Unpalatable plants induce a species-specific associational effect on neighboring communities
| Autor: | Farshid Memariani, Hamid Ejtehadi, Maliheh Saeedi, Maliheh Hamedian, Mohammad Bagher Erfanian, Saeede Hosseini, Mansour Mesdaghi, Mojtaba Darrudi, Zohreh Atashgahi |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Grassland ecology
0106 biological sciences 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Science Foraging Biodiversity Iran Biology Poaceae 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Article Grassland Species Specificity Euphorbia Abundance (ecology) Grazing Animals Community ecology Herbivory Ecosystem Phylogeny 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Principal Component Analysis Herbivore geography Sheep Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology food and beverages Agriculture Plant community Feeding Behavior Phylogenetic diversity Medicine |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2021) Scientific Reports |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Popis: | In grazing conditions, unpalatable species may induce either associational defense or neighbor contrast susceptibility in neighboring communities. Using surveys from eight grasslands, we tested whether various unpalatable species have the same impacts on neighboring communities in response to grazing. The studied unpalatable species were: Phlomis cancellata (an unpalatable nonpoisonous plant), Euphorbia boissieriana, E.microsciadia (poisonous plants), and Seseli transcaucasicum (a highly poisonous plant). Our results showed that, in the ungrazed grasslands, communities containing P. cancellata had lower biodiversity than communities without it. In the moderately- and heavily grazed grasslands, P. cancellata induced associational defense in the neighboring communities. In heavily grazed grasslands, both Euphorbia species promoted neighbor contrast susceptibility in the neighboring communities. Similarly, S. transcaucasicum in a heavily grazed grassland, induced neighbor contrast susceptibility. Different responses of plant community vulnerability among the studied unpalatable plants might be due to herbivore different foraging decisions. Accordingly, grazers selectively choose from other patches when facing P. cancellata and other plant individuals when there is a poisonous plant in a patch. Our results suggested that grazing intensity may not substantially affect the foraging decisions of sheep and goats in response to unpalatable species. We recommend monitoring the abundance of poisonous species to maintain the sustainable use of grasslands. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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