Lucia Martinez Retta
It has been recognized worldwide that biological invasions, as a major driver of global change, contribute to 60% of worldwide extinctions. The forest wetlands of Patagonia are key environments for biodiversity conservation but are currently affected by nonnative ungulates and have been understudied. This work aims to evaluate the effect of cattle, horses, and wild boars on the assemblage of small mammals. This is because terrestrial small mammals play pivotal roles in ecosystems, contributing to soil aeration, seed and fungi dispersal, and predation, supporting secondary consumers, and regulating invertebrate populations. They are vital seed predators in forest ecosystems and serve as indicators of environmental changes, susceptible to alterations in vegetation structure and soil compaction.
Long-tailed Oligoryzomys longicaudatus. ©Lucia Martinez Retta.
Our project aims to assess the impact of these species on native small mammals, and their key ecosystem role as seed predators. The project will also explore the concept of the "landscape of fear" and its implications for mitigating the impact of nonnative species, such as using predator olfactory cues as passive management tools in wetlands. Large carnivores play crucial roles in ecosystem regulation through top-down effects. The fear that predators instil in prey may be a critical component in top-down indirect effects. The outcomes will inform global management strategies for nonnative ungulates, particularly cattle and wild boars, which pose threats to conservation priority areas.