Influence of the subterranean herbivorous rodent Ctenomys talarum on vegetation and soil

MALIZIA, ANA I.; KITTLEIN, MARCELO J.; BUSCH, CRISTINA

Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde

Elsevier

Año: 2000 vol. 65 p. 172 - 182

0044-3468

The influence of the subterranean herbivorous rodent Ctenomys talarum (tuco-tuco) on vegetation and soil was evaluated in a coastal grassland. Plant species composition, dry plant biomass, soil pH, moisture, and nutrient content (N, P, Na, K, Mg, and Ca) were compared between areas with and without the influence of tuco-tucos. C. talarum apparently does not affect either plant species diversity or plant species richness. but modifies plant species composition at sites contiguous to burrows, where forbs occur more frequently than at sites without burrows. Abundance of most common grass and forb species, soil nutrient content, pH, and moisture were modified by C. talarum. Nitrogen, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, and magnesium had higher concentrations in areas with C. talarum, whereas calcium showed the converse. Soil pH and percent moisture were lower in areas with burrows of C. talarum.