Effects of environmental variation and livestock grazing on ant community structure in temperate eucalypt woodlands
- Barton, Philip, Sato, Chloe, Kay, Geoffrey, Florance, Daniel, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Barton, Philip , Sato, Chloe , Kay, Geoffrey , Florance, Daniel , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Insect Conservation and Diversity Vol. 9, no. 2 (2016), p. 124-134
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Grazing by livestock is a major ecological disturbance, with potential effects on vegetation, soil, and insect fauna. Ants are a diverse and functionally important insect group with many associations with the ground layer, yet recent global syntheses question the importance of grazing effects on ant communities relative to vegetation or soil. We examined the effects of vegetation, soil and grazing on the whole ant community, ant functional groups, and abundant species in temperate eucalypt woodlands, southeastern Australia. We found limited influence of grazing on our vegetation and soil measures, except for a positive association between grazing and exotic perennial grass cover. We also found that exotic grass cover had a negative effect on overall ant abundance and richness, but not functional groups or individual species. Soil C:N ratio had a positive effect on the subdominant Camponotini, and leaf litter cover had a positive effect on the abundance of cryptic species. Partial Mantel tests revealed an effect of both environmental and grazing measures on ant assemblage composition, but constrained ordination showed that leaf litter cover, grass biomass, and native and exotic perennial grass cover had stronger correlations with ant community structure than grazing. Our study shows that both environmental variation and grazing play a role in driving ant community structure, but that key environmental variables such as grass biomass and leaf litter cover are particularly important in temperate eucalypt woodlands. Monitoring of ant communities to measure the benefits of changed grazing regimes for biodiversity should consider contemporary grazing pressure as well as the underlying effects of variation in plants and soils. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.
- Authors: Barton, Philip , Sato, Chloe , Kay, Geoffrey , Florance, Daniel , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Insect Conservation and Diversity Vol. 9, no. 2 (2016), p. 124-134
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Grazing by livestock is a major ecological disturbance, with potential effects on vegetation, soil, and insect fauna. Ants are a diverse and functionally important insect group with many associations with the ground layer, yet recent global syntheses question the importance of grazing effects on ant communities relative to vegetation or soil. We examined the effects of vegetation, soil and grazing on the whole ant community, ant functional groups, and abundant species in temperate eucalypt woodlands, southeastern Australia. We found limited influence of grazing on our vegetation and soil measures, except for a positive association between grazing and exotic perennial grass cover. We also found that exotic grass cover had a negative effect on overall ant abundance and richness, but not functional groups or individual species. Soil C:N ratio had a positive effect on the subdominant Camponotini, and leaf litter cover had a positive effect on the abundance of cryptic species. Partial Mantel tests revealed an effect of both environmental and grazing measures on ant assemblage composition, but constrained ordination showed that leaf litter cover, grass biomass, and native and exotic perennial grass cover had stronger correlations with ant community structure than grazing. Our study shows that both environmental variation and grazing play a role in driving ant community structure, but that key environmental variables such as grass biomass and leaf litter cover are particularly important in temperate eucalypt woodlands. Monitoring of ant communities to measure the benefits of changed grazing regimes for biodiversity should consider contemporary grazing pressure as well as the underlying effects of variation in plants and soils. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.
Contrasting beetle assemblage responses to cultivated farmlands and native woodlands in a dynamic agricultural landscape
- Ng, Katherina, Driscoll, Don, MacFadyen, Sarina, Barton, Philip, McIntyre, Sue, Lindenmayer, David
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Driscoll, Don , MacFadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 8, no. 12 (2017), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is an urgent need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation without reducing food production. Farming practices that consider spatiooral heterogeneity of farm fields may be a feasible alternative to large-scale revegetation of farmlands for maintaining arthropod biodiversity and their important ecological function. We examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages in woodland remnants and four adjoining farmland uses in a highly modified agricultural landscape in southeastern Australia. The farmland uses were crops, fallows, and two restoration treatments (fine woody debris applied over harvested crop fields, and restoration plantings). Unexpectedly, overall species richness was significantly lower in remnants than in adjacent farmlands. Remnants and farmlands supported significantly different assemblages, with a third of species found in both habitats. Abundance responses were taxon-specific and influenced by interactions between land use and season. In particular, predator abundance was significantly higher in plantings and fallows during spring compared to summer. Detritivore abundance was significantly higher in the woody debris compared to the adjacent remnants. Herbivore abundance did not differ between remnants and farmlands over time. Complex responses provide strong support for a mosaic of land uses to effectively conserve different beetle groups. Species richness results suggest that further agricultural intensification, in farm fields and through the removal of remnant vegetation, risks reducing beetle diversity in this region. Maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land uses, such as conservation tillage, crop-fallow rotation, restoration plantings, and the novel application of fine woody debris over cultivated fields, may provide seasonal refuge and resources for beetles. © 2017 Ng et al.
- Authors: Ng, Katherina , Driscoll, Don , MacFadyen, Sarina , Barton, Philip , McIntyre, Sue , Lindenmayer, David
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecosphere Vol. 8, no. 12 (2017), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There is an urgent need to identify ways of managing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation without reducing food production. Farming practices that consider spatiooral heterogeneity of farm fields may be a feasible alternative to large-scale revegetation of farmlands for maintaining arthropod biodiversity and their important ecological function. We examined seasonal differences in beetle assemblages in woodland remnants and four adjoining farmland uses in a highly modified agricultural landscape in southeastern Australia. The farmland uses were crops, fallows, and two restoration treatments (fine woody debris applied over harvested crop fields, and restoration plantings). Unexpectedly, overall species richness was significantly lower in remnants than in adjacent farmlands. Remnants and farmlands supported significantly different assemblages, with a third of species found in both habitats. Abundance responses were taxon-specific and influenced by interactions between land use and season. In particular, predator abundance was significantly higher in plantings and fallows during spring compared to summer. Detritivore abundance was significantly higher in the woody debris compared to the adjacent remnants. Herbivore abundance did not differ between remnants and farmlands over time. Complex responses provide strong support for a mosaic of land uses to effectively conserve different beetle groups. Species richness results suggest that further agricultural intensification, in farm fields and through the removal of remnant vegetation, risks reducing beetle diversity in this region. Maintaining farmland heterogeneity with a mix of low-intensity land uses, such as conservation tillage, crop-fallow rotation, restoration plantings, and the novel application of fine woody debris over cultivated fields, may provide seasonal refuge and resources for beetles. © 2017 Ng et al.
Potential contributions of the soil seed bank and seed rain for accelerating the restoration of riparian catchments in Australia
- Florentine, Singarayer, Milberg, Per, Westbrooke, Martin
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Milberg, Per , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Global Ecology and Conservation Vol. 47, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The quality and quantity of soil seed bank composition can play a key role in secondary succession restoration efforts such as those involved in this study, which concerned the restoration of damaged native sites in riparian environments in Victoria, Australia. The objective of this study of the restoration work was to determine the role played by naturally existing soil seed bank in the success of natural restoration in these restored and unmanaged riparian areas. In this regard, we sampled the soil seed bank, seed rain, seedlings in the field and vegetation cover from three sub catchments defined by restoration attempts which had been conducted (i) < 3 years, (ii) 4–8 years, and (iii) > 9 years previous to sampling. In addition, (iv) in order to provide comparative data, adjacent sites (iv) chosen for future restoration and (v) with remnant vegetation, were also sampled. From samples, a total of 8858 seedlings were recorded from the seed bank and the vegetation survey showed 170 species, with exotic species being more numerous than native. The seed rain (a total of 1422 seeds) was dominated by exotic species at all sites. When comparing the vegetation distribution and the seed rain composition, it was clear that whilst the seed bank was more promising as a comparative recruitment source of native species, there were still too many sites dominated by exotic species to rely on this as a long-term restoration strategy. However, this study indicated that there were significant variations in restoration potential among the sites, suggesting that some careful prior site selection for investment of restoration efforts is an important issue. As a consequence, we have recommended that a detailed understanding of the soil seed bank and seed rain species composition prior to the restoration is essential, since a positive seed bank composition with a significant relative density of native species seeds, will provide an indication of native species’ resilience and their potential for recovery. We therefore believe that the findings of this study will provide valuable information to natural resource management agencies regarding the strategy for prioritisation of restoration sites, which will be more beneficial than randomly selecting sites for habitat restoration. In addition, with successful sector restoration, it is expected that the increasing usefulness of the seed bank will allow further restoration of adjacent areas with time. © 2023 The Authors
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Milberg, Per , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Global Ecology and Conservation Vol. 47, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The quality and quantity of soil seed bank composition can play a key role in secondary succession restoration efforts such as those involved in this study, which concerned the restoration of damaged native sites in riparian environments in Victoria, Australia. The objective of this study of the restoration work was to determine the role played by naturally existing soil seed bank in the success of natural restoration in these restored and unmanaged riparian areas. In this regard, we sampled the soil seed bank, seed rain, seedlings in the field and vegetation cover from three sub catchments defined by restoration attempts which had been conducted (i) < 3 years, (ii) 4–8 years, and (iii) > 9 years previous to sampling. In addition, (iv) in order to provide comparative data, adjacent sites (iv) chosen for future restoration and (v) with remnant vegetation, were also sampled. From samples, a total of 8858 seedlings were recorded from the seed bank and the vegetation survey showed 170 species, with exotic species being more numerous than native. The seed rain (a total of 1422 seeds) was dominated by exotic species at all sites. When comparing the vegetation distribution and the seed rain composition, it was clear that whilst the seed bank was more promising as a comparative recruitment source of native species, there were still too many sites dominated by exotic species to rely on this as a long-term restoration strategy. However, this study indicated that there were significant variations in restoration potential among the sites, suggesting that some careful prior site selection for investment of restoration efforts is an important issue. As a consequence, we have recommended that a detailed understanding of the soil seed bank and seed rain species composition prior to the restoration is essential, since a positive seed bank composition with a significant relative density of native species seeds, will provide an indication of native species’ resilience and their potential for recovery. We therefore believe that the findings of this study will provide valuable information to natural resource management agencies regarding the strategy for prioritisation of restoration sites, which will be more beneficial than randomly selecting sites for habitat restoration. In addition, with successful sector restoration, it is expected that the increasing usefulness of the seed bank will allow further restoration of adjacent areas with time. © 2023 The Authors
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