Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada
Herbivores are key players in ecosystem function and connect nutrient cycling across animal and plant trophic levels. Herbivore impacts on ecosystems can be direct or indirect and it is necessary to study both paths to understand herbivore impacts on above-ground and below-ground ecosystem functioni...
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ftdatacite:10.48336/ygz1-rp05 2023-05-15T17:20:17+02:00 Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada Swain, Makayla 2021 https://dx.doi.org/10.48336/ygz1-rp05 https://research.library.mun.ca/15273/ en eng Memorial University of Newfoundland article-journal ScholarlyArticle Text 2021 ftdatacite https://doi.org/10.48336/ygz1-rp05 2022-04-01T12:46:34Z Herbivores are key players in ecosystem function and connect nutrient cycling across animal and plant trophic levels. Herbivore impacts on ecosystems can be direct or indirect and it is necessary to study both paths to understand herbivore impacts on above-ground and below-ground ecosystem functioning. We conducted an experiment to test the hypothesis that non-native moose on the island of Newfoundland have negative impacts on plant communities, nutrient cycling, soil composition, and soil organism communities. We collected data on plant and invertebrate communities, climate, and soils in 11 paired exclosure-control plots in eastern and central Newfoundland that provide insight into 22-25 years of moose herbivory. Structural equations models revealed that moose had direct negative impacts on palatable tree height and abundance and an indirect negative impact on soil microbial C:N ratios. We found that moose had a direct negative impact on soil horizon depth and plant material and a positive impact on soil temperature and moisture, particularly in the first soil horizon. We detected no significant impact of moose on soil total C and N, net nitrogen mineralization, or macro-invertebrate communities. Overall, we unearthed evidence of indirect cascading impacts of moose on soil functions although these impacts are relatively weak. Text Newfoundland DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) Canada |
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DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
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Herbivores are key players in ecosystem function and connect nutrient cycling across animal and plant trophic levels. Herbivore impacts on ecosystems can be direct or indirect and it is necessary to study both paths to understand herbivore impacts on above-ground and below-ground ecosystem functioning. We conducted an experiment to test the hypothesis that non-native moose on the island of Newfoundland have negative impacts on plant communities, nutrient cycling, soil composition, and soil organism communities. We collected data on plant and invertebrate communities, climate, and soils in 11 paired exclosure-control plots in eastern and central Newfoundland that provide insight into 22-25 years of moose herbivory. Structural equations models revealed that moose had direct negative impacts on palatable tree height and abundance and an indirect negative impact on soil microbial C:N ratios. We found that moose had a direct negative impact on soil horizon depth and plant material and a positive impact on soil temperature and moisture, particularly in the first soil horizon. We detected no significant impact of moose on soil total C and N, net nitrogen mineralization, or macro-invertebrate communities. Overall, we unearthed evidence of indirect cascading impacts of moose on soil functions although these impacts are relatively weak. |
format |
Text |
author |
Swain, Makayla |
spellingShingle |
Swain, Makayla Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada |
author_facet |
Swain, Makayla |
author_sort |
Swain, Makayla |
title |
Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada |
title_short |
Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada |
title_full |
Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of Newfoundland, Canada |
title_sort |
indirect impacts of a non-native ungulate browser on soil ecosystem function is variable across soil horizons in the boreal forests of newfoundland, canada |
publisher |
Memorial University of Newfoundland |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://dx.doi.org/10.48336/ygz1-rp05 https://research.library.mun.ca/15273/ |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.48336/ygz1-rp05 |
_version_ |
1766098624927760384 |