Coyote and porcupine spread Russian olive seeds through endozoochory

Campbell, Joshua W.; West, Natalie M.

doi:10.1002/jwmg.22242

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Because these ecosystems did not evolve with a large abundance of fruit-bearing trees in the riparian corridor, olive can alter aquatic food webs. Olive fruit is known to be an important food resource for many birds and mammals (Campbell & West, 2022;Edwards et al, 2014), and we observed many terrestrial vertebrates utilizing olive fruits in their diet, including bears, raccoons, squirrels, mice, coyotes, horses and turkeys and many other bird species (Cheek, pers. observation).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many catfishes act as dispersal agents for terrestrial plants (Correa et al, 2007), and catfish can transport viable seeds and increase germination potential of other riparian plants such as red mulberry ( Morus rubra ) and swamp privet ( Forestiera acuminata ) (Chick et al, 2003). Olive receives seed dispersal and germination benefits through interactions with frugivorous mammals and birds (Campbell & West, 2022; Edwards et al, 2014) but more research is needed to determine if catfish can provide this benefit. If catfish promote reproductive success of olives, the interaction could represent a mutualism in which food and dispersal are exchanged to the benefit of both participants (sensu Silknetter et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diets of invasive channel catfish are subsidized by invasive riparian trees

Cheek,

Peoples,

Goforth

2023

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) is an invasive, fruit‐bearing riparian tree that dominates riparian zones of the San Juan River in the southwestern United States. Previous research in this river suggests olive fruit is common in diets of invasive channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), but its energetic importance is unknown (i.e. critical for catfish fitness vs. incidental consumption). We assessed Russian olive consumption in channel catfish diets bimonthly for 1 year, hypothesizing that olive consumption would be greatest during periods of high olive availability and low benthic aquatic invertebrate availability. We found that catfish consumed olive fruit throughout the year and that olive comprised up to 44% of total stomach contents by mass, with peaks in spring and fall. Regression models revealed the presence and mass of olive fruit in catfish stomachs were positively associated with catfish total length, with a significant interaction between water temperature and river discharge. Catfish were more likely to consume olive fruit during higher flows, regardless of temperature and at low discharge with higher temperature. Contrary to our hypothesis, neither olive nor benthic invertebrate availability were associated with olive presence in channel catfish diets. Nutrition analysis indicated that olive alone was a low‐quality diet item but has the potential to provide a reliable energy source. We used seasonal data to estimate the energetic contribution of olive fruit to catfish populations using a bioenergetic model, which estimated that olive fruit accounted for 35.6% of energy (Joules) consumed by catfish populations and satisfied 38% of their metabolic demand. Our results suggest that Russian olive fruit is a significant subsidy to channel catfish in the San Juan River. However, more research is needed to determine the indirect effects of this interaction on native fishes and ecosystem function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diets of invasive channel catfish are subsidized by invasive riparian trees

Cheek,

Peoples,

Goforth

2023

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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“…Regarding seed dispersal, zoochory may accelerate tree invasion through external or internal transport mechanisms. For example, the transport of seeds of the Russian olive ( Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) by mammals and possibly also by birds, was reported to accelerate its invasion across the western USA (Campbell and West, 2022). At the same time, seed predation may control plant invasion.…”

Section: The Alien Challenge: Control and Management Of Invasive Tree...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate-smart forestry in the world’s drylands: A review of challenges and opportunities

Stavi

Argaman

2023

The Anthropocene Review

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Land degradation and desertification are widespread across the world’s drylands. These processes are substantially affected by climatic change, with long-term and severe droughts on the one hand, and high intensity rainstorms and devastating floods on the other hand. Simultaneously, land-use change and mismanagement practices have led to processes of accelerated soil erosion, depletion of soil organic carbon pools, and the degradation of extensive drylands. Forestry has been accepted as an effective means for restoring degraded drylands, and for attaining a range of regulating, provisioning, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services. Specifically, forestry is widely perceived as an effective means for soil erosion control, organic carbon sequestration, microclimate improvement, and climate change mitigation. However, forestry in drylands often proves to generate substantial environmental challenges, resulting in deterioration of ecosystem functions and health. The objective of this essay is to review the challenges and opportunities induced by dryland afforestation and reforestation, and highlight the need to attain climate-smart strategies for establishing and managing these land-uses. Particularly, tree species invasion and allelopathy, which are common in dryland forestry projects, jeopardize species richness and diversity of native vegetation communities. Further, the challenges linked with tree invasiveness necessitate predicting the distribution of potentially invasive species and foreseeing their impacts on the recipient ecosystems under projected climate change scenarios. The effect of allelopathy is significant under limited water availability conditions and is expected to be determined by the expanding drylands and intensifying aridity worldwide. Therefore, judicious selection of tree species should not only focus on ones with high water-use efficiency, low flammability, high pest resistance, and fast growth, but also on low invasiveness and allelopathic capacities. Insights of this essay may be used by land managers, stakeholders, and policy makers involved in environmental development of drylands.

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Russian olive distribution and invasion dynamics along the Powder River, Montana and Wyoming, USA

Courtney,

Buczek,

Bywater-Reyes

et al. 2024

Biol Invasions

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The invasive shrub, Russian olive (Elaeagnus augustifolia), is widely established within riparian areas across North America and eastern Europe. Limited information on its distribution and invasion dynamics in northern regions has hampered understanding and management efforts. Given this lack of spatial and ecological information we worked with local stakeholders and developed two main objectives: (1) map the distribution of Russian olive along the Powder River (Montana and Wyoming, United States) as of 2020 with field data and remote sensing; and (2) relate that distribution to environmental variables to understand its habitat suitability and community/invasion dynamics. Field data showed Russian olive has reached near equal canopy cover (18.3%) to native Plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides; 19.1%) and has a broader distribution. At the watershed scale, we modeled Russian olive distribution using field surveys, ocular sampling of aerial imagery, and spectral variables from Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument using a random forest model (RMSE = 15.42, R2 = 0.64). A statistical model linking the resulting Russian olive percent cover detection map to environmental variables for the entire watershed indicated Russian olive cover increased with flow accumulation and decreased with elevation, and was associated with poorer soil types. We attribute the success of Russian olive to its broad habitat suitability combined with changing hydrologic conditions favoring it over natives. The maps of Russian olive cover along the Powder River and its main tributaries in northern Wyoming and southern Montana revealed regions of the watershed with high and low cover, which can guide landscape-scale management prioritization. This study provides a repeatable Russian olive detection method due to the use of Sentinel-2 imagery that is available worldwide and provides insight into Russian olive’s ecological relationships and success with relevance for management across areas with similar environmental conditions.

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Coyote and porcupine spread Russian olive seeds through endozoochory

Cited by 4 publications

References 53 publications

Diets of invasive channel catfish are subsidized by invasive riparian trees

Diets of invasive channel catfish are subsidized by invasive riparian trees

Climate-smart forestry in the world’s drylands: A review of challenges and opportunities

Russian olive distribution and invasion dynamics along the Powder River, Montana and Wyoming, USA

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