Abstract
Abstract. Although the burrowing activity of some species (e.g., gophers) is well studied, a comprehensive inventory of burrowing animals in adjacent biomes is not yet known, despite the potential importance of burrowing activity on the physical and chemical evolution of Earth's surface. In this study, we review the available information with a focus on the following: (a) an inventory of burrowing vertebrates and invertebrates along the climate and ecological gradient in Chile; (b) the dimensions and characteristics of burrows; and (c) calculation of excavation rates by local species compositions. Methods used include a literature compilation (> 1000 studies) of Chilean burrowing animal species integrated with global, species-specific excavation rates. A field study augments literature findings with quantification of the zoogeomorphic effects on hillslope mass transport at the animal community level and along the arid to humid–temperate climate gradient within the Chilean Coastal Cordillera (27–38∘ S latitude). The literature review indicates a minimum of 45 vertebrate and 345 invertebrate burrowing species distributed across Chile in different biomes. Burrowing depths for Chilean mammals range between 3 m (e.g., for skunks, Conepatus) and 0.25 m (for rock rats, Aconaemys). For invertebrates, burrowing depths in Chile range between 1 m for scorpions to 0.3 m for spiders. In comparison, globally documented maximum burrow depths reach up to more than 6 m for vertebrates (gopher tortoises and aardvarks) and 4 m for invertebrates (ants). Minimum excavation rates of local animal communities observed from field sites in Chile are 0.34 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the arid site, 0.56 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the semiarid site, 0.93 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the mediterranean site and 0.09 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for the humid–temperate site, with the latter likely an underestimation. The calculated minimum Chilean excavation rates are within the large range of globally observed single species rates ranging between 0.01 and 56.20 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for vertebrates and from 0.01 to 37.31 m3 ha−1 yr−1 for invertebrates. Taken together, results not only highlight the diverse and latitudinally varying number of burrowing vertebrates and invertebrates present in different biomes, but also foster the understanding of how burrowing activity changes over a gradient and is influenced by mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, slope aspect and latitudinal-related incoming solar energy.
Highlights
Abiotic processes such as overland flow, creep, rain splash, wind and mass wasting, as well as biotic processes induced by animals or plants, influence the erosion of hillslopes (Amelung et al, 2018; Anderson and Anderson, 2010; Gabet et al, 2003; Smith and Gardner, 1985; Starke et al, 2020; Viles, 2020)
Excluded were species that are restricted to the use of burrows made by other species, as well as ground dwellers that hide under rocks or vegetation and soil-dwelling animals that move through the soil by pushing material aside (“swimming”) (Gabet et al, 2003), as they do not burrow in the sense of making tunnels or exchanging material between the subsurface and the surface
In this literature review we focus on an inventory of burrowing vertebrates and invertebrates along the climate and ecological gradient in Chile
Summary
Abiotic processes such as overland flow, creep, rain splash, wind and mass wasting, as well as biotic processes induced by animals or plants, influence the erosion of hillslopes (Amelung et al, 2018; Anderson and Anderson, 2010; Gabet et al, 2003; Smith and Gardner, 1985; Starke et al, 2020; Viles, 2020). Geomorphic processes that result from burrowing animals are called zoogeomorphologic (Butler, 1995; Corenblit et al, 2011) and are a form of bioturbation (Hole, 1981; Wilske et al, 2015). Some of the earliest work documenting zoogeomorphologic processes (e.g., downhill sediment transport by animals) was Darwin’s (1881) detailed description of earthworm activity. K. Übernickel et al.: Composition and characteristics of burrowing animals pedosphere include earthworms; a wide range of insects (Bétard, 2020) including larval stages to adult forms of beetles, bees and ants; spiders and scorpions; crustaceans; and myriapods; and burrowing vertebrates such as lizards (e.g., Donoso-Barros, 1960) and larger mammals, like rodents, wolves, badgers (Thorp, 1949) and birds (e.g., Figueroa and Stucchi, 2008; Masello et al, 2006; Zavalaga and AlfaroShigueto, 2015)
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