Mechanisms of the impact of a weed (grader grass,  Themeda quadrivalvis ) on reptile assemblage structure in a tropical savannah

Abom, Rickard; Vogler, W.; Schwarzkopf, Lin

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.016

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…obs. ; Armstrong et al 1996;Abom et al 2015). Second, despite the undergrowth in the WMR pine forest, likely providing increased refugia, lizard diversity and abundance at this locality remained lower than in fynbos and followed the patterns found in JNR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Several studies have shown that lizards avoid habitats comprising alien plants, resulting in lower species richness, abundance, and diversity in those environments (Valentine 2006;Bateman and Ostoja 2012;Stellatelli et al 2013;Trimble and van Aarde 2014). However, few of these studies address the mechanisms driving changes in community structure in invaded habitats (but see Valentine et al 2007;Abom et al 2015) and along an invasion gradient. Our study demonstrates that the thermal quality of the environment and the availability of food resources are consistently lower in pine forests than in fynbos in two locations (JNR and WMR).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exotic trees modify the thermal landscape and food resources for lizard communities

Schreuder

Clusella‐Trullas

2016

Oecologia

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Increasing numbers of invasive plant species are establishing around the globe, and these species frequently form dense stands that alter habitat structure in critical ways. Nevertheless, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the impacts of invasive alien plant species on native fauna. We first ask whether alien pine trees impact lizard species richness in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, a world-renowned biodiversity hotspot, by examining differences in lizard species richness, abundance, and diversity between native mountain fynbos and exotic pine tree-dominated habitats. We then examine two mutually non-exclusive processes: (i) changes in the thermal quality of the habitat and (ii) changes in the availability of food resources, to explain differences in lizard assemblages among habitat types. Lizard richness, abundance, and diversity were greater in fynbos habitat than in fynbos heavily invaded by pine and in pine plantations. The thermal quality of the environment and food resources was consistently higher in native fynbos than in pine forests, but these responses were more varied when comparisons were made along an invasion gradient and among seasons. Our results suggest that management strategies must consider spatially and temporally detailed measurements of thermal regimes and resources to assess the impacts of invasive vegetation on reptile diversity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exotic trees modify the thermal landscape and food resources for lizard communities

Schreuder

Clusella‐Trullas

2016

Oecologia

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“…2014), and modified habitat structure that limits reptile use, for example by increasing the cost of locomotion (Abom et al . 2015). Consequently, we hypothesized that reptile occurrence would be higher in sites with greater grass height and would decrease with increasing cover of exotic vegetation, irrespective of the addition of rock structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reptiles are often intolerant of intensive grazing (Driscoll 2004;Howland et al 2014;Howland et al 2016;Kay et al 2016) as it can reduce structural complexity of an ecosystem, in turn exposing reptiles to extreme temperatures and predation (Sato et al 2014). Some reptiles also exhibit an intolerance for exotic-dominated vegetation due to reduced availability of invertebrate prey, altered thermal conditions that affect thermoregulation (Valentine et al 2007;Hacking et al 2014), and modified habitat structure that limits reptile use, for example by increasing the cost of locomotion (Abom et al 2015). Consequently, we hypothesized that reptile occurrence would be higher in sites with greater grass height and would decrease with increasing cover of exotic vegetation, irrespective of the addition of rock structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rock supplementation as an ecological restoration strategy for temperate grassland reptiles

Palmer

Milner²,

Howland³

et al. 2022

Austral Ecology

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Temperate grassland ecosystems support highly diverse assemblages of plants and animals but have been predominantly cleared for urban infrastructure and modified for agriculture. Temperate grasslands that remain in south-eastern Australia are often degraded. For example, surface rocks have been extensively removed, potentially affecting long-term persistence of grassland reptiles that depend on this resource. Rock habitat restoration is a strategy that can promote the survival of grassland reptiles and restore degraded temperate grasslands. In this study, we examined the benefit of supplementing locally sourced rock to improve reptile outcomes in degraded grassland reserves in the ACT. We established a BACI design across five ACT grassland reserves with 10 plots where rocks were added and 10 equivalent control plots to assess (i) the effect of rock supplementation on reptile relative abundance and composition, and (ii) the characteristics of the sites and rocks that reptiles used. Surveys were conducted over the spring and summer period each year over 3 years (2015)(2016)(2017). Early results (one-year post-study) indicate that reptiles used supplemented rock and that reptiles show a preference for large (7600-29 000 cm 3 ), flat rocks. Reptiles also show a preference for sites with higher grass cover and native vegetation composition, highlighting the need to manage site-scale conditions to maximize the success of rock supplementation. Our study concludes rock restoration will support the persistence of grassland reptile populations, particularly if coupled with site-scale grassland management, and will likely be an important strategy to use under changing climate regimes.

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“…Sin embargo, se necesitan estudios con intensidades de muestreo mayores y en otros contextos de paisaje (e.g., fragmentados) para arribar a conclusiones más generalizadas acerca de las relaciones entre el RBI y los ensambles de reptiles. Además, puesto que la introducción de pasturas exóticas puede disminuir la heterogeneidad estructural del estrato herbáceo y reducir la riqueza y abundancia de reptiles (Abom et al 2015), se requieren estudios adicionales para evaluar la influencia de la siembra de pasturas exóticas (típicamente Megathyrsus maximus cv. gatton panic) sobre los ensambles de reptiles en bosques tratados con RBI.…”

Section: Conclusiones Y Necesidades De Estudios Adicionalesunclassified

Rolado selectivo de baja intensidad (RBI) sobre bosque nativo en el Chaco Semiárido: influencia sobre la diversidad y la composición de un ensamble de reptiles

2016

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RESUMEN.El rolado selectivo de baja de intensidad (RBI) es una tecnología para habilitar sistemas silvopastoriles de bajo impacto en el Chaco Semiárido. A diferencia de otras formas de habilitar las tierras con fines ganaderos (e.g., desmonte total, rolados intensivos), el RBI conserva bien el suelo y la mayor parte de la vegetación nativa, sin resignar producción. Este estudio aborda a escala local la influencia del RBI sin siembra de pasturas exóticas sobre un ensamble de reptiles de un bosque nativo del Chaco Semiárido, donde el bosque con RBI mantiene conectividad con vastas superficies de vegetación nativa.Los resultados muestran que: a) la diversidad alfa de reptiles no disminuyó en el bosque con RBI debido aque la estructura vertical de la vegetación no fue degradada, y b) el ensamble de reptiles del bosque con RBI fue muy parecido al del bosque testigo dada la gran similitud estructural entre estos hábitats. Los resultados demuestran que la cobertura arbórea y de hojarasca son variables importantes de estructura de la vegetación que influirían sobre la distribución por hábitat de las especies de reptiles, relacionadas con un gradiente ambiental de luz solar. Este estudio sugiere que localmente, el RBI sin siembra de pasturas exóticas tiene potencial para conservar de manera adecuada la diversidad y la composición de los ensambles de reptiles de bosques nativos del Chaco Semiárido.[Palabras clave: diversidad alfa, similitud de ensambles, estructura de la vegetación, similitud estructural de hábitats, sistemas silvopastoriles] ABSTRACT. Low intensity roller chopping (RBI) on forests of Semiarid Chaco: influence on diversity and composition of a reptile assemblage. Low intensity roller chopping (RBI) is a technology that enables low impact silvopastoral systems in the Semiarid Chaco. In contrast to other systems, RBI preserves the soil and most of the native vegetation without sacrificing production. This study addresses the local impact of RBI without implanted exotic pastures on a reptile assemblage in a Semiarid Chaco forest, where the forest with RBI maintains connectivity with large areas of native vegetation. The results show that: a) the alpha diversity of reptiles did not decrease in the forest with RBI, associated with the non-degradation of the vegetation´s vertical structure, and b) reptile assemblages were highly similar between the forest with RBI and the control, due to a high structural similarity between habitats. The results show that tree and litter cover are important variables that influence the distribution of reptile species in the habitats, related to the sunlight gradient. At a local scale, this study suggests that RBI without implanted exotic pastures has the potential to adequately maintain the diversity and composition of reptile assemblages in Semiarid Chaco forests.

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Mechanisms of the impact of a weed (grader grass, Themeda quadrivalvis ) on reptile assemblage structure in a tropical savannah

Cited by 18 publications

References 46 publications

Exotic trees modify the thermal landscape and food resources for lizard communities

Exotic trees modify the thermal landscape and food resources for lizard communities

Rock supplementation as an ecological restoration strategy for temperate grassland reptiles

Rolado selectivo de baja intensidad (RBI) sobre bosque nativo en el Chaco Semiárido: influencia sobre la diversidad y la composición de un ensamble de reptiles

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