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Soil nutrient fluxes and vegetation changes on molehills
Author(s) -
Canals RosaMaria,
Sebastià MariaTeresa
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.2307/3236771
Subject(s) - deserts and xeric shrublands , ruderal species , ecology , guild , nutrient , grassland , revegetation , soil water , vegetation (pathology) , environmental science , phosphorus , disturbance (geology) , agronomy , biology , ecological succession , habitat , chemistry , paleontology , organic chemistry , medicine , pathology
. The hypothesis that mole burrowing activity alters soil nutrient fluxes and that, as a response to the new conditions, a specialized guild of species develops on the molehills, was tested in an area located in the southwestern Spanish Pyrenees, on a spectrum of montane grassland communities that varies from xeric to temporally waterlogged. Evidence for an association between disturbance and nutrient availability was reported for nitrogen. Mole‐disturbed soils had elevated amounts of inorganic nitrogen compared to soils in surrounding pastures. At the first stages of mound revegetation, changes in nitrate flushes and in species competitive relationships following disturbance appeared to facilitate the establishment of ruderal and non‐mycorrhizal species. The diversity of the whole grassland was enhanced by the existence of these sets of species, abundant on mounds and rarer in the pasture. However, the difference was mainly quantitative, as exclusive colonizers of molehills were not found.