INVESTIGADORES
FARJI-BRENER Alejandro Gustavo
artículos
Título:
Can the nutrient-rich soil patches created by leaf-cutting ants favor plant compensation for foliar damage? A test of the compensatory continuum hypothesis
Autor/es:
PIRK, GABRIELA; FARJI-BRENER, AG
Revista:
PLANT ECOLOGY
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2013 vol. 214 p. 1059 - 1070
ISSN:
1385-0237
Resumen:
Compensation, the degree of plant recov- ery after herbivory, is influenced by nutrient avail- ability. The compensatory continuum hypothesis (CCH) predicts that the more abundant the resources in an environment, the greater the potential for compensation. Nutrient-rich patches generated by leaf-cutting ants near their nests could modify plants? responses to damage. We performed a greenhouse and a field experiment to evaluate the effects of refuse dumps (RDs) created by Acromyrmex lobicornis on plant compensation for foliar herbivory in roadside areas of the Patagonian steppe. We expected higher tolerance in plants growing in RDs than in adjacent non-nest soils (NNSs). We also assessed whether compensation differed between native and exotic species common in the area. We expected higher compensation in exotic than native plants since they perform better in RDs. Native and exotic plants fully compensated for simulated herbivory resembling natural levels. In the greenhouse, clipped plants achieved similar biomass as control plants and in the field reproductive output was similar between