Ecological role of the giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) in the Afroalpine ekosystem

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F17%3A00506404" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/17:00506404 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1749-4877.12241" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1749-4877.12241</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12241" target="_blank" >10.1111/1749-4877.12241</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Ecological role of the giant root-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus) in the Afroalpine ekosystem

Original language description

Rodents with prevailing subterranean activity usually play an important role in the ecosystems of which they are a part due to the combined effect of herbivory and soil perturbation. This is the case for the giant root-rat Tachyoryctes macrocephalus endemic to the Afroalpine ecosystem of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. We studied the impact of root-rats on various ecosystem features within a 3.5-ha study locality dominated by Alchemilla pasture, which represents an optimal habitat for this species, in 2 periods of a year. The root-rats altered plant species composition, reducing the dominant forb, Alchemilla abyssinica, while enhancing Salvia merjame and a few other species, and reduced vegetation cover, but not the fresh plant biomass. Where burrows were abandoned by root-rats, other rodents took them over and A. abyssinica increased again. Root-rat burrowing created small-scale heterogeneity in soil compactness due to the backfilling of some unused burrow segments. Less compacted soil tended to be rich in nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, which likely affected the plant growth on sites where the vegetation has been reduced as a result of root-rat foraging and burrowing.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Integrative Zoology

ISSN

1749-4877

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

12

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

333-344

UT code for WoS article

000405524000006

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85022173439