Abstract
Large rain events drive dramatic resource pulses and the complex pulse-reserve dynamics of arid ecosystems change between high-rain years and drought. However, arid-zone animal responses to short-term changes in climate are unknown, particularly smaller rain events that briefly interrupt longer-term drought. Using arthropods as model animals, we determined the effects of a small rain event on arthropod abundance in western New South Wales, Australia during a longer-term shift toward drought. Arthropod abundance decreased over 2 yr, but captures of 10 out of 15 ordinal taxa increased dramatically after the small rain event (<40 mm). The magnitude of increases ranged from 10.4 million% (collembolans) to 81% (spiders). After 3 months, most taxa returned to prerain abundance. However, small soil-dwelling beetles, mites, spiders, and collembolans retained high abundances despite the onset of winter temperatures and lack of subsequent rain. As predicted by pulse-reserve models, most arid-zone arthropod populations declined during drought. However, small rain events may play a role in buffering some taxa from declines during longer-term drought or other xenobiotic influences. We outline the framework for a new model of animal responses to environmental conditions in the arid zone, as some species clearly benefit from rain inputs that do not dramatically influence primary productivity.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e02884 |
| Pages | 1-9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Ecology |
| Volume | 100 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2019 |
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Bibliographical note
Copyright by the Ecological Society of America. Citation: Maute, K., G. C. Hose, P. Story, C. M. Bull, and K. French. 2019. Surviving drought: a frameworkfor understanding animal responses to small rain events in the arid zone. Ecology 100(11):e02884.
10.1002/ecy.2884
Keywords
- arthropod
- buffer
- desert
- herbivore
- pulse-reserve
- soil
Cite this
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Surviving drought : a framework for understanding animal responses to small rain events in the arid zone. / Maute, Kimberly; Hose, Grant C.; Story, Paul; Bull, C. Michael; French, Kristine.
In: Ecology, Vol. 100, No. 11, e02884, 11.2019, p. 1-9.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Surviving drought
T2 - Ecology
AU - Maute, Kimberly
AU - Hose, Grant C.
AU - Story, Paul
AU - Bull, C. Michael
AU - French, Kristine
N1 - Copyright by the Ecological Society of America. Citation: Maute, K., G. C. Hose, P. Story, C. M. Bull, and K. French. 2019. Surviving drought: a framework for understanding animal responses to small rain events in the arid zone. Ecology 100(11):e02884. 10.1002/ecy.2884
PY - 2019/11
Y1 - 2019/11
N2 - Large rain events drive dramatic resource pulses and the complex pulse-reserve dynamics of arid ecosystems change between high-rain years and drought. However, arid-zone animal responses to short-term changes in climate are unknown, particularly smaller rain events that briefly interrupt longer-term drought. Using arthropods as model animals, we determined the effects of a small rain event on arthropod abundance in western New South Wales, Australia during a longer-term shift toward drought. Arthropod abundance decreased over 2 yr, but captures of 10 out of 15 ordinal taxa increased dramatically after the small rain event (<40 mm). The magnitude of increases ranged from 10.4 million% (collembolans) to 81% (spiders). After 3 months, most taxa returned to prerain abundance. However, small soil-dwelling beetles, mites, spiders, and collembolans retained high abundances despite the onset of winter temperatures and lack of subsequent rain. As predicted by pulse-reserve models, most arid-zone arthropod populations declined during drought. However, small rain events may play a role in buffering some taxa from declines during longer-term drought or other xenobiotic influences. We outline the framework for a new model of animal responses to environmental conditions in the arid zone, as some species clearly benefit from rain inputs that do not dramatically influence primary productivity.
AB - Large rain events drive dramatic resource pulses and the complex pulse-reserve dynamics of arid ecosystems change between high-rain years and drought. However, arid-zone animal responses to short-term changes in climate are unknown, particularly smaller rain events that briefly interrupt longer-term drought. Using arthropods as model animals, we determined the effects of a small rain event on arthropod abundance in western New South Wales, Australia during a longer-term shift toward drought. Arthropod abundance decreased over 2 yr, but captures of 10 out of 15 ordinal taxa increased dramatically after the small rain event (<40 mm). The magnitude of increases ranged from 10.4 million% (collembolans) to 81% (spiders). After 3 months, most taxa returned to prerain abundance. However, small soil-dwelling beetles, mites, spiders, and collembolans retained high abundances despite the onset of winter temperatures and lack of subsequent rain. As predicted by pulse-reserve models, most arid-zone arthropod populations declined during drought. However, small rain events may play a role in buffering some taxa from declines during longer-term drought or other xenobiotic influences. We outline the framework for a new model of animal responses to environmental conditions in the arid zone, as some species clearly benefit from rain inputs that do not dramatically influence primary productivity.
KW - arthropod
KW - buffer
KW - desert
KW - herbivore
KW - pulse-reserve
KW - soil
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85073969943&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ecy.2884
DO - 10.1002/ecy.2884
M3 - Article
VL - 100
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Ecology
JF - Ecology
SN - 0012-9658
IS - 11
M1 - e02884
ER -