Details zur Publikation |
| Kategorie | Textpublikation |
| Referenztyp | Zeitschriften |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123965 |
| Titel (primär) | Ant pruning and weak tussock facilitation jointly shape planted sapling performance along an elevation gradient |
| Autor | Renison, D.; Rodriguez, J.M.; Costas, S.; Heinemann, N.
; Hensen, I. |
| Quelle | Forest Ecology and Management |
| Erscheinungsjahr | 2026 |
| Department | ASAM |
| Band/Volume | 618 |
| Seite von | art. 123965 |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Keywords | Escallonia cordobensis; Acromyrmex crassispinus; Acromyrmex lobicornis; Argentina; Herbivory; Defoliation; Stress-gradient hypothesis |
| Abstract | Livestock exclusion is essential for restoring mountain forests in central Argentina. However, it also promotes tussock growth, potentially increasing competitive relative to facilitative effects on saplings, particularly at intermediate elevations, as predicted by the stress-gradient hypothesis. Additionally, leaf-cutting ants may limit sapling establishment at warmer elevations. We tested the importance of competition and ant pruning in the success of Escallonia cordobensis plantings along an elevational gradient. In a full-factorial experiment, 750 saplings were planted at three elevations (1300, 1800, and 2300 m a.s.l.) under two mowing treatments (mowed and unmowed). Sapling survival, height, winter dieback, and ant pruning were evaluated at 30 months across all elevations and at 90 months at the two higher elevations. Survival increased with elevation (39.3%, 75.9%, and 77.6% at 30 months; 27.2% and 60.8% at 90 months). Sapling height declined with elevation and was slightly greater in unmowed plots at 30 months but not at 90 months, whereas winter dieback showed the opposite pattern. We detected no elevation × mowing interaction for survival, height and dieback. Ant pruning was concentrated at low and intermediate elevations, affected 14.6% and 5.3% of saplings in the first two years, reducing their survival and growth. Our results do not support the stress-gradient hypothesis; instead, practitioners should consider that tussocks had a weak net facilitative effect across all elevations at an early stage. In contrast, ant pruning reduced sapling performance at lower elevations, indicating that restoration outcomes are jointly shaped by plant–plant interactions and consumer pressure. |
| Renison, D., Rodriguez, J.M., Costas, S., Heinemann, N., Hensen, I. (2026): Ant pruning and weak tussock facilitation jointly shape planted sapling performance along an elevation gradient For. Ecol. Manage. 618 , art. 123965 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123965 |
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