Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next

In arid environments where soil resources are limiting factors, the presence of soil ecosystem engineers that create new enriched soil habitats can improve the performance of non-native plants growing there. Moreover, these enriched areas may be considered key sources of high-quality seeds, which wo...

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Autores principales: Lescano, María Natalia, Pirk, Gabriela, di Virgilio, Agustina, Franzese, Jorgelina, Speziale, Karina
Formato: Articulo article acceptedVersion
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Springer Nature 2022
Materias:
Biological invasions
Biotic interactions
Cheatgrass
Ecosystem engineer
Maternal effects
Nutrient enrichment
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
Acceso en línea:http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16755
Aporte de:
Repositorio Institucional UNCo de Universidad Nacional del Comahue
id I22-R178-uncomaid-16755
record_format dspace
spelling I22-R178-uncomaid-167552023-08-25T17:57:56Z Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next Lescano, María Natalia Pirk, Gabriela di Virgilio, Agustina Franzese, Jorgelina Speziale, Karina Biological invasions Biotic interactions Cheatgrass Ecosystem engineer Maternal effects Nutrient enrichment Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente In arid environments where soil resources are limiting factors, the presence of soil ecosystem engineers that create new enriched soil habitats can improve the performance of non-native plants growing there. Moreover, these enriched areas may be considered key sources of high-quality seeds, which would favor the spread and invasion success of non native plant. In Northwestern Patagonian steppe, the non-native grass Bromus tectorum is one of the most frequent species that takes advantage of the soil engineering effect of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis. Here, we evaluated if the facilitative effect of the enriched nest sites of A. lobicornis on B. tectorum individuals is also transferred to their offspring. We compared the influence of B. tectorum’s seed source (i.e., from plants growing on nest sites vs steppe soil) on seed mass, seed germination, and performance of new individuals growing under the same conditions (i.e., growing in steppe soil, under the same water and temperature conditions). We showed that individuals of B. tectorum growing on nest sites produced bigger seeds, with germination rate and germination percentage similar to those of individuals from soil seeds; however, they produced 53% larger seedlings, with 30% less root:shoot ratio and higher probability of having shoots with spikelets. This evi- dences that the benefits of growing on nest sites pass on to the offspring of B. tectorum. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of environmental maternal effects on plant growth and development even after germination and show that soil ecosystem engineers can represent a crucial contribution to the invasion of non-native plants. Fil: Lescano, María Natalia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Lescano, María Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Pirk, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Pirk, Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: di Virgilio, Agustina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: di Virgilio, Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Franzese, Jorgelina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Franzese, Jorgelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fil: Speziale, Karina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Fil: Speziale, Karina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. 2022 2022-06-27T16:21:18Z 2022-06-27T16:21:18Z Articulo article acceptedVersion 1385-0237 1573-5052 http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16755 eng http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16754 http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16754 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01245-6 Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 2.5 Argentina https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/ application/pdf application/pdf Springer Nature Plant Ecology
institution Universidad Nacional del Comahue
institution_str I-22
repository_str R-178
collection Repositorio Institucional UNCo
language Inglés
topic Biological invasions
Biotic interactions
Cheatgrass
Ecosystem engineer
Maternal effects
Nutrient enrichment
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
spellingShingle Biological invasions
Biotic interactions
Cheatgrass
Ecosystem engineer
Maternal effects
Nutrient enrichment
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
Lescano, María Natalia
Pirk, Gabriela
di Virgilio, Agustina
Franzese, Jorgelina
Speziale, Karina
Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
topic_facet Biological invasions
Biotic interactions
Cheatgrass
Ecosystem engineer
Maternal effects
Nutrient enrichment
Ciencias de la Tierra y Medio Ambiente
description In arid environments where soil resources are limiting factors, the presence of soil ecosystem engineers that create new enriched soil habitats can improve the performance of non-native plants growing there. Moreover, these enriched areas may be considered key sources of high-quality seeds, which would favor the spread and invasion success of non native plant. In Northwestern Patagonian steppe, the non-native grass Bromus tectorum is one of the most frequent species that takes advantage of the soil engineering effect of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis. Here, we evaluated if the facilitative effect of the enriched nest sites of A. lobicornis on B. tectorum individuals is also transferred to their offspring. We compared the influence of B. tectorum’s seed source (i.e., from plants growing on nest sites vs steppe soil) on seed mass, seed germination, and performance of new individuals growing under the same conditions (i.e., growing in steppe soil, under the same water and temperature conditions). We showed that individuals of B. tectorum growing on nest sites produced bigger seeds, with germination rate and germination percentage similar to those of individuals from soil seeds; however, they produced 53% larger seedlings, with 30% less root:shoot ratio and higher probability of having shoots with spikelets. This evi- dences that the benefits of growing on nest sites pass on to the offspring of B. tectorum. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of environmental maternal effects on plant growth and development even after germination and show that soil ecosystem engineers can represent a crucial contribution to the invasion of non-native plants.
format Articulo
article
acceptedVersion
author Lescano, María Natalia
Pirk, Gabriela
di Virgilio, Agustina
Franzese, Jorgelina
Speziale, Karina
author_facet Lescano, María Natalia
Pirk, Gabriela
di Virgilio, Agustina
Franzese, Jorgelina
Speziale, Karina
author_sort Lescano, María Natalia
title Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
title_short Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
title_full Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
title_fullStr Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
title_full_unstemmed Leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
title_sort leaf-cutting ants facilitation to non-native plants is passed from one generation to the next
publisher Springer Nature
publishDate 2022
url http://rdi.uncoma.edu.ar/handle/uncomaid/16755
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AT franzesejorgelina leafcuttingantsfacilitationtononnativeplantsispassedfromonegenerationtothenext
AT spezialekarina leafcuttingantsfacilitationtononnativeplantsispassedfromonegenerationtothenext
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