Interactions between rabbits and dung beetles influence the establishment of Erodium praecox |
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| Authors: | J.R. Verdú C. Numa J.M. Lobo M. Martínez-Azorín E. Galante |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Instituto de Biodiversidad CIBIO, Universidad de Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain;2. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, José Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain;1. Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8, Saiwai, Fuchu, 183-8509, Japan;2. Department of Ecosystem Studies, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan;1. UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland;2. Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland;1. School of Plant Biology, The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia;2. Department of Agriculture and Food, Government of Western Australia, Merredin Research Station, Western Australia 6415, Australia;1. University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK;2. Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm, Lower Harglodd Farm, St. Davids, Pembrokeshire SA62 6BX, UK;3. Lancaster Environment Centre, LEC Building, Lancaster University, Balrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK;1. Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Center of Biotechnology, Borj Cedria Science and Technology Park, B.P. 901, Hammam-Lif, 2050, Tunisia;2. AlPlanta – Institute for Plant Research, Breitenweg 71, 67435, Neustadt/Weinstrasse, Germany |
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| Abstract: | We examine the potential for two species – the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and the dung beetle Thorectes valencianus – to affect the establishment of Erodium praecox, an endemic plant of the Iberian Peninsula. Rabbit latrines may be considered potential maternal parent areas of E. praecox. The spatial and temporal stability for nutrients and surface irregularities caused by the activity of rabbits increases bare soil areas. A negative relation between diameter of the basal rosettes of Erodium and the distance to the centroid of latrines was observed. Rabbit latrines were important for E. praecox distribution but their effect was higher when T. valencianus burrows exist. In laboratory conditions, a higher number of seeds buried was observed in latrines with dung beetles, while a lower number of seeds buried was observed in bare soil. T. valencianus activity plays the role of a soil fertilizer, increasing the rate of nutrient cycling and microbial activity which could raise the rate of decomposition of pellets and result in the further release of nutrients. The excavation of the dung beetles increases the soil fertilization and the surface irregularities required for the seeds of E. praecox to be easily self-buried. |
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