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Q&A

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Poster

P-IE: Climate Change and Conservation

D3224: Native harvester ant influence on plant species composition and phenology in endangered coastal sage scrub

Wednesday, November 3, 2021
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM MT
Location:: Exhibit Hall F
In-Person Poster

    Presenting Author(s)

  • RK

    Rebecca L. Keim

    University of California
    Moreno Valley, California, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Richard A. Redak

    Professor
    University of California
    Riverside, California, United States

Seed dispersal is one of the key components that influences plant community dynamics. Understanding how it occurs can provide valuable insight into how plant invasions occur and how to better manage anthropogenic generated invasions. Coastal sage scrub (CSS) is home to many seed predators that play an important role in the secondary dispersal of plants and is one of the most threatened ecosystems in southern California. We sought to determine (a) if plant species composition around P. rugosus nests is different from areas away from nests and (b) if plant phenology is different between areas around nests and away from nests. Species composition was sampled by measuring percent cover of the plants randomly around and away from each nest. Over a period of 4 months, vegetation height, flowering time, seed production and senescence was measured every other week. Significantly more Sahara mustard was found near nests and our data suggests native annuals are less likely to be found near the nests. These results suggest that management of these invasive weeds could involve targeting the areas around nests and that P. rugosus behavior needs to be considered during restoration efforts. If phenology is different between sites then such a shift may result in a change in plant community dynamics, such as resource changes for herbivores and granivores and an increase in invasive population sizes.