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  • 1
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    The contribution of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) to soil fertility in semi-arid Spain (2000)
    Springer
    Biology and fertility of soils 31 (2000), S. 379-384 
    Details
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Bioassay ; Fertile islands ; Latrine ; Mediterranean ecosystem ; Rabbit
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract  Degradation of land in vulnerable areas can be significantly reduced by the maintenance or establishment of plant cover and diversity. Animals can facilitate plant diversity by grazing, by dispersing seeds or by contributing, through excreta, to the heterogeneous distribution of nutrients in soil. We investigated the latter property by examining the effects of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) dung deposition on soil properties in three adjacent plant communities at a semi-arid site in south-east Spain. Rabbit faecal pellets had concentrations of total N and P comparable to dung of stock animals, with K and Mg somewhat lower, although decomposition rates at this site are evidently very low. There was no significant difference in pH, but conductivity and concentrations of organic C, N (as NH4 + and NO3 –), K, P and Mg in soils from rabbit latrines were significantly greater relative to controls in each community. Barley plants grown as a bioassay of soil fertility had significantly greater total biomass, and lower root : shoot ratios in latrine compared to control soils. There were differences among communities in conductivity and concentrations of N, P and organic C under latrines which were reflected in the bioassay. Although latrines only comprised approximately 0.1% of the ground surface area in each community, they make significant localised contributions to soil fertility and may therefore be important in establishing and maintaining plant cover.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
    URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s003749900183
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    Paper (German National Licenses)
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  • 2
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Foraging, food selection and worker size in the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri (2000)
    Springer
    Oecologia 125 (2000), S. 35-44 
    Details
    ISSN: 1432-1939
    Keywords: Key words Allometry ; Granivory ; Optimal foraging ; Seed predation ; Size matching
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology
    Notes: Abstract  Interactions among granivores and seeds depend on the foraging behaviour and morphology of the granivores and on the attributes and availability of seeds. We investigated seed selection by the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri in three adjacent plant communities in Spain by relating the harvested seeds to those in the seed rain. Preference was positively correlated with seed size and abundance which accounted for 43% and 20% of the variance respectively. Contrary to predictions of central place foraging theory, the size of seeds harvested did not increase with distance from the nest. Inclusion of a less-preferred item in the diet was more strongly related to the abundance of more-preferred items (60% of the variance) than the abundance of the less-preferred item (14% of the variance). Worker size accounted for 20–30% of the variance in the size of harvested seeds, although small workers did not appear to be constrained by load size for the range of seeds available. The body size of ants was significantly larger in the community with the greatest proportion of large seeds, although this was not due to their ability to carry larger loads or due to the greater force required to crush these seeds. The strong preference of M. bouvieri for large seeds may have important consequences for the plant communities in which they forage.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
    URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/PL00008889
    Library Location Call Number Volume/Issue/Year Availability
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    Paper (German National Licenses)
    Fulltext
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