Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics

Arid ecosystems are strongly limited by water availability, and precipitation plays a 2 major role in the dynamics of all species in arid regions, as well as the ecosystem processes that 3 occur there. However, understanding how biotic interactions mediate long-term responses of 4 dryland ecosystems...

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Main Authors: Farías, Ariel A., Armas, Cristina, Gaxiola, Aurora, Cea, Alex P., Cortés, Jose Luis, López, Ramiro P., Casanoves, Fernando, Holmgren, Milena, Meserve, Peter L., Gutiérrez, Julio R., Kelt, Douglas A.
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1441
https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/10271
id RepoCATIE10271
record_format dspace
spelling RepoCATIE102712022-08-05T18:54:31Z Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics Farías, Ariel A. Armas, Cristina Gaxiola, Aurora Cea, Alex P. Cortés, Jose Luis López, Ramiro P. Casanoves, Fernando Holmgren, Milena Meserve, Peter L. Gutiérrez, Julio R. Kelt, Douglas A. NIVELES TROFICOS INTERACCION ESPECIES TIERRAS SECAS EFECTOS DE LA LLUVIA DINAMICA ECOSISTEMA DISPONIBILIDAD DEL AGUA PRECIPITACION BIODIVERSIDAD Arid ecosystems are strongly limited by water availability, and precipitation plays a 2 major role in the dynamics of all species in arid regions, as well as the ecosystem processes that 3 occur there. However, understanding how biotic interactions mediate long-term responses of 4 dryland ecosystems to rainfall remains very fragmented. We report on a unique large-scale field 5 experiment spanning 25 years and three trophic levels (plants, small mammal herbivores, 6 predators) in a dryland ecosystem in the northern Chilean Mediterranean Region where we 7 assessed how biotic interactions influence the long-term plant community responses to 8 precipitation. As the most persistent ecological changes in dryland systems may result from 9 changes in the structure, cover, and composition of the perennial vegetation, we emphasized the 10 interplay between bottom-up and top-down controls of perennial plants in our analyses. Rainfall 11 was the primary factor affecting the dynamics of, and interactions among, plants and small 12 mammals. Ephemeral plant cover dynamics closely tracked short-term annual rainfall, but seemed 13 unaffected by top-down controls (herbivory). In contrast, the response of the perennial plant cover 14 to precipitation was mediated by: (i) a complex interplay between subtle top-down (herbivory) 15 controls that become more apparent in the long-term, (ii) competition with ephemeral plants 16 during wet years, and (iii) an indirect effect of predators on subdominant shrubs and perennial 17 herbs.... 2021-02-04T21:31:02Z 2021-02-04T21:31:02Z 2020 Artículo https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1441 https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/10271 en Ecological Monographs info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess application/pdf
institution Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza
collection Repositorio CATIE
language Inglés
topic NIVELES TROFICOS
INTERACCION
ESPECIES
TIERRAS SECAS
EFECTOS DE LA LLUVIA
DINAMICA
ECOSISTEMA
DISPONIBILIDAD DEL AGUA
PRECIPITACION
BIODIVERSIDAD
spellingShingle NIVELES TROFICOS
INTERACCION
ESPECIES
TIERRAS SECAS
EFECTOS DE LA LLUVIA
DINAMICA
ECOSISTEMA
DISPONIBILIDAD DEL AGUA
PRECIPITACION
BIODIVERSIDAD
Farías, Ariel A.
Armas, Cristina
Gaxiola, Aurora
Cea, Alex P.
Cortés, Jose Luis
López, Ramiro P.
Casanoves, Fernando
Holmgren, Milena
Meserve, Peter L.
Gutiérrez, Julio R.
Kelt, Douglas A.
Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
description Arid ecosystems are strongly limited by water availability, and precipitation plays a 2 major role in the dynamics of all species in arid regions, as well as the ecosystem processes that 3 occur there. However, understanding how biotic interactions mediate long-term responses of 4 dryland ecosystems to rainfall remains very fragmented. We report on a unique large-scale field 5 experiment spanning 25 years and three trophic levels (plants, small mammal herbivores, 6 predators) in a dryland ecosystem in the northern Chilean Mediterranean Region where we 7 assessed how biotic interactions influence the long-term plant community responses to 8 precipitation. As the most persistent ecological changes in dryland systems may result from 9 changes in the structure, cover, and composition of the perennial vegetation, we emphasized the 10 interplay between bottom-up and top-down controls of perennial plants in our analyses. Rainfall 11 was the primary factor affecting the dynamics of, and interactions among, plants and small 12 mammals. Ephemeral plant cover dynamics closely tracked short-term annual rainfall, but seemed 13 unaffected by top-down controls (herbivory). In contrast, the response of the perennial plant cover 14 to precipitation was mediated by: (i) a complex interplay between subtle top-down (herbivory) 15 controls that become more apparent in the long-term, (ii) competition with ephemeral plants 16 during wet years, and (iii) an indirect effect of predators on subdominant shrubs and perennial 17 herbs....
format Artículo
author Farías, Ariel A.
Armas, Cristina
Gaxiola, Aurora
Cea, Alex P.
Cortés, Jose Luis
López, Ramiro P.
Casanoves, Fernando
Holmgren, Milena
Meserve, Peter L.
Gutiérrez, Julio R.
Kelt, Douglas A.
author_facet Farías, Ariel A.
Armas, Cristina
Gaxiola, Aurora
Cea, Alex P.
Cortés, Jose Luis
López, Ramiro P.
Casanoves, Fernando
Holmgren, Milena
Meserve, Peter L.
Gutiérrez, Julio R.
Kelt, Douglas A.
author_sort Farías, Ariel A.
title Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
title_short Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
title_full Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
title_fullStr Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
title_full_unstemmed Species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
title_sort species interactions across trophic levels mediate rainfall effects on dryland vegetation dynamics
publishDate 2021
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1441
https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/10271
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