干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Mistletoes Facilitate a Desert Herbivore by Improving the Quality of Shade

Arid

DOI	10.1007/s10021-020-00590-9
	Mistletoes Facilitate a Desert Herbivore by Improving the Quality of Shade
	Chu, Nicholas; Cornwell, Will; Letnic, Mike
通讯作者	Chu, NI (corresponding author), Univ New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
来源期刊	ECOSYSTEMS
ISSN	1432-9840
EISSN	1435-0629
出版年	2021
英文摘要	In arid environments, shade provided by vegetation forms the crux of many facilitation pathways by providing other organisms with relief from high levels of solar radiation and extreme temperatures. Shade is an important determinant that structures arid ecosystem processes and functioning. While shade is considered an essential refuge for many organisms in arid environments, few studies have assessed how parasitic plants such as aerial mistletoes can influence the quality of shade provided by its host, and how this can subsequently influence species interactions. Here, we investigate how mistletoe influences the microclimate and daytime use of sub-canopy habitat by a large herbivore that seeks out shady micro-habitats to avoid daytime heat in Australia's Strzelecki Desert. We experimentally removed the pale-leaved mistletoe (Amyema maidenii) from mulga trees (Acacia aneura) and monitored sub-canopy ambient temperatures and the daytime use of sub-canopy habitat by red kangaroos (Osphranter rufus). Results showed that average hourly temperature during the daytime and daily maximum temperature were cooler and that kangaroos were approximately three times more likely to shelter beneath trees where mistletoe was present (control) compared to where mistletoes had been removed (treatment). By showing that mistletoe can improve the quality of shade provided by their host trees, our study offers a novel insight into how mistletoes can facilitate the surrounding biota through modifying the abiotic environment beyond its physical structure. More broadly, the results of our study emphasise the prevalence of positive interactions within ecological communities and how they can occur in unexpected ways and indirectly between organisms that never come into direct contact.
英文关键词	facilitation mistletoe shade kangaroos arid microclimate parasitic plants
类型	Article ; Early Access
语种	英语
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000612608500002
WOS类目	Ecology
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/352135
作者单位	[Chu, Nicholas; Cornwell, Will; Letnic, Mike] Univ New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Chu, Nicholas,Cornwell, Will,Letnic, Mike. Mistletoes Facilitate a Desert Herbivore by Improving the Quality of Shade[J],2021.
APA	Chu, Nicholas,Cornwell, Will,&Letnic, Mike.(2021).Mistletoes Facilitate a Desert Herbivore by Improving the Quality of Shade.ECOSYSTEMS.
MLA	Chu, Nicholas,et al."Mistletoes Facilitate a Desert Herbivore by Improving the Quality of Shade".ECOSYSTEMS (2021).