IIMYC   23581
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Herbivory affects salt marsh sucession dynamics by suppressing the recovery of dominant species
Autor/es:
DALEO, P., ALBERTI, J., PASCUAL, J., CANEPUCCIA A., IRIBARNE, O.
Revista:
OECOLOGIA
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2014 vol. 175 p. 335 - 343
ISSN:
0029-8549
Resumen:
Disturbance can generate heterogeneous environments and profoundly influence plant diversity by creating patches at different successional stages. Herbivores, in turn, can govern plant succession dynamics by determining the rate of species replacement, ultimately affecting plant community structure. In a south-western Atlantic salt marsh, we experimentally evaluated the role of herbivory in the recovery following disturbance of the plant community and assessed whether herbivory affects the relative importance of sexual and clonal reproduction on these dynamics. Our results show that herbivory strongly affects salt marsh secondary succession by suppressing seedlings and limiting clonal colonization of the dominant marsh grass, allowing subordinate species to dominate disturbed patches. These results demonstrate that herbivores can have an important role in salt marsh community structure and function, and can be a key force during succession dynamics.