Wild boar (Sus scrofa) increases species diversity of semidry grassland: Field experiment with simulated soil disturbances.

摘要: Background Foraging activities of wild boar (Sus scrofa) create small-scale soil disturbances in many different vegetation types. Rooting alters species composition by opening niches for less-competitive plants and, as a recurrent factor, becomes part the community disturbance regime. Vegetation responses to have mostly been studied boar's non-native range or native forest, rather than open habitats range. We investigate response European semidry grassland dominated Brachypodium pinnatum pressure an abandoned agricultural landscape. Methods To describe regime, we repeatedly mapped rooted patches during 5-year period. Additionally, study response, performed artificial experiment creating 30 pairs simulated and undisturbed plots. The paired plots was sampled five times eight years study. Results Based on repeated mapping disturbances, predict that if regime observed period were maintained over long term, it would yield stable ratio consisting 98.7% undisturbed, 0.4% with fresh disturbance, 0.9% older successional stages.Vegetation artificially disturbed continuously converging vegetation, but these still differed significantly had higher number, even after succession. Synthesis Our results thus show its increases heterogeneity diversity vegetation.