The direct and indirect mechanisms of facilitation by shrubs play a

central role in maintaining leopard lizard populations.

Progress Report

Taylor Noble

M.Sc. Candidate

Supervisor: Dr. Christopher Lortie

Committee Member: Dr. Bridget Stutchbury

Positive Interactions: Facilitation

High abiotic stress environments

Many examples plant-plant interactions

Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve,http://www.ddcr.org/en/conservation/research/

(Bertness et al. 1997, Bruno et al. 2003, Holzapfel et al. 1999, Liu et al. 2014)

Animals too!

Amanda Liczner

B.Peterson, http://www.arkive.org/giant-kangaroo-rat/dipodomys-ingens/

(Holzapfel et al. 1999, Hughes 2012)

Direct and Indirect Interactions

Moon, D. C., Moon, J. & Keagy, A. (2010) Direct and Indirect Interactions. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):50

Direct Interaction

Indirect Interaction

Direct and indirect effects of shrubs on lizards.

Blunt-nosed leopard lizardGambelia sila

Photo by Gary Nafis. http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/images/gsilaslo6084.jpg

USFWS 2010. 5-Year Review, Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard

Karin Jeske

Study SiteCarrizo Plains National Monument

https://www.flickr.com/photos/darthjenni/4683874516/

Panoche Hills

Photo by Andrew Alden. http://science.kqed.org/quest/2012/03/08/side-trips-from-interstate-5-panoche-and-tumey-hills/

UC Davis arboretum

Dennis Stevensen

Chris Lortie

Hypothesis

Desert shrubs provide direct benefits to small animals such as shelter, indirect benefits in the form of resources such as prey.

Chapter 1: A systematic review of the effects of indirect plant-animal interactions.

Moon, D. C., Moon, J. & Keagy, A. (2010) Direct and Indirect Interactions. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):50

Indirect Interaction

Direct Interaction

Direct Interaction

Menge 1995

Predictions

Keystone predation and habitat facilitation.

Intermediate species will most often be a plant species.

Animal abundance or survival will increase.

Search Terms

Plant

AND

Animal

AND

Indirect

Initial Search

N = 349

Preliminary Findings

46%

33%

18%

3%

Trophic Environmental Behavioral Chemical

Categories of Indirect Interactions Study

31%

15%

15%

8%

4%

27%Habitat Facilitation

Trophic Cascade

Exploitation Competition

Keystone Predation

Apparent Predation

Other

What types of indirect effect sequences are studied?

Were interactions positive or negative?

56%35%

9%

Positive Negative Neutral

Was an intermediate species discussed?

Yes No

Was the intermediate species plant or animal?

Plant Animal

Was animal survival or abundance discussed?

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Abundance Survival

Chapter 2: A field survey of the effects of Ephedra californica on leopard lizard activity patterns.

Hypothesis: Desert shrubs provide direct benefits to small animals such as shelter, indirect benefits in the form of resources such as prey, and indirect benefits by increasing annual-plant density within the canopy thereby providing additional protection.

Predictions

Lizard activity will be highest under shrubs.

Larger shrubs will have higher lizard activity.

Insect density will be greater under shrubs.

Experimental Design

5 shrub size gradients x 4 trap arrays x 10 days

New Shrubs for each day.

Track Trap Array

Open vs. Shrub vs. Open Trail

Timeline of study

Jan.-Feb. Feb.-March March- April April- June

Large Shrub Survey

Planning and Systematic

Review

Pick Sites, Pilot Study, Set up

Survey

Conduct Survey

Chapter 3: An experimental manipulation of the shelter and resource effects of Ephedra californicaon leopard lizard foraging.

Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (juvenile), Cochise

Couny, AZ. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh

Hypothesis: Desert shrubs provide direct benefits to small animals such as shelter, indirect benefits in the form of resources such as prey, and indirect benefits by increasing annual-plant density within the canopy thereby providing additional protection, making them safer and more desirable for animals to forage at.

>

>

Predictions

Lizards will forage more frequently under shrubs and other shelters.

Lower giving-up densities (GUD) at shrubs.

Lizards will prefer stations with annuals removed.

Experimental Design

3 site treatments x 2 food densities x 2 annual treatments x 4 repeats x 5-10 days

Timeline of study

Large Shrub Survey

Continue to Research Foraging

Pilot Food Choices, Prep

Full Study

Conduct Feeding Trials

Acknowledgements

Thanks to:

Dr. Christopher Lortie

Dr. Bridget Stutchbury

Dr. Mike Westphal

Dr. Tim Bean

The Lortie Lab

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