Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland
Encroachment by woody invasive plants is a major threat to grasslands and savannah ecosystems worldwide. Rodents, being primary consumers, are likely to be the first to respond to changes in the structure and composition of native vegetation. We examined the effect of an invasive shrub Prosopis juli...
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| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.755903/full |
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| author | Chetan Misher Chetan Misher Gargi Vats Abi Tamim Vanak Abi Tamim Vanak Abi Tamim Vanak |
| author_facet | Chetan Misher Chetan Misher Gargi Vats Abi Tamim Vanak Abi Tamim Vanak Abi Tamim Vanak |
| author_sort | Chetan Misher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Encroachment by woody invasive plants is a major threat to grasslands and savannah ecosystems worldwide. Rodents, being primary consumers, are likely to be the first to respond to changes in the structure and composition of native vegetation. We examined the effect of an invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora (hereafter Prosopis) on the native rodent community of an arid grassland system of Western India. Our sampling plots were divided into five categories representing different stages of Prosopis invasion and other land cover types. These consisted of restored native grassland, agriculture fallow, open brushland, sparse-Prosopis plots, and Prosopis-dominated plots. We also examined the impact of woody invasion on the response of native rodents toward moonlight and temperature. As hypothesized, we found a significantly higher abundance of rodent species in the native grassland habitat compared to sparse-Prosopis habitats. However, there was no significant difference in rodent abundance and diversity between the grassland and Prosopis-dominated habitats. Thus, species richness and abundance of rodents were the highest in the restored grasslands and dense Prosopis thickets, and the lowest in the sparse Prosopis, potentially showing a “U” shaped response to Prosopis invasion. We observed a species-specific effect of Prosopis on the activity of Tatera indica, Bandicota bengalensis, and Millardia meltada. Habitat type mediated the effect of different environmental factors (moonlight and temperature) on the activity of the most commonly ocurring species T. indica while activity of M. meltada showed a weak association with environmental factors. B. bengalensis was the most generalist species showing similar activity across all habitat types. Thus, the impact of Prosopis invasion on the rodent community was uneven, and depended on species as well as on local environmental characteristics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T07:59:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38fd84f5d2e2401ea4c79abaaac4d241 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T07:59:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-38fd84f5d2e2401ea4c79abaaac4d2412022-12-21T23:54:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-03-011010.3389/fevo.2022.755903755903Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid GrasslandChetan Misher0Chetan Misher1Gargi Vats2Abi Tamim Vanak3Abi Tamim Vanak4Abi Tamim Vanak5Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, IndiaManipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, IndiaGuru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, IndiaAshoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, IndiaSchool of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, South AfricaDBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Program, Hyderabad, IndiaEncroachment by woody invasive plants is a major threat to grasslands and savannah ecosystems worldwide. Rodents, being primary consumers, are likely to be the first to respond to changes in the structure and composition of native vegetation. We examined the effect of an invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora (hereafter Prosopis) on the native rodent community of an arid grassland system of Western India. Our sampling plots were divided into five categories representing different stages of Prosopis invasion and other land cover types. These consisted of restored native grassland, agriculture fallow, open brushland, sparse-Prosopis plots, and Prosopis-dominated plots. We also examined the impact of woody invasion on the response of native rodents toward moonlight and temperature. As hypothesized, we found a significantly higher abundance of rodent species in the native grassland habitat compared to sparse-Prosopis habitats. However, there was no significant difference in rodent abundance and diversity between the grassland and Prosopis-dominated habitats. Thus, species richness and abundance of rodents were the highest in the restored grasslands and dense Prosopis thickets, and the lowest in the sparse Prosopis, potentially showing a “U” shaped response to Prosopis invasion. We observed a species-specific effect of Prosopis on the activity of Tatera indica, Bandicota bengalensis, and Millardia meltada. Habitat type mediated the effect of different environmental factors (moonlight and temperature) on the activity of the most commonly ocurring species T. indica while activity of M. meltada showed a weak association with environmental factors. B. bengalensis was the most generalist species showing similar activity across all habitat types. Thus, the impact of Prosopis invasion on the rodent community was uneven, and depended on species as well as on local environmental characteristics.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.755903/fullwoody encroachmentdry grasslandsavanna ecosystemrodentsProsopis juliflora |
| spellingShingle | Chetan Misher Chetan Misher Gargi Vats Abi Tamim Vanak Abi Tamim Vanak Abi Tamim Vanak Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution woody encroachment dry grassland savanna ecosystem rodents Prosopis juliflora |
| title | Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland |
| title_full | Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland |
| title_fullStr | Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland |
| title_short | Differential Responses of Small Mammals to Woody Encroachment in a Semi-Arid Grassland |
| title_sort | differential responses of small mammals to woody encroachment in a semi arid grassland |
| topic | woody encroachment dry grassland savanna ecosystem rodents Prosopis juliflora |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.755903/full |
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