Soil disturbance by a native rodent drives microhabitat expansion of an alien plant

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorTorres-Diaz, Cristian
dc.contributor.authorGomez-Gonzalez, Susana
dc.contributor.authorTorres-Morales, Patricio
dc.contributor.authorGianoli, Ernesto
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-20T23:58:08Z
dc.date.available2025-01-20T23:58:08Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractThe "niche opportunity'' hypothesis proposes that alien plant establishment is generally driven by the integrated effects of environmental conditions, changes in resource availability and reduced herbivory pressure, but there is yet little evidence supporting such a complex interaction in nature. We evaluated the interactive effects of soil disturbance by the native fossorial mammal Spalacopus cyanus, microhabitat (beneath shrubs and open areas), and introduced herbivores (rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus) on the establishment (seedling emergence, adult abundance, aboveground biomass, and reproductive effort) of the alien annual plant Fumaria capreolata in a coastal matorral of central Chile. In the absence of disturbance, seedling emergence and plant establishment of F. capreolata was largely restricted to understory microhabitats. Soil disturbance by S. cyanus significantly increased seedling emergence and establishment, both beneath shrubs and in open areas. There was no effect of herbivore exclusion on the abundance, biomass and reproductive effort of F. capreolata, although the biomass of other co-existing species was reduced. Overall, these results suggest that native fossorial mammals may favor the invasion of F. capreolata by allowing microhabitat expansion into open areas and by increasing its performance in those microhabitats already occupied. We show how the interplay between soil disturbance, microhabitat, and reduced herbivory may explain invasion patterns at the local scale in natural communities.
dc.fuente.origenWOS
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s10530-011-0150-4
dc.identifier.eissn1573-1464
dc.identifier.issn1387-3547
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0150-4
dc.identifier.urihttps://repositorio.uc.cl/handle/11534/95233
dc.identifier.wosidWOS:000305278400010
dc.issue.numero6
dc.language.isoen
dc.pagina.final1220
dc.pagina.inicio1211
dc.revistaBiological invasions
dc.rightsacceso restringido
dc.subjectHabitat expansion
dc.subjectExotic species
dc.subjectMediterranean ecosystems
dc.subjectMicroenvironment
dc.subjectResource availability
dc.subject.ods14 Life Below Water
dc.subject.ods15 Life on Land
dc.subject.odspa14 Vida submarina
dc.subject.odspa15 Vida de ecosistemas terrestres
dc.titleSoil disturbance by a native rodent drives microhabitat expansion of an alien plant
dc.typeartículo
dc.volumen14
sipa.indexWOS
sipa.trazabilidadWOS;2025-01-12
Files
Collections
Artículos de revistas