10.5061/DRYAD.D3M23
Schneider, Stefan
University of Guelph
Steeves, Royce
University of Guelph
Newmaster, Steven
University of Guelph
MacDougall, Andrew S.
University of Guelph
Newmaster, Steve
University of Guelph
Data from: Selective plant foraging and the top-down suppression of native
diversity in a restored prairie
Dryad
dataset
2018
grassland food webs
Sorghastrum nutans
Peromyscus maniculatus
diet seasonality
Zapus hudsonius
2018-01-20T00:00:00Z
2018-01-20T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12886
221370 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Clarifying what species are being consumed at what times can improve our
understanding of how anthropogenic change affects food web dynamics, with
implications for community assembly including restoration. This includes
human-based changes to plant communities via species introductions, which
can interact with consumer feeding preferences to indirectly alter
assembly outcomes including reduced restoration success if planted species
are preferentially targeted. We used DNA barcoding of plant material in
rodent scat, combined with field-based feeding trials, rodent trapping,
and rodent exclosures to test for dietary preferences and assembly impacts
of native rodents on a restored and regionally rare tallgrass prairie of
central North America. We examined whether native rodents preferred
non-targeted and mostly non-native oldfield plants that are more locally
abundant, thus protecting the rarer native planted species from
consumption, or if rodents preferred native plants regardless of
abundance. Our results supported the latter outcome. Barcoding revealed
that native rodents consumed mostly non-planted oldfield species for ten
months of the year (92% of the diet). The exceptions were
August–September, when planted prairie species accounted for 87% of plants
consumed and coincided with their peak seed production. Cafeteria trials
suggested diet seasonality to be explained by food limitation – native
prairie seeds were consumed year-round when made available. Non-targeted
oldfield species thus appeared to be of sufficient quality to support
rodent populations (peaking at 23 individuals ha−1 in summer), but without
rescuing rarer prairie species from targeted granivory and resulting in
reduced prairie diversity outside of experimental exclosures. Synthesis
and applications. Our work illustrates how anthropogenic-based changes to
producer communities may affect feeding pathways in grassland food webs,
potentially facilitating establishment by non-target species via indirect
consumer effects that can be difficult to detect. These findings suggest
that rodents may reduce the restoration success of tallgrass prairie in
our region, with some planted species likely to suffer future recruitment
difficulties due to granivory. Managers may need to consider multiple
trophic levels with restoration, not just the commonly planted producer
communities but also the consumers and predators associated with them.
12MonthSeedRemovalRecorded Seed Removal (Out of 5) for Seven Tallgrass
Prairie Species by Small Mammals Over 12 Months from the Tallgrass Prairie
EnvironmentCaptiveTrialSeedlingDamageSeeding Damage (Rated Out of 5)
Considering Seven Tallgrass Prairie Species Caused by Small Mammals Within
an Enclosed Environment After 7 DaysCaptiveTrialSeedRemovalSeed Removal
(Out of 5) for 7 Tallgrass Prairie Species Caused by Small Mammals Within
an Enclosed Environment Over 7 DaysDNAInstancesDetectedInstances of Plant
DNA Found Within Samples of Mouse Scat Ranked As Native or Non-Native
Considering the Tallgrass Prairie EnvironmentDNARatioDataRatio of Native
and Non-Native Plant DNA Instances Detected in the Small Mammal Scat
Samples by Replicate and MonthExclosureAbundanceRichnessDataData for the
Full Factorial Design of Mowed, Seeded, and Exclosed Considering Plant
Abundance and Richness.RodentPopSizeVsSeedRemovalComparison of Total Seed
Removal / Number of Species Taken by Month and Small Mammal Population
SizeRodentPopSugarMapleRemovalWeaselPopComparison of Percent Total Sugar
Maple Removed by Small Mammal Population Size and Weasel Population