INVESTIGADORES
RAUBER Ruth Bibiana
artículos
Título:
Local and intermediated-intensity soil disturbances increase the colonization and expansion dynamics of an invasive plant in Southern Patagonian rangelands
Autor/es:
RAUBER, R.B; CIPRIOTTI, P.A; COLLANTES, M.B
Revista:
COMMUNITY ECOLOGY
Editorial:
AKADEMIAI KIADO RT
Referencias:
Lugar: Budapest; Año: 2014 vol. 15 p. 87 - 93
ISSN:
1585-8553
Resumen:
Disturbances are important drivers in natural ecosystems, affecting the vegetation structure and functioning. Invasions
of exotic plant species are often associated to disturbances in a complex manner, because they depend on the type, intensity,
spatial and temporal arrangement of disturbances, and the particular abiotic and biotic context. Field studies that evaluate the dynamics
of plant invasions under different disturbance regimes have a great importance for the understanding of the disturbance
effects on invasion spread. In this work we evaluated, through a field manipulative experiment, the early colonization and expansion
dynamics of an aggressive invader of grasslands, Hieracium pilosella L., under two disturbance types. We used a split-plot
experiment by crossing three levels for a local, sporadic, of increasing intensity disturbance [i.e., 1- undisturbed, 2- vegetation
mowing, and 3- ploughing], within two levels for an extensive and chronic disturbance (i.e., grazed and ungrazed). In the range
of intensities of disturbance evaluated, the intermediate intensity (i.e., mowing) accelerated the colonization when it is grazed
and the expansion of H. pilosella in ungrazed condition. In contrast, lower and higher intensity disturbances, such as ungrazed
and ploughing treatments decelerated both invasion processes. Changes in resource availability, interspecific competition and
particular characteristics of the invader, i.e., high light requirements, prostrate growth and the presence of stolons, could explain
these early invasion patterns.