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Soil‐disturbance by native animals plays a critical role in maintaining healthy Australian landscapes
Author(s) -
Eldridge David J.,
James Alex I.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
ecological management and restoration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.472
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1442-8903
pISSN - 1442-7001
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2009.00452.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , ecology , disturbance (geology) , arid , soil water , ecosystem , abiotic component , habitat , litter , organic matter , infiltration (hvac) , biology , soil science , geography , paleontology , meteorology
Summary Soil‐disturbing animals have wide‐ranging effects on both biotic and abiotic processes across a number of Australian ecosystems. They alter soil quality by mixing surface soils and trapping litter and water, leading to areas of increased decomposition of organic matter. The foraging pits of indigenous soil‐disturbing animals tend to have different soil chemical characteristics, greater levels of infiltration and lower levels of soil density than adjacent areas. Enhanced capture of seeds and water turns disturbance pits into areas of enhanced plant germination. The burrows, pits and mounds of both native and exotic animals provide habitat for a range of vertebrates and invertebrates and contribute to patchiness in the landscape. Given their wide‐ranging effects on surface soil and ecological processes, we argue in this review that soil disturbance by native animals has the potential to contribute to restoration of degraded landscapes, particularly in arid and semi‐arid areas.