Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover
Abstract Human activities, directly and indirectly, impact ecological engineering activities of subterranean rodents. As engineering activities of burrowing rodents are affected by, and reciprocally affect vegetation cover via feeding, burrowing and mound building, human influence such as settlement...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10337 |
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| author | Addisu Asefa Victoria Reuber Georg Miehe Luise Wraase Tilaye Wube Dana G. Schabo Nina Farwig |
| author_facet | Addisu Asefa Victoria Reuber Georg Miehe Luise Wraase Tilaye Wube Dana G. Schabo Nina Farwig |
| author_sort | Addisu Asefa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Human activities, directly and indirectly, impact ecological engineering activities of subterranean rodents. As engineering activities of burrowing rodents are affected by, and reciprocally affect vegetation cover via feeding, burrowing and mound building, human influence such as settlements and livestock grazing, could have cascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystem processes such as bioturbation. However, there is limited understanding of the relationship between human activities and burrowing rodents. The aim of this study was therefore to understand how human activities influence the ecological engineering activity of the giant root‐rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), a subterranean rodent species endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. We collected data on human impact, burrowing activity and vegetation during February and March of 2021. Using path analysis, we tested (1) direct effects of human settlement on the patterns of livestock grazing intensity, (2) direct and indirect impacts of humans and livestock grazing intensity on the root‐rat burrow density and (3) whether human settlement and livestock grazing influence the effects of giant root‐rat burrow density on vegetation and vice versa. We found lower levels of livestock grazing intensity further from human settlement than in its proximity. We also found a significantly increased giant root‐rat burrow density with increasing livestock grazing intensity. Seasonal settlement and livestock grazing intensity had an indirect negative and positive effect on giant root‐rat burrow density, respectively, both via vegetation cover. Analysing the reciprocal effects of giant root‐rat on vegetation, we found a significantly decreased vegetation cover with increasing density of giant root‐rat burrows, and indirectly with increasing livestock grazing intensity via giant root‐rat burrow density. Our results demonstrate that giant root‐rats play a synanthropic engineering role that affects vegetation structure and ecosystem processes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:51:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffa11deec69e4b1a9c392904221ed649 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:51:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffa11deec69e4b1a9c392904221ed6492024-01-11T02:50:02ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-07-01137n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10337Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation coverAddisu Asefa0Victoria Reuber1Georg Miehe2Luise Wraase3Tilaye Wube4Dana G. Schabo5Nina Farwig6Department of Biology, Conservation Ecology Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg GermanyDepartment of Biology, Conservation Ecology Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg GermanyDepartment of Geography, Vegetation Geography Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg GermanyDepartment of Geography, Environmental Informatics Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg GermanyDepartment of Zoology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa EthiopiaDepartment of Biology, Conservation Ecology Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg GermanyDepartment of Biology, Conservation Ecology Philipps‐Universität Marburg Marburg GermanyAbstract Human activities, directly and indirectly, impact ecological engineering activities of subterranean rodents. As engineering activities of burrowing rodents are affected by, and reciprocally affect vegetation cover via feeding, burrowing and mound building, human influence such as settlements and livestock grazing, could have cascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystem processes such as bioturbation. However, there is limited understanding of the relationship between human activities and burrowing rodents. The aim of this study was therefore to understand how human activities influence the ecological engineering activity of the giant root‐rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), a subterranean rodent species endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. We collected data on human impact, burrowing activity and vegetation during February and March of 2021. Using path analysis, we tested (1) direct effects of human settlement on the patterns of livestock grazing intensity, (2) direct and indirect impacts of humans and livestock grazing intensity on the root‐rat burrow density and (3) whether human settlement and livestock grazing influence the effects of giant root‐rat burrow density on vegetation and vice versa. We found lower levels of livestock grazing intensity further from human settlement than in its proximity. We also found a significantly increased giant root‐rat burrow density with increasing livestock grazing intensity. Seasonal settlement and livestock grazing intensity had an indirect negative and positive effect on giant root‐rat burrow density, respectively, both via vegetation cover. Analysing the reciprocal effects of giant root‐rat on vegetation, we found a significantly decreased vegetation cover with increasing density of giant root‐rat burrows, and indirectly with increasing livestock grazing intensity via giant root‐rat burrow density. Our results demonstrate that giant root‐rats play a synanthropic engineering role that affects vegetation structure and ecosystem processes.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10337bioturbationgrazing intensityhuman settlementrodent burrowsynanthropic association |
| spellingShingle | Addisu Asefa Victoria Reuber Georg Miehe Luise Wraase Tilaye Wube Dana G. Schabo Nina Farwig Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover Ecology and Evolution bioturbation grazing intensity human settlement rodent burrow synanthropic association |
| title | Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover |
| title_full | Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover |
| title_fullStr | Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover |
| title_short | Human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent, Tachyoryctes macrocephalus, on Afroalpine vegetation cover |
| title_sort | human activities modulate reciprocal effects of a subterranean ecological engineer rodent tachyoryctes macrocephalus on afroalpine vegetation cover |
| topic | bioturbation grazing intensity human settlement rodent burrow synanthropic association |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10337 |
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