e-journal

Browsing by an invasive herbivore promotes development of plant and soil communities during primary succession

---

1. Invasive herbivores can strongly affect ecosystems by reducing or removing native plant species,
and early in primary successions they could have enduring consequences for plant community
assembly and ecosystem functioning, although this has seldom been explored. Invasive brushtail
possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) browse from ground levels to forest canopies in New Zealand,
including on plant species common early in primary succession.

2. We used exclosures (fenced on the top as well as the sides) and corresponding control plots to
study effects of brushtail possums on primary successions on bare landslide surfaces in the South
Island of New Zealand. We then conducted repeated measurements of the plant community over
11 years and at the end also quantified soil abiotic and biotic properties.

3. Above-ground, plant biomass increased from close to zero to > 1000 g dry mass m
2 after
11 years in both exclosures and control plots, with significantly more biomass of the N2-fixing tree
Carmichaelia odorata in the controls. Brushtail possums reduced the biomass in the control plots of
small-stature grasses and sedges in the first 3 years. Plant species richness was greater in control
than exclosure plots throughout the experiment.

4. Below-ground, soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations and the biomass of all major soil microbial
groups were significantly greater in the control than exclosure plots, although soil nematode
abundances were not. Below-ground effects could be attributed to the greater biomass of Carmichaelia
in control plots.

5. Synthesis. Our study shows that an invasive herbivore exerted strong effects on the rate and trajectory
of primary succession by altering plant community assembly. Herbivore exclusion resulted
in reduced biomass of a key N2-fixing tree that drives forest development, with important belowground
consequences. These results support a view that restoration of ecosystems needs to consider
the consequences of altering plant community structure before removing invasive herbivores.

Key-words: brushtail possum, Carmichaelia odorata, exclosure, invasive herbivore, nitrogen-fixer,
plant–herbivore interactions, soil food web, Trichosurus vulpecula

---

Ketersediaan

Tidak ada salinan data

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Journal of Ecology

No. Panggil

-

Penerbit

London : British Ecological Society., 2016

Deskripsi Fisik

Journal of Ecology 2016, 104, 1505–1517

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

doi: 10.1111/1365-27

Klasifikasi

-

Tipe Isi

-

Tipe Media

-

Tipe Pembawa

-

Edisi

2016, 104

Subjek

EKOLOGI

Info Detail Spesifik

-

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

agus

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

Komentar

---

Anda harus masuk sebelum memberikan komentar