How do water voles' constant consumption of vegetation influence local biodiversity as ecosystem engineers?
Answer
They prevent a single plant species from dominating, thereby increasing local biodiversity
Water voles are recognized as ecosystem engineers due to the pervasive impact of their feeding habits on riparian zones. Their continuous consumption of vegetation serves a critical ecological function by actively preventing any single plant species from achieving dominance over the bankside flora. This control mechanism inherently maintains a heterogeneous plant community structure, which in turn supports a greater variety of other local wildlife, thus directly increasing overall local biodiversity. Furthermore, their digging behavior assists in soil regulation by promoting microbial activity that helps manage nitrogen levels.
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