Abstract
AimsThe badgers may affect soil chemical properties and plant species composition in two ways: by digging burrows (topsoil mixing) and by using latrines (fertilized soils). Here is reported which kind of badgers’ activity plays a major role.MethodsSoil samples for pH, total N, NH4+, NO3− and data concerning plant species composition were collected on circular plots (N = 80) on burrow mounds, latrines and reference areas.ResultsBurrow mounds were characterized by higher pH and lower content of total N. The content of NH4+ − main component of manure, was higher in latrines than on mounds, whereas in the case of mounds, the content of NO3− was higher than in latrines. There was higher plant species richness on the burrow mounds than on the other plot types. Also plant species characterized with traits allowing them to settle on disturbed habitats were recorded at a higher number on burrow mounds. CCA analysis distinguished only one herbaceous plant aggregation associated with burrow mounds. The presence of latrines with high rate of nitrogen input did not affect plant species composition due to a low rate of soil mixing.ConclusionsSoil chemical properties and flora changes showed that badgers shape plant communities not by fertilization with excrements but, as a result of digging activity, by altering topsoil conditions.
Highlights
Plant species composition is closely connected with soil conditions which can be expressed as nutrients content
The highest values of pH were detected both on burrow mounds and in latrines (Table 1, Fig. 1)
The pH did not depend on the type of disturbance, values on burrow mounds and in latrines were similar
Summary
Plant species composition is closely connected with soil conditions which can be expressed as nutrients content. Nutrient content and its availability for plants may be influenced by soil disturbance generated by digging animals (Canals and Sebastiá 2000; Kurek et al 2014a, b; Platt et al 2016). Local activities increase environmental heterogeneity by opening space and altering the microhabitats (Semenov et al 2001; Guo et al 2012) It is well known, that soil pedturbation has a number of effects on plant species communities, being the reason for the increase in plant species richness (Schnoor and Olsson 2010) by changing the representation of some plant strategies, i.e. the share of therophytes and geophytes (McIntyre et al 1999, but see: Gómez-Garcia et al 1995). A common finding is that such patches promote growth of annuals (Kinlaw 1999; Obidziński and Głogowski 2005) and decrease interspecific competition making free space for new species to establish (Wilson and Tilman 1993; Kinlaw 1999) and enriching species diversity (Canals and Sebastiá 2000; Kurek et al 2014a, b)
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