The Influence of Three Sympatric Species of Fossorial Mole-Rats (Bathyergidae) on Vegetation
| Autor: | J. U. M. Jarvis, O. J. Reichman |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1989 |
| Předmět: |
Potential impact
Biomass (ecology) Ecology fungi Fossorial food and beverages Plant community Vegetation Biology musculoskeletal system Habitat Sympatric speciation parasitic diseases Mole Genetics Animal Science and Zoology Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Mammalogy. 70:763-771 |
| ISSN: | 0022-2372 1545-1542 |
| Popis: | Samples of vegetation revealed that total plant biomass was reduced by almost 30% directly above burrows of mole-rats (Bathyergidae) compared with control samples. Bulbs and roots of dicots especially were reduced above burrows. We predicted that mole-rats would inhabit portions of the study site with greater than average plant biomass than indicated by random samples on the field site; this was not the case. Burrows underlay 10.7% of the study area and mounds produced during excavation of burrows covered another 28.2% of the field. Thus, the potential impact of burrowing activity of mole-rats on the plant community is substantial, through both direct consumption of plant material and physical alteration of the habitat. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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