Földalatti ökoszisztéma-mérnök fajok szerepe a gyepek fenntartásában
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Abstract
In this review we would like to analyze the effects of the subterranean rodents on vegetation using results from research of several taxons in different vegetation types and climate. Ecosystem engineers are organisms that modify, maintain, and create habitats. Subterranean rodents belong to this group. These species have an impact on the vegetation the microtopographical features of the soil and bulk density, they can change the structure, organic matter and moisture content of the soil they reduce the proportion of nitrogen. The fossorial rodents occur almost all over the world (expect Australia and Antarctica). These herbivorous species burrow tunnels under the ground and with this they have an impact on the floral diversity and dominance relations, the structure and composition of the association, the amount of biomass production as well as the distribution of plants and seeds. They can take effect directly with consumption of plants and indirectly with affect the plant-soil relations. At the basis of the results the activity of the subterranean rodents enhanced the diversity in most of the cases (of course there were also negative results and some researcher didn't find any differences between the mounds and the plots with no mounds). Their effect on the biomass was usually negative but they changed the species composition of their habitat at all times.