Equids engineer desert water availability

doi:10.1126/science.abd6775

GSTDTAP > 气候变化

DOI	10.1126/science.abd6775
	Equids engineer desert water availability
	Erick J. Lundgren; Daniel Ramp; Juliet C. Stromberg; Jianguo Wu; Nathan C. Nieto; Martin Sluk; Karla T. Moeller; Arian D. Wallach
	2021-04-30
发表期刊	Science
出版年	2021
英文摘要	Water is scarce in dryland ecosystems. Some larger animals in these regions dig wells that may provide water to other species. This behavior may have been common among megafauna that are now extinct, especially in North and South America, where megafaunal extinctions were the most severe. Lundgren et al. tested whether feral equids (horses and donkeys) reintroduced to desert regions in the North American southwest dig wells that provide ecosystem-level benefits. They found that equid-dug wells increased water availability, were used by a large number of species, and decreased distance between water sources. Abandoned wells also led to increased germination in key riparian tree species. Such equid-dug wells improve water availability, perhaps replacing a lost megafaunal function. Science , this issue p. [491][1] Megafauna play important roles in the biosphere, yet little is known about how they shape dryland ecosystems. We report on an overlooked form of ecosystem engineering by donkeys and horses. In the deserts of North America, digging of ≤2-meter wells to groundwater by feral equids increased the density of water features, reduced distances between waters, and, at times, provided the only water present. Vertebrate richness and activity were higher at equid wells than at adjacent dry sites, and, by mimicking flood disturbance, equid wells became nurseries for riparian trees. Our results suggest that equids, even those that are introduced or feral, are able to buffer water availability, which may increase resilience to ongoing human-caused aridification. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abd6775
领域	气候变化 ; 资源环境
URL	查看原文
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/325035
专题	气候变化资源环境科学
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Erick J. Lundgren,Daniel Ramp,Juliet C. Stromberg,et al. Equids engineer desert water availability[J]. Science,2021.
APA	Erick J. Lundgren.,Daniel Ramp.,Juliet C. Stromberg.,Jianguo Wu.,Nathan C. Nieto.,...&Arian D. Wallach.(2021).Equids engineer desert water availability.Science.
MLA	Erick J. Lundgren,et al."Equids engineer desert water availability".Science (2021).