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Influence of conspecific and heterospecific adults on riparian tree species establishment during encroachment of a humid palm savanna

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Abstract

Woody plant encroachment of savanna ecosystems has been related to altered disturbance regimes, mainly fire suppression and herbivore exclusion. In contrast, neighbourhood interactions among resident and colonising woody species have received little attention, despite their likely influence on the pattern and rate of tree establishment. We examined how resident palm trees (Butia yatay) and established adults of two riparian forest tree species (Allophylus edulis and Sebastiania commersoniana) influenced seed arrival and seedling performance of the latter two species in a humid savanna of east-central Argentina. Seed traps and seedlings of both riparian species were placed in herbaceous openings, and beneath palm, conspecific and heterospecific adult trees in two unburned savanna patches, and were monitored for 2 years. Only seeds of the bird-dispersed Allophylus arrived in palm microsites, yet survival of Allophylus seedlings near adult palms was limited by animal damage through trampling and burrowing, a non-trophic mechanism of apparent competition. Seeds of both riparian species dispersed into conspecific microsites, although adult trees selectively reduced growth of conspecific seedlings, a pattern consistent with the “escape hypothesis”. Further, survival of Sebastiania increased in the moister Allophylus microsites, suggesting a one-way facilitative interaction between woody colonisers. Our results indicate that dispersal facilitation by resident savanna trees may be critical to riparian species invasion after fire suppression. Distance-dependent effects of conspecific and heterospecific adult trees could contribute to shape the subsequent dynamics of woody seedling establishment. Overall, we show that indirect interactions can play a prominent role in savanna encroachment by non-resident woody species.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 00-8962) and Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT G011). The Administración de Parques Nacionales of Argentina facilitated our work at El Palmar National Park. All the experiments were conducted in compliance with the current laws of Argentina. Marisa Nordenstahl and several Biology and Agronomy students from UBA provided invaluable field assistance. Many thanks to Marta Divo de César for guidance during plantlet production. We are also grateful to Peter Clarke and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on this manuscript. A.G.R. was supported by a MSc fellowship from Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFEVA, CONICET and Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Andrés G. Rolhauser, Enrique J. Chaneton & William B. Batista

  2. Cátedra de Métodos Cuantitativos Aplicados, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Andrés G. Rolhauser & William B. Batista

  3. Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Av. Ignacio de la Roza 590 (O), Rivadavia, J5402DCS, San Juan, Argentina

    Andrés G. Rolhauser

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  1. Andrés G. Rolhauser
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  2. Enrique J. Chaneton
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Correspondence to Andrés G. Rolhauser.

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Rolhauser, A.G., Chaneton, E.J. & Batista, W.B. Influence of conspecific and heterospecific adults on riparian tree species establishment during encroachment of a humid palm savanna. Oecologia 167, 141–148 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-1957-5

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