Invasional meltdown potential: Facilitation between introduced plants and mammals on French Mediterranean islands

In the increasingly important domain of insular invasion ecology, the role of facilitation between different introduced taxa has been mentioned, but rarely studied. This paper outlines facilitation between introduced mammals and the invasive succulents Carpobrotus edulis and C. aff. acinaciformis on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Écoscience (Sainte-Foy) 2005-01, Vol.12 (2), p.248-256
Main Authors: Bourgeois, Karen, Suehs, Carey M., Vidal, Eric, Médail, Frédéric
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal ecology
Carpobrotus
Carpobrotus edulis
Carpobrotus edulis acinaciformis
dissémination des graines
Ecological invasion
endozoochorie
endozoochory
Feces
Fruits
Germination
herbivores
insularity
insularité
introduced plants
islands
Mammals
mutualism
Oryctolagus cuniculus
plant ecology
Rabbits
Rats
Rattus rattus
Seed dispersal
seed germination
Seeds
Taxa
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Summary:In the increasingly important domain of insular invasion ecology, the role of facilitation between different introduced taxa has been mentioned, but rarely studied. This paper outlines facilitation between introduced mammals and the invasive succulents Carpobrotus edulis and C. aff. acinaciformis on offshore islands in southeast France. Rats and rabbits are the primary seed dispersers of Carpobrotus sp. on the islands studied. No such dispersal activity was detected on the adjacent mainland. Seed digestion by rats and rabbits also enhanced percent seed germination and speed, in spite of an associated reduction in seed size. In return, Carpobrotus provides a water/energy-rich food source during the dry summer season, thus demonstrating a clear case of mutualism between invaders.
ISSN:1195-6860
2376-7626
DOI:10.2980/i1195-6860-12-2-248.1