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Interactive Effects of Three Ecosystem Engineers on Infiltration in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Grassland

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Abstract

The redistribution of water in semi-arid environments is critical for the maintenance and survival of vegetation patches. We used a systems approach to examine the interactive effects of three engineers—Stipa tenacissima, biological soil crusts, and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)—on infiltration processes in a model gypseous semi-arid Mediterranean grassland. We measured the early (sorptivity) and later (steady-state infiltration) stages of infiltration at two supply potentials using disk permeameters, which allowed us to determine the relative effects of different engineers and soil micropores on water flow through large macropores. We detected few effects under tension when flow was restricted to matrix pores, but under ponding, sorptivity and steady-state infiltration adjacent to Stipa tussocks were 2–3 times higher than in intact or rabbit-disturbed biological soil crusts. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that both Stipa and biological soil crust cover exerted substantial and equal positive effects on infiltration under ponding, whereas indirectly, rabbit disturbance negatively affected infiltration by reducing crust cover. Under tension, when macropores were prevented from conducting water, Stipa had a direct negative effect and biological soil crust cover was relatively unimportant. More complex SEM models demonstrated that (1) Stipa primarily influenced biological soil crusts by reducing their richness, (2) rabbits exerted a small negative effect on crust richness, and (3) lichens were negatively, and mosses positively, correlated with a derived “infiltration” axis. Our results highlight the importance of biological soil crusts as key players in the maintenance of infiltration processes in Stipa grasslands, and demonstrate the modulating role played by rabbits through their surface disturbances.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Grant CGL2008-00986-E/BOS). We thank the Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural, Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA) for allowing us to work in the Aranjuez Experimental Station (Finca de Sotomayor). FTM acknowledges support from the European Research Council under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant agreement no. 242658.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia

    David J. Eldridge

  2. Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933, Móstoles, Spain

    Matthew A. Bowker, Fernando T. Maestre, Patricia Alonso, Rebecca L. Mau, Jorge Papadopoulos & Adrián Escudero

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  1. David J. Eldridge
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Correspondence to David J. Eldridge.

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Author Contributions

DJE, MAB, FTM conceived the study; AE contributed original ideas; DJE, MAB, PA, RLM, JP performed the research; DJE, MAB analyzed the data and wrote the paper.

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Eldridge, D.J., Bowker, M.A., Maestre, F.T. et al. Interactive Effects of Three Ecosystem Engineers on Infiltration in a Semi-Arid Mediterranean Grassland. Ecosystems 13, 499–510 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-010-9335-4

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