2022/06/08 by Lobos, Paloma, Marco, Julie, Olea-Romo, Anthony +1
#annual plants #coyote (Canis latrans) #perennial plants #scat #woodrat (Neotoma sp.)
paper · doi:10.21973/n3d37q
The recycling of nutrients is a valuable process throughout all ecosystems, but it is particularly important in extreme environments like deserts since acquiring nutrients poses a greater challenge for survival due to their scarcity. In our study, we focused on animal scat (coyote and woodrat) and its influence on plant communities and growth since they aid in the recycling of nutrients. We collected data on plants surrounding three different types of sites: areas with presence of accrued coyote or woodrat scat and areas without. We found that the distribution of scat across the desert landscape does not greatly affect the distribution of annual plants and their overall height. However, we delineated a clear difference between the surrounding perennial communities of our three sites. Differences in pH between the soil found in woodrat and coyote sites highlight the ability of scat to alter soil and potentially affect vegetation. Our study demonstrates a need to better understand the role of scat in a nutrient-deficient environment.