The biodeposition process in native mammals: spatial distribution and influence of waste products on soil fertility in restored and grazed woodland

Abstract

Mammals have been widely recognized as mobile link species that can vectorize resources across the landscape. In this study, we analyze the biodeposition of waste products egested by native herbivorous mammals of the Monte Desert to document for the first time the implications of the restoration of a native forest on this process. We compared a restored native woodland an adjacent grazing field in terms of the spatial distribution of waste products, the biodiversity of trophic items stored in fecal pellets, and the C:N ratio as a predictor of nutrients supplied to the soil. We found that fecal pellets of mammal species were intermingled and spatially distributed throughout the entire landscape, but they were more abundant in the restoration area, indicating the influence of land management types on the distribution process. The two mammal species presented different feeding strategies; however, the plant species consumed in the grazing field indicate decreased food options for native mammals, meaning a smaller amplitude of their trophic niches under this land management. The low C:N ratio and the high nitrogen pool provided by the pellets in the restoration area suggest a potential benefit to plant communities. However, the higher organic C jointly with the lower C:N ratio observed in fecal pellets of grazing field indicate a low decomposability which could promote the conservation of C in the soil.