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97 results for “ecosystem engineer”

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Differential effects of ecosystem engineering by the superb lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae and herbivory by large mammals on floristic regeneration and structure in wet eucalypt forests

Ecosystem engineers that modify soil and ground-layer properties exert a strong influence on vegetation communities in ecosystems worldwide. Understanding the interactions between animal engineers and vegetation is challenging when in the presence of large herbivores, as many vegetation communities are simultaneously affected by both engineering and herbivory. The superb lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae, an ecosystem engineer in wet forests of south-eastern Australia, extensively modifies litter and soil on the forest floor. The aim of this study was to disentangle the impacts of engineering by lyrebirds and herbivory by large mammals on the composition and structure of ground-layer vegetation. We carried out a two-year, manipulative exclusion experiment in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. We compared three treatments: fenced plots with simulated lyrebird foraging; fenced plots excluding herbivores and lyrebirds; and open controls. This design allowed assessment of the relative impacts of engineering and herbivory on germination rates, seedling density, vegetation cover and structure, and community composition. Engineering by lyrebirds enhanced the germination of seeds in the litter layer. After two years, more than double the number of germinants were present in 'engineered' than 'non-engineered' plots. Engineering did not affect the density of seedlings, but herbivory had strong detrimental effects. Herbivory also reduced the floristic richness and structural complexity (< 0.5 m) of forest vegetation, including the cover of herbs. Neither process altered the floristic composition of the vegetation within the 2-year study period. Ecosystem engineering by lyrebirds and herbivory by large mammals both influence the structure of forest-floor vegetation. The two-fold increase in seeds stimulated to germinate by engineering may contribute to the evolutionary adaptation of plants by allowing greater phenotypic expression and selection than would otherwise occur. Over long timescales, engineering and herbivory likely combine to maintain a more-open forest floor conducive to ongoing ecosystem engineering by lyrebirds.

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

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Resource modification by ecosystem engineers generates hotspots of stream community assembly and ecosystem function

Ecosystem engineers can generate hotspots of ecological structure and function by facilitating the aggregation of both resources and consumers. However, nearly all examples of such engineered hotspots come from long-lived foundation species, such as marine and freshwater mussels, intertidal cordgrasses, and alpine cushion plants, with less attention given to small-bodied, and short-lived taxa. Insects often have rapid life cycles and high population densities and are among the most diverse and ubiquitous animals on earth. Although these taxa have the potential to generate hotspots and heterogeneity comparable to that of foundation species, few studies have examined this possibility. We conducted a mesocosm experiment to examine the degree to which a stream insect ecosystem engineer, the net-spinning caddisfly (Tricoptera:Hydropsychidae), creates hotspots of ecosystem function by facilitating invertebrate community assembly. Our experiment used two treatments: (1) stream benthic habitat with patches of caddisfly engineers present and (2) a control treatment with no caddisflies present. We show that compared to controls, caddisflies increased local resource availability, measured as particulate organic matter (POM) by 43%, ecosystem respiration (ER) by 70%, and invertebrate density, biomass and richness by 96%, 244%, and 72%, respectively. These changes resulted in increased spatial variation of POM by 25%, invertebrate density by 76%, and ER by 29% compared to controls, indicating a strong effect of caddisflies on ecological heterogeneity. We found a positive relationship between invertebrate density and ammonium concentration in the caddisfly treatment, but no such relationship in the control, indicating that either caddisflies themselves or the invertebrate aggregations they create increased nutrient availability. When accounting for the amount of POM, caddisfly treatments increased invertebrate density by 48% and richness by 40% compared to controls, suggesting that caddisflies may also enhance the nutritional quality of resources for the invertebrate assemblage. The caddisfly treatment also increased the rate of ecosystem respiration as a function of increasing POM compared to the control. Our study demonstrates that insect ecosystem engineers can generate heterogeneity by concentrating local resources and consumers, with consequences for carbon and nutrient cycling.

opencc-zeroJan 2023View details →

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Data from: Pollinators and plants as ecosystem engineers: post-dispersal fruits provide new habitats for other organisms

Ecosystem engineering consists of a ubiquitous and fundamental class of interactions where some organisms promote state changes in biotic and abiotic materials which indirectly affect others. Since the concept was created as a counterpoint to traditional flux-based models, pollinators have never been considered to promote ecosystem engineering because they modulate the supply of resources used by seed/fruit consumers. However, dry fruits may persist in the environment for long periods after seed dispersion as empty structures that are an additional alternative for occupancy. These increase the realized niche of some organisms, being a clear example of biogenic habitats. Here, we demonstrate how pollination may boost ecosystem engineering using an illustrative case study based on a specialized interaction between a bee and an orchid with characteristic capsular fruits. We demonstrate that the orchid is fully dependent on the pollinator to set fruits. Post-dispersal fruits are voluminous and remain attached to the plant for several years. By investigating the occupation patterns of arthropods, we show that post-dispersal fruits are highly suitable for occupants when compared to pre-dispersal and dispersing fruits. Only 13.3% of post-dispersal fruits were never occupied, 33.3% had organisms inside and 53.3% showed signs of previous occupation. We propose that pollinators are allogenic engineers and plants autogenic, since they promote state changes through their actions and their own physical structure, respectively. Thus, pollination is a case of cooperative ecosystem engineering whereby the effects of the interaction between two or more species expand habitat suitability. Since most plants rely on pollination to set fruits, we suggest that pollination-mediated engineering constitutes a widespread phenomenon. This offers a new perspective about the effects of pollination in nature, highlighting the importance of pollinators and opening new avenues of investigation of ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity maintenance.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

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Macroinvertebrate ecosystem engineering affects streambed retention of microplastics

Microplastic pollution of aquatic environments threatens human health, ecosystem processes, and biodiversity. Many existing models of microplastic movement in streams do not account for biotic effects on microplastic fate. Ecosystem engineering by net-spinning caddisflies (Hydropsychidae) has been shown to substantially affect sediment and organic matter transport as well as streambed hydrology. Caddisfly engineering may likewise affect the movement of microplastic pollution in streams. We used a controlled 11-d flume experiment to investigate the potential for caddisflies to serve as a biotic control on microplastic transport. Flumes containing a single gravel dune were randomly assigned to density treatments: control (0 caddisflies/m2) or stocked with 500, 800, or 2500 caddisflies/m2, incubated (d 1–10) to allow for caddisfly silk structure construction, inoculated (d 11) with PVC microplastics (333 µm–1 mm), and sampled (d 12). Microplastic was quantified as caught in a drift net (downstream transport), eaten by caddisflies (ingestion), or captured in caddisfly silk structures or settled into the gravel dune (i.e., total streambed retention). Mean downstream plastic transport was 9% lower than the control in the 800 caddisflies/m2 treatment and 10% lower in the 2500 caddisflies/m2 treatment (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively). Mean total streambed retention was 9% higher than control in the 800 caddisflies/m2 treatment (p < 0.001) and 910% higher in the 2500 caddisflies/m2 treatment (p = 0.004). Ingestion of plastic by caddisflies was rare and highly variable (0–0.55% of plastic particles) but did increase with caddisfly density (p = 0.002). This work represents one of the first investigations of animal ecosystem engineering as a control on the movement and fate of microplastic particles in fresh waters and establishes a foundation for future research on biotic control of microplastic transport. Our results suggest that ecosystem engineering by net-spinning caddisflies may serve as a biotic control of microplastic transport in freshwater streams.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

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