Predators, prey or temperature? Mechanisms driving niche use of a foundation plant species by specialist lizards.

ABSTRACT: Foundation species interact strongly with other species to profoundly influence communities, such as by providing food, refuge from predators or beneficial microclimates. We tested relative support for these mechanisms using spinifex grass (Triodia spp.), which is a foundation species of arid Australia that provides habitat for diverse lizard communities. We first compared the attributes of live and dead spinifex, bare ground and a structurally similar plant (Lomandra effusa), and then tested the relative strength of association of two spinifex specialist lizard species (Ctenophorus spinodomus and Ctenotus atlas) with spinifex using a mesocosm experiment. Temperatures were coolest within spinifex compared to bare ground and Lomandra. Invertebrate abundanc

SUBMITTER: Bell KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8059954 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature