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Lecomte X, Fedriani JM, Caldeira MC, Clemente AS, Olmi A, Bugalho MN. Too Many Is Too Bad: Long-Term Net Negative Effects of High Density Ungulate Populations on a Dominant Mediterranean Shrub. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158139. [PMID: 27387134 PMCID: PMC4936687 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant–animal interactions imply costs and benefits with net balance depending on interacting species and ecological context. Ungulates, in particular, confer costs (e.g., plant leaf consumption, flower bud predation) and benefits (e.g., plant overcompensation, seed dispersal) to plants. Magnitude of costs and benefits may be altered by habitat management or ecological conditions favoring high density ungulate populations. Little is known however on whether plant costs or benefits predominate over the years, or the long-term outcomes of plant-animal interactions in habitat types sustaining high density ungulate populations. We investigated how high density ungulate populations alter plant costs and benefits by quantifying ungulate long-term effects on the shrub Cistus ladanifer (Cistaceae) individual size, seed weight and number, seed bank, and population density, through a 12-year ungulate exclusion experiment in a Mediterranean scrubland. We monitored plant size and flower buds in plants exposed or protected from ungulates and number of developed capsules and seeds consumed (potential seed dispersal) by ungulates during three reproductive seasons. We found that ungulates negatively affected shrub size and led to a dramatically decline of shrub reproductive structures and seed production, affecting the plant reproductive cycle. Number of buds was 27 times higher and number of developed seed 5 times higher in ungulate-excluded as compared to ungulate-exposed plots. After 9 years of ungulate exclusion, the C. ladanifer seed bank was 2.6 times higher in ungulate-excluded plots. The population density of C. ladanifer was 4 times higher in ungulate-excluded plots. Our long-term experiment showed that high density ungulate populations can alter plant-animal interactions by reducing plant benefits and increasing plant costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Lecomte
- Forest Research Center (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - José M. Fedriani
- Centre for Applied Ecology (CEABN-InBio), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Estacion Biológica Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Maria C. Caldeira
- Forest Research Center (CEF), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Adelaide S. Clemente
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Alessandro Olmi
- Centre for Applied Ecology (CEABN-InBio), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Faculty of Agronomical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Miguel N. Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology (CEABN-InBio), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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Ceacero F, Landete-Castillejos T, Olguín A, Miranda M, García A, Martínez A, Cassinello J, Miguel V, Gallego L. Avoiding toxic levels of essential minerals: a forgotten factor in deer diet preferences. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0115814. [PMID: 25615596 PMCID: PMC4304801 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ungulates select diets with high energy, protein, and sodium contents. However, it is scarcely known the influence of essential minerals other than Na in diet preferences. Moreover, almost no information is available about the possible influence of toxic levels of essential minerals on avoidance of certain plant species. The aim of this research was to test the relative importance of mineral content of plants in diet selection by red deer (Cervus elaphus) in an annual basis. We determined mineral, protein and ash content in 35 common Mediterranean plant species (the most common ones in the study area). These plant species were previously classified as preferred and non-preferred. We found that deer preferred plants with low contents of Ca, Mg, K, P, S, Cu, Sr and Zn. The model obtained was greatly accurate identifying the preferred plant species (91.3% of correct assignments). After a detailed analysis of these minerals (considering deficiencies and toxicity levels both in preferred and non-preferred plants) we suggest that the avoidance of excessive sulphur in diet (i.e., selection for plants with low sulphur content) seems to override the maximization for other nutrients. Low sulphur content seems to be a forgotten factor with certain relevance for explaining diet selection in deer. Recent studies in livestock support this conclusion, which is highlighted here for the first time in diet selection by a wild large herbivore. Our results suggest that future studies should also take into account the toxicity levels of minerals as potential drivers of preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Ceacero
- Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - Tomás Landete-Castillejos
- Sección de Recursos Cinegéticos y Ganaderos, Instituto de Desarrollo Regional (IDR), Albacete, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Augusto Olguín
- Colegio de Postgraduados Campus Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - María Miranda
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrés García
- Sección de Recursos Cinegéticos y Ganaderos, Instituto de Desarrollo Regional (IDR), Albacete, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Alberto Martínez
- Laboratorio de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Instituto de Desarrollo Regional (IDR), Albacete, Spain
| | - Jorge Cassinello
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Valentín Miguel
- Laboratorio de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Instituto de Desarrollo Regional (IDR), Albacete, Spain
| | - Laureano Gallego
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agroforestal y Genética, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
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Stutz RS, Banks PB, Dexter N, McArthur C. Associational refuge in practice: can existing vegetation facilitate woodland restoration? OIKOS 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.01782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca S. Stutz
- School of Biological Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; Camperdown, New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Peter B. Banks
- School of Biological Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; Camperdown, New South Wales 2006 Australia
| | - Nicholas Dexter
- Booderee National Park; Village Road, Jervis Bay, Jervis Bay Territory 2540 Australia
| | - Clare McArthur
- School of Biological Sciences, The Univ. of Sydney; Camperdown, New South Wales 2006 Australia
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Rautio P, Bergvall UA, Tuomi J, Kesti K, Leimar O. Food Selection by Herbivores and Neighbourhood Effects in the Evolution of Plant Defences. ANN ZOOL FENN 2012. [DOI: 10.5735/086.049.0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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