Digby P.G.N., Harding S.A., Leech P.K., Morgan G.W., Todd A.D., Thompson R., Tunnicliffe W.G., Welham S.J., and White R.P. Genstat 5 Release 3 Reference Manual (1993), Oxford University Press, New York
30. Reichman O.J. Spatial and temporal variation of seed distributions in Sonoran Desert soils. Journal of Biogeography 11 (1984) 1-11
31. Rotundo J.L., and Aguiar M.R. Litter effects on plant regeneration in arid lands: a complex balance between seed retention, seed longevity and soil-seed contact. Journal of Ecology 93 (2005) 829-838
32. Santos P.F., Phillips J., and Whitford W.G. The role of mites and nematodes in early stages of buried litter decomposition in a desert. Ecology 62 (1981) 664-669
33. Shachak M., Brand S., and Gutterman Y. Porcupine disturbances and vegetation pattern along a resource gradient in a desert. Oecologia 88 (1991) 141-147
34. Tongway D.J., and Ludwig J.A. Small-scale resource heterogeneity in semi-arid landscapes. Pacific Conservation Biology 1 (1994) 201-208
35. Whitford W.G. Ecology of Desert Systems (2002), Elsevier Science, London
36. Whitford W.G., and Kay F.R. Biopedturbation by mammals in deserts: a review. Journal of Arid Environments 41 (1999) 203-220