Abstract
Invasive plants have very important ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Producing and dispersing many viable seeds are key plant functional traits for invaders. Ungulate grazing plays an important role in the endozoochorous seed dispersal within grasslands and rangelands. Grazing can be applied as a practical and economical control method for plant invasions. We analyzed the effects of seed passage through the goat digestive system on the germination and viability for Sorghum halepense and Malva parviflora, common invasive species with contrasted propagules and seed traits. Both studied species produced seeds able to survive, in a small percentages (c. 0.80–1.70%), after being eaten by goats. Most of the seeds (c. 40–55%) of both species were retrieved between 24–48 h after ingestion. Goat passage provoked a decrease (> 60%) in the germination percentage and seed viability of S. halepense that was higher with longer gut retention times. In M. parviflora, the goat gut passage did not break its primary physical dormancy, since no retrieved seed germinated with similar viability as the uneaten seeds (c. 90%). In view of our results, goat grazing can be applied as a useful method to control S. halepense and M. parviflora invasions. Goats should be kept in corrals for at least 4 days after grazing to prevent transferring viable seeds to uninfected areas.
Highlights
In a context of global environmental change, ecological perturbations caused by invasive plants are reducing biodiversity, altering ecosystem functions and causing considerable economic and human health impacts [1]
Our results show that targeted grazing by goats is a potentially useful method for controlling the invasion of herbaceous plants with agronomic use such as Sorghum halepense and Malva parviflora
The lower survival of seeds of M. parviflora compared to S. halepense could be related to their bigger size
Summary
In a context of global environmental change, ecological perturbations caused by invasive plants are reducing biodiversity, altering ecosystem functions and causing considerable economic and human health impacts [1]. Many plant species with agronomic potential may become invasive. With the aim of fighting biological invasions, it is useful to identify invasion syndromes as a combination of alien species traits and characteristics of the recipient ecosystem, which collectively result in predictable dynamics and impacts [3]. In this sense, producing many viable seeds that are dispersed effectively to set persistent soil seed banks with broad germination requirements are key plant functional traits related to the spread and abundance of invaders [4,5]
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