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Animal foraging pit soil enhances the performance of a native grass under stressful conditions

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Abstract

Background and Aims

In line with the Stress Gradient Hypothesis, studies of facilitation have tended to focus on plant–plant interactions (biotic nurses), while the relative role of abiotic nurses has been little studied. We assessed the role of biotic and abiotic nurses, and their interaction, on soil enhancement and the consequential performance of a native annual grass, Dactyloctenium radulans.

Methods

We used a growth chamber study with two levels of water application to compare the performance of D. radulans growing in soil from foraging pits of the Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus; abiotic nurse) and non-pit soil from either under tree canopies (biotic nurse) or surrounding open areas.

Results

All measures of plant performance were more pronounced under the high than the low water treatment. The greatest differences between pit and surface Microsites occurred under the low water application, reinforcing our view that facilitatory effects are greater in resource-limited environments. Despite tree canopy soil having greater N, there was no significant effect on plant performance, nor any significant interaction with Microsite.

Conclusions

Our study provides strong evidence that foraging pits enhance soil properties and this soil, in turn, facilitates plant growth; and supports previous work documenting the positive effect of nurse-protégé interactions under greater levels of abiotic stress.

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Abbreviations

N:

Nitrogen

C:

Carbon

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Acknowledgments

We thank Yvonne Johnson for collecting the Dactyloctenium seed, David Pepper for his insights into nitrogen measurements, Niki Huang for assistance with collecting soil cores, and Geoff McDonald for help with the use of the growth chambers. This research was carried out under Permit No. A2069 from the New South Wales Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Samantha K. Travers & David J. Eldridge

  2. Office of Environment and Heritage, P.O. Box 445, Cowra, NSW, 2794, Australia

    Terry B. Koen

  3. Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Departamento de Biología y Geología, Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933, Móstoles, Spain

    Santiago Soliveres

Authors
  1. Samantha K. Travers
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  2. David J. Eldridge
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  3. Terry B. Koen
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  4. Santiago Soliveres
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Correspondence to Samantha K. Travers.

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Responsible Editor: Jeffrey Walck.

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Travers, S.K., Eldridge, D.J., Koen, T.B. et al. Animal foraging pit soil enhances the performance of a native grass under stressful conditions. Plant Soil 352, 341–351 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1000-y

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