Cave invertebrate assemblages differ between native and exotic leaf litter

Hills, N; Hose, GC; Cantlay, AJ; Murray, BR

Cave invertebrate assemblages differ between native and exotic leaf litter

Hills, N Hose, GC

Cantlay, AJ Murray, BR

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Austral Ecology, 2008, 33 (3), pp. 271 - 277
Issue Date:: 2008-05-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Hills, N	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hose, GC https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2106-5543	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cantlay, AJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Murray, BR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4734-5976	en_US
dc.date.issued	2008-05-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Austral Ecology, 2008, 33 (3), pp. 271 - 277	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1442-9985	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/8827
dc.description.abstract	Allochtonous leaf litter is an important source of energy and nutrients for invertebrates in cave ecosystems. A change to the quality or quantity of litter entering caves has the potential to disrupt the structure and function of cave communities. In this study, we adopted an experimental approach to examine rates of leaf litter decomposition and the invertebrate assemblages colonizing native and exotic leaf litter in limestone caves in the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve, New South Wales, Australia. We deployed traps containing leaf litter from exotic sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and radiata pine (Pinus radiata) trees and native eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp.) in twilight zones (near the cave entrance) and areas deep within the caves for 3 months. Thirty-two invertebrate morphospecies were recorded from the litter traps, with greater richness and abundance evident in the samples from the twilight zone compared with areas deep within the cave. Sycamore litter had significantly greater richness and abundance of invertebrates compared with eucalypt and pine litter in samples from the twilight zone, but there was no difference in richness or abundance among litter samples placed deep within the cave. Relative rates of decay of the three litters were sycamore > eucalypt > pine. We discuss the potential for the higher decomposition rates and specific leaf area in sycamores to explain their higher invertebrate diversity and abundance. Our findings have important implications for the management of exotic plants and the contribution of their leaf litter to subterranean ecosystems. © 2008 The Authors.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Austral Ecology	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1111/j.1442-9993.2007.01814.x	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Ecology	en_US
dc.title	Cave invertebrate assemblages differ between native and exotic leaf litter	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	33	en_US
utslib.for	0699 Other Biological Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
dc.location.activity	ISI:000254926300004	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	33	en_US

Abstract:

Allochtonous leaf litter is an important source of energy and nutrients for invertebrates in cave ecosystems. A change to the quality or quantity of litter entering caves has the potential to disrupt the structure and function of cave communities. In this study, we adopted an experimental approach to examine rates of leaf litter decomposition and the invertebrate assemblages colonizing native and exotic leaf litter in limestone caves in the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve, New South Wales, Australia. We deployed traps containing leaf litter from exotic sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and radiata pine (Pinus radiata) trees and native eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp.) in twilight zones (near the cave entrance) and areas deep within the caves for 3 months. Thirty-two invertebrate morphospecies were recorded from the litter traps, with greater richness and abundance evident in the samples from the twilight zone compared with areas deep within the cave. Sycamore litter had significantly greater richness and abundance of invertebrates compared with eucalypt and pine litter in samples from the twilight zone, but there was no difference in richness or abundance among litter samples placed deep within the cave. Relative rates of decay of the three litters were sycamore > eucalypt > pine. We discuss the potential for the higher decomposition rates and specific leaf area in sycamores to explain their higher invertebrate diversity and abundance. Our findings have important implications for the management of exotic plants and the contribution of their leaf litter to subterranean ecosystems. © 2008 The Authors.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/8827