Effects of Sika deer (Cervus nippon) on soil decomposer system and community structure of soil nematode
2008
Niwa, S.(Yokohama National Univ. (Japan))
Mammal herbivores have different indirect effects on structure and functioning of soil ecosystem. Mammal herbivores alter the quantity and quality of organic matter entering soil through transforming plant tissue to excreta and altering the amount of root exudates, the content of secondary metabolites and nitrogen in plant tissue, and vegetation. The effects of mammal herbivores on nitrogen cycling are largely determined by productivity and herbivory intensity. The modification of soil physical environment by mammal herbivores is thought to have less impact on decomposer system than the alteration of organic matter input. The change of organic matter input and physical environment in soil induced by mammal herbivores also affect the abundance and community structure of soil nematode. Although there are few studies on the effects of sika deer on soil decomposer system, the experimental defoliation of dwarf bamboo and the experimental introduction of deer showed that effects of deer on decomposer system vary with browsing intensity and population density and that deer has both positive and negative effects on nitrogen mineralization. The overall effects of sika deer on nutrient cycling in ecosystems should be understood by determining the quantitative relationships among amounts of browsing, primary production, litter supply and nitrogen mineralization and integrating them with well-studied patterns of deer-caused vegetational change as the further study.
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