Artículo
Forage offering and seasonal intake comparisons to evaluate European rabbit threat in Nothofagus forests of southern Patagonia
Huertas Herrera, Alejandro
; Toro Manríquez, Mónica del Rosario
; Borrelli, Laura Beatriz; Lencinas, María Vanessa
; Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José
Fecha de publicación:
12/2022
Editorial:
Springer
Revista:
Ecological Processes
ISSN:
2192-1709
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Background: The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L. 1758) was introduced into different regions of the world, generating significant trade-offs that critically impacted native vegetation. Here, we evaluate the rabbit's forage intakes in three vegetation types (forests, shrublands, and grasslands) along the four seasons in a temperate forest landscape in Southern Patagonia and discuss the potential threats over native vegetation. We formulated the following questions: (i) what is the forage offer at each vegetation type? (ii) what is the rabbit's forage intake and how it varied across the seasons along the year? and (iii) which vegetation types and plant life forms were more used according to the rabbit's forage intakes? Methods: We censused understory vegetation to characterize the forage offer at each vegetation type and determined seasonal dietary intakes using microhistological analysis of pellets. The plant species identified in the field were grouped according to life form classes (tree regeneration, shrubs, forbs, graminoids, orchids, ferns, bryophytes, and hemiparasites). Data were analysed through uni- and multi-variate analyses, determining relationships between forage offer and the rabbit's forage intakes. Results: Forage intakes revealed changes in plant life form consumption across vegetation types, where intake pressure was considerably different for tree regeneration (p = 0.001), graminoids (p = 0.001), and hemiparasites (p = 0.001). Besides, significant changes in consumption among seasons were detected for shrubs (p = 0.001), ferns (p = 0.030), and hemiparasites (p = 0.002). Although many species play an important role in the rabbit's forage intake networks (e.g., Chiliotrichum diffusum, Holcus lanatus), the strongest intake linkages were found in exotic grasses (e.g., Poa pratensis and Festuca sp.), native hemiparasites (e.g., Misodendrum sp.), native shrubs (e.g., Empetrum rubrum), and native trees (e.g., Nothofagus sp.). The summer and autumn seasons presented higher intake compared to the winter and spring seasons. Furthermore, hemiparasites intake (e.g., Misodendrum sp.) suggests that rabbits utilize different forage sources depending on the vegetation types. Conclusions: Rabbits regularly inhabit the forest, even though it is not their preferred vegetation type to live. Rabbit management entails isolating regions that are more favourable to intake and emphasizing the year's season for rabbit control efforts.
Archivos asociados
Licencia
Identificadores
Colecciones
Articulos(CADIC)
Articulos de CENTRO AUSTRAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Articulos de CENTRO AUSTRAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
Citación
Huertas Herrera, Alejandro; Toro Manríquez, Mónica del Rosario; Borrelli, Laura Beatriz; Lencinas, María Vanessa; Martínez Pastur, Guillermo José; Forage offering and seasonal intake comparisons to evaluate European rabbit threat in Nothofagus forests of southern Patagonia; Springer; Ecological Processes; 11; 1; 12-2022; 1-14
Compartir
Altmétricas