The biodeposition process in native mammals: spatial distribution and influence of waste products on soil fertility in restored and grazed woodland

TABENI S.; LARRAMENDY, L; SZYMAÑSKI, C.; CONA, M.

RESTORATION ECOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2022

1061-2971

Mammals have been widely recognized as mobile link species that can vectorize resources across the landscape. In this study,we analyze the biodeposition of waste products egested by native herbivorous mammals of the Monte Desert to document forthe first time the implications of the restoration of a native forest on this process. We compared a restored native woodland anadjacent grazing field in terms of the spatial distribution of waste products, the biodiversity of trophic items stored in fecalpellets, and the C:N ratio as a predictor of nutrients supplied to the soil. We found that fecal pellets of mammal species wereintermingled and spatially distributed throughout the entire landscape, but they were more abundant in the restoration area,indicating the influence of land management types on the distribution process. The two mammal species presented differentfeeding strategies; however, the plant species consumed in the grazing field indicate decreased food options for native mammals, meaning a smaller amplitude of their trophic niches under this land management. The low C:N ratio and the high nitrogen pool provided by the pellets in the restoration area suggest a potential benefit to plant communities. However, the higherorganic C jointly with the lower C:N ratio observed in fecal pellets of grazing field indicate a low decomposability which couldpromote the conservation of C in the soil.