Ecosystem engineering through aardvark (Orycteropus afer) burrowing: Mechanisms and effects

Haussmann, Natalie S.; Louw, M.A.; Lewis, Simone; Nicol, Keegan J.H.; Merwe, Stephni van der; Roux, Peter C. le

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.04.022

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…Data from the arid scrubland and mesic grassland have previously been reported in a different context (see ref. 53,54 ). Aardvark occur at all three sites and are the dominant medium-sized (i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the mesic grassland, burrows were selected from an extensive burrow survey performed during April 2015. Randomly selected 1 ha plots within all reserve management blocks were searched for burrows, with 60 of the resulting 203 burrows randomly selected for sampling during April and May 2015 54 . In the arid scrubland, burrows were located systematically during April 2015 by traversing the study site.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing for consistency in the impacts of a burrowing ecosystem engineer on soil and vegetation characteristics across biomes

Louw

Haussmann

Roux

2019

Sci Rep

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The impacts of ecosystem engineers may be expected to vary along environmental gradients. Due to some resources being more limited in arid than in mesic environments, disturbances created by burrowing mammals are expected to have a greater ameliorating effect in arid environments, with larger differences in microhabitat conditions expected between burrows and undisturbed areas. The aim of this study was to test if the impacts of a medium-sized burrowing mammal, the aardvark, on soil properties (soil temperature, moisture and compaction) and vegetation characteristics (plant cover, species richness and species composition) are consistent across three biomes that differ strongly in annual rainfall. Burrowing affected soil and vegetation attributes, but the direction and magnitude of these biogeomorphological impacts were not consistent across the different biomes. For example, plant species composition was altered by burrowing in the arid scrubland and in the mesic grassland, but not in the semi-arid savannah. Contrary to expectations, the difference in the impacts of burrowing between biomes were not related to rainfall, with burrowing having strong, albeit different, impacts in both the arid scrubland and the mesic grassland, but weaker effects in the semi-arid savannah. It appears, therefore, that the impacts of these biogeomorphic agents may be site-specific and that it may be difficult to predict variation in their biotic and abiotic effects across environmental gradients. As a result, forecasting the impacts of ecosystem engineers under different conditions remains a challenge to management, restoration and conservation strategies related to these types of species.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing for consistency in the impacts of a burrowing ecosystem engineer on soil and vegetation characteristics across biomes

Louw

Haussmann

Roux

2019

Sci Rep

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“…The higher nutrient and moisture concentrations on boodie warrens may make them favorable sites for vegetation, but, surprisingly, we found that there were few differences between the plant communities on warren and control plots. Many other studies comparing plant communities between mammal burrows and control sites have found significant differences in vegetative cover (e.g., Haussmann et al, 2018;Parsons et al, 2016;Wheeler & Hik, 2013), species richness (e.g., Davidson & Lightfoot, 2008;Hagenah et al, 2013), and composition (e.g., Bryce et al, 2013;Davidson & Lightfoot, 2006;Wesche et al, 2007). Noble et al (2007) has been shown to be negative due to the effects of herbivory despite the apparent benefits of their foraging diggings on seedling abundance (Verdon et al, 2016).…”

Section: Vegetation Communities On Warrens Were Similar To Undisturmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burrowing by translocated boodie (Bettongia lesueur) populations alters soils but has limited effects on vegetation

Palmer

Valentine

Lohr³

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…2004; Whitesides & Butler 2016) and chemical (Lallier‐Vergès & Albéric 1989; Whitesides & Butler 2016) structure of soils; impacts on vegetation growth (Butynski & Mattingly 1979; Hawkins 1996; Kurek & Cykowska‐Marzencka 2016; Haussmann et al . 2018); altering local geomorphic processes (Price 1971; Whitford & Kay 1999; Hall & Lamont 2003) and increases in landscape heterogeneity and biodiversity (Whitford & Kay 1999; Davidson & Lightfoot 2008; Davidson et al . 2012; Kurek et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental associations and effects of disturbances by common wombats in alpine Tasmania

Guy

Kirkpatrick

2021

Austral Ecology

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The common wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is the largest extant fossorial mammal in Tasmania. Fossorial mammals have substantial edaphic and geomorphic effects, which, in turn can affect vegetation. We asked whether wombat disturbances were associated with particular environments in an alpine environment in Tasmania, and whether, and to what degree, they altered topography, soil or vegetation. Soil analyses, vegetation surveys and topographic transects were used to test for the effects of wombat activity. We contrasted toilets and controls. We compared adjacent burrows, mounds and paths. We also mapped burrows and animal trails. Wombat burrowing created distinct topography and was linked to feeding areas by path systems. There was no difference in bulk density, pH or phosphorus among burrow mounds, paths and undisturbed areas. Burrow mounds, usually used as toilets, were higher in nitrogen (mg L−1) (9. 8 ± 6.3) than either paths (2.3 ± 2.0) or controls (1.08 mg L−1 ± 1.5). Herbs were favoured by wombat disturbance, having a mean percentage cover of 27.8 ± 4.1 on burrow mounds compared to 14 ± 2.69 on controls, and a mean percentage cover of 51.6 ± 7.8 in toilets compared to 25.6 ± 4.8 in control plots. In contrast, shrubs have greater percentage cover in controls than on mounds (47.2 ± 12.0 cf. 12.7 ± 5.0) and toilets (37.3 ± 10 cf. 17.8 ± 6.5). Overall, wombat activity and modification of the alpine environment were concentrated in grassy vegetation above the winter water table, although paths, burrows and toilets extended into less grassy alpine communities. Our results imply that common wombats have a major role in engineering topography and soils with subsequent effects on vegetation, directly affecting at least 1.2% of the study area. Their reduction, or loss, is likely to lead to substantial changes in patterns of geodiversity and biodiversity.

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Ecosystem engineering through aardvark (Orycteropus afer) burrowing: Mechanisms and effects

Cited by 14 publications

References 40 publications

Testing for consistency in the impacts of a burrowing ecosystem engineer on soil and vegetation characteristics across biomes

Testing for consistency in the impacts of a burrowing ecosystem engineer on soil and vegetation characteristics across biomes

Burrowing by translocated boodie (Bettongia lesueur) populations alters soils but has limited effects on vegetation

Environmental associations and effects of disturbances by common wombats in alpine Tasmania

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