Effect of harvester ants of the genusPogonomyrmexon the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 610-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
GABRIELA I. PIRK ◽  
JAVIER LOPEZ DE CASENAVE
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Harvester Ants ◽  
Monte Desert

Soil seed bank composition over desert microhabitats: patterns and plausible mechanisms

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 1809-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Marone ◽  
Víctor R Cueto ◽  
Fernando A Milesi ◽  
Javier Lopez de Casenave
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Seed Density ◽  
Seed Composition ◽  
Monte Desert ◽  
Total Seed ◽  
Seed Dynamics ◽  
Primary Dispersal

We assessed soil seed bank composition and size over several microhabitats of two habitats of the central Monte Desert of Argentina (open Prosopis woodland and Larrea shrubland) to analyse differences among them. Seed densities were similar to those already reported for other deserts, but we found consistent differences in seed composition among microhabitats. Whereas grass seeds (e.g., Aristida, Pappophorum, Neobouteloua, Trichloris, Digitaria) prevailed in natural depressions of open areas, forb seeds (e.g., Phacelia, Lappula, Descurainia, Plantago, Chenopodium) were more abundant under trees. The comparison of seed production during primary dispersal (i.e., seed rain) with seed density on the ground at the end of dispersal indicated that most forb seeds entered the habitat through the micro habitats located beneath the canopy of trees and tall shrubs, and remained there after redistribution. Most grass seeds, by contrast, entered it through bare-soil and under-grass microhabitats, and reached more even distributions after secondary dispersal, especially because of dramatic losses in bare soil. Patterns of plant recruitment and seed dynamics in specific microhabitats were better understood when differences of soil seed bank composition, but not of total seed density, were taken into account.Key words: Monte Desert, seed dispersal, seed predation, seed production, seeds.

scholarly journals Which food patches are worth exploring? Foraging desert birds do not follow environmental indicators of seed abundance at small scales: a field experiment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando A. Milesi ◽  
Javier Lopez de Casenave ◽  
Víctor R. Cueto
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Seed Removal ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Monte Desert ◽  
Seed Bank Dynamics ◽  
Small Scales

ABSTRACTConsumers should show strong spatial preferences when foraging in environments where food availability is highly heterogeneous and predictable from its correlation with informative environmental features. This is the case for postdispersal granivores in most arid areas, where soil seed bank abundance and composition associates persistently with vegetation structure at small scales (e.g., decimeters to meters). We analysed seasonal single-seed removal by granivorous birds from 300 experimental devices in the algarrobal of the central Monte desert. Spatial selectivity was analysed by comparing the structural characteristics of used vs. available microhabitats and evaluated against bottom-up and top-down hypotheses based on our previous knowledge on local seed bank abundance, composition and dynamics. Seed removal, which showed its expected seasonal variability, was also explored for spatial autocorrelation and environmental dependencies at bigger scales. Postdispersal granivorous birds were less selective in their use of foraging space than expected if patch appearance were providing them useful information to guide their search for profitable foraging patches. No kind of microhabitat, as defined by their vegetation and soil structure, was safe from bird exploration. The only consistent selective pattern at this scale was closer to a top-down spatial effect by birds, i.e., a cause (and not a consequence) of the seed bank dynamics. Bigger spatial scales proved more relevant to describe heterogeneity in the use of foraging patches in this habitat. Closeness to tall trees, probably related to bird territoriality and reproduction or to their perception of predation risk, seems to determine a first level of selection that defines explorable space, and then microhabitat openness exerts an influence on which patches are effectively exploited (or more frequently explored) among those accessible.

Characteristics of Soil Seed Bank of Caragana microphylla Community under the Grazing and Enclosure Conditions in Horqin Sandy Land

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 714-719
Author(s):  
Ming LI ◽  
De-ming JIANG ◽  
Yong-ming LUO ◽  
Xiu-mei WANG ◽  
Bo LIU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Horqin Sandy Land ◽  
Sandy Land ◽  
Caragana Microphylla

Community Dynamics and Soil Seed Bank Ecology of Lane Mountain Milkvetch (Astragalus jaegerianus Munz)

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Huggins ◽  
B. A. Prigge ◽  
M. R. Sharifi ◽  
P. W. Rundel
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Soil Seed Bank

scholarly journals Effects of Wollastonia biflora expansion on the soil seed bank in native forest communities on a tropical coral island

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. e01403
Author(s):  
Yao Huang ◽  
Hai Ren ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Nan Liu ◽  
Shuguang Jian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Tropical Coral ◽  
Coral Island
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