Unpaved roads disrupt the effect of herbivores and pollinators on the reproduction of a dominant shrub |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada;2. Departamento de Biología de la Conservación, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain;3. Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH-UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;1. Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9505, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands;2. Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, P.O. Box 97175/376, Birjand, Iran;1. Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382 Wilhemshaven, Germany;2. Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Building, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA;3. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;4. Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;1. Department of Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.;2. Department of Biology, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, U.S.A.;1. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA;2. The Fairchild Tropical Botancial Garden, Coral Gables, FL, USA;3. Institute of Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland;1. Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain;2. Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain;3. Institute of Aquatic Ecology and Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain |
| |
| Abstract: | Anthropogenic linear developments, such as trails and firebreaks, also called soft linear developments (SLD), can influence animal behavior, altering the ecological interactions in which animals are involved. For example, SLD can affect the behavior of pollinators and herbivores, but little is known about the combined effect of these three elements on plant reproduction.We evaluated the combined effect of SLD, insect pollinators and herbivores (ungulates) on three reproductive output variables (fruit set, seed set, and seed mass) of a Mediterranean shrub (Halimium halimifolium). We considered two different habitats (SLD verges vs. adjacent scrublands), two scenarios of herbivory (with and without ungulates), and three scenarios of pollinator activity (without pollinators, with manual pollination and with natural pollination).SLD had contrasting effects on H. halimifolium reproduction. In the absence of herbivores, overall fruit set was lower in the verges of SLD than in adjacent scrublands, probably due to lower flower pollination rates. Where herbivores were present, overall fruit set was similar between habitats, because ungulate browsing was lower in SLD verges than in adjacent scrublands. The quantity and weight of seeds per fruit was similar in both habitats, probably because all fertilized flowers received similar amounts of pollen.SLD can alter the interaction among pollinators, herbivores and plants, leading to changes in the reproductive performance of the latter. These changes can have strong negative impacts on endangered plants that rely on fruit and seed production to persist. However, SLD verges could be safe places for plants particularly sensitive to herbivory by ungulates. |
| |
| Keywords: | Ecosystem services Fruit set Herbivory Pollination Trails |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
