Granivorous ants prefer small and unprotected seeds—implications for restoration in arid ecosystems

Martyn, Trace E.; Kwapich, Christina L.; Kline, Albert; Gornish, Elise S.

doi:10.1111/rec.13759

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Morphology is another common driver of seed preference, and the ACHY and HEAN seeds preferred by P. occidentalis are morphologically similar, with smooth, awnless seed coats. This result supports recent studies that find lower ant granivory for seeds with a structure or coating (Crist & MacMahon 1992;Paolini et al 2020;Wandrag et al 2021) or a higher seed to seed plus structure ratio (Martyn et al 2022), possibly because large awns make seeds cumbersome for transport. In contrast, an older study by Pulliam and Brand (1975) found that Pogonomyrmex spp.…”

Section: Seed Preferencesupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Similarly, Kerley and Whitford (2000) found that the functional importance of harvester ants as granivores increased as overgrazing shifted the vegetation community in the Chihuahuan desert. In addition, studies that consider granivores as a biotic filter to restoration consistently find significant influences of both ants and rodents (Gurney et al 2015; Fick et al 2016; Martyn et al 2022). Given the potential of harvester ants to influence restoration outcomes, and the likelihood that ant nest colony density and behavior is altered in degraded areas, we need a deeper understanding of harvester ant impacts to restoration approaches on overgrazed grasslands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal effects of granivory on broadcast seeding restoration in a degraded semiarid grassland

Karban,

Barger

2023

Restoration Ecology

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Granivores, such as rodents and harvester ants, are common in dryland ecosystems. In intact dryland ecosystems, the effects of such granivores on soil seed banks, plant community structure, and ecosystem functioning are well established. However, the effects of granivores on dryland restoration have received much less attention. In this study, we evaluated the seasonality of seed removal by harvester ants, seed preference of harvester ants, and effects of granivore exclosure on the soil seed bank at four sites in southeastern Utah. We studied two species of harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex rugosus and P. occidentalis. The foraging behavior of Pogonomyrmex spp. was temperature‐dependent; they removed no seeds during winter months, and up to 80% of seeds during high activity in the summer. Despite seasonal differences in seed removal, Pogonomyrmex spp. did not show significant preferences for seed species. However, their seasonal foraging behavior translated into measurable differences in an experimental soil seed bank. Over the summer months, ants reduced the number of seeds in the seed bank by approximately 20%, but when ants were excluded during the winter, the number of seeds in the seed bank remained the same. This finding supports the timing of business‐as‐usual seeding practices of applying seeds in late fall. If seeds germinate in the first season after application, ant granivory is unlikely to pose a large barrier to establishment. However, if seeds remain dormant during the first year, as is common in many dryland species, seeds are vulnerable to ant granivory.

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Section: Seed Preferencesupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal effects of granivory on broadcast seeding restoration in a degraded semiarid grassland

Karban,

Barger

2023

Restoration Ecology

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“…However, disturbance reduced soil nitrate in our early successional communities in the peak growing season (June and July), which could plausibly be the explanation for the negative effect of disturbance on colonist cover in early succession. Disturbance may have facilitated higher rates of seed predation and herbivory too (Korell et al, 2017; MacDougall & Wilson, 2007; Martyn et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher plant colonisation and lower resident diversity in grasslands more recently abandoned from agriculture

Catford,

Shepherd,

Tennant

et al. 2023

Journal of Ecology

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Rates of species colonisation and extirpation are increasing in plant communities world‐wide. Colonisation could potentially help compensate for, or compound, resident diversity loss that results from global environmental change. We use a multifactorial seed addition grassland experiment to examine relationships between plant colonisation, resident species diversity and key community assembly factors over 3 years. By manipulating colonist seed rate, imposing disturbance and examining abundance and diversity impacts of 14 formerly absent sown colonists in communities that varied in successional stage and time since agricultural abandonment, we were able to disentangle effects of global change factors (species introduction, novel disturbance and land use change) that are usually confounded. Evidence suggested that cover abundance of sown colonists was most strongly influenced by successional stage of recipient communities, though number of growing seasons was also important for the group of seven colonists with resource conservative ‘slow’ life history traits. Colonist type, seed rate and disturbance had weaker relationships with colonist cover. Factors affecting sown colonist cover were highly conditional. A negative relationship between plot‐level disturbance and colonist cover in early successional communities meant that, despite a positive relationship in late succession, colonisation was negatively related to disturbance overall, defying theoretical expectations. Non‐sown resident diversity was negatively related to colonist cover and positively related to successional stage. Resource acquisitive colonists with ‘fast’ life history traits appeared to limit cover of ‘slow colonists’ when the two groups were sown together, likely reflecting niche pre‐emption. Communities at earlier stages of succession had lower resident diversity and experienced higher levels of colonisation than communities at later stages of succession. Elevated colonisation and lower resident diversity both appeared to be symptoms of human‐induced land use change. However, results suggested that resource competition from plant colonists may also limit resident diversity in grasslands abandoned from agriculture more recently. Synthesis. Our findings point to the importance of resource availability and competition on plant colonisation and colonist impacts on residents. Although colonisation is potentially a source of biodiversity in the short term, our results suggest that plant colonists that reach high abundance may be a further threat to resident plant diversity in secondary grasslands recovering from a recent history of agriculture.

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“…Any increase in soil organic matter would have significant ecosystem benefits. Furthermore, we know seed predation is an underappreciated factor in plant establishment, 37 and we know litter depth influences habitat selection of seed-eating small mammals. 38 How do pits influence the rate of seed predation in restoration plantings?…”

Section: Soil Pitting In the Context Of The Broader Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rangeland pitting for revegetation and annual weed control

Johnston,

Mann

2024

Rangelands

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Granivorous ants prefer small and unprotected seeds—implications for restoration in arid ecosystems

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Seasonal effects of granivory on broadcast seeding restoration in a degraded semiarid grassland

Seasonal effects of granivory on broadcast seeding restoration in a degraded semiarid grassland

Higher plant colonisation and lower resident diversity in grasslands more recently abandoned from agriculture

Rangeland pitting for revegetation and annual weed control

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