Foraging by an avian ecosystem engineer extensively modifies the litter and soil layer in forest ecosystems

Ecosystem engineers physically modify their environment, thereby altering habitats for other organisms. Increasingly, ‘engineers’ are recognised as an important focus for conservation and ecological restoration because their actions affect a range of ecosystem processes and thereby influence how ecosystems function. The superb lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae is proposed as an ecosystem engineer in forests of south-eastern Australia due to the volume of soil and litter it turns over when foraging. We measured the seasonal and spatial patterns of foraging by lyrebirds and the amount of soil displaced in forests in the Central Highlands, Victoria. We tested the effects of foraging on litter, soil nutrients and soil physical properties by using an experimental approach with three treatments: lyrebird exclusion, lyrebird exclusion with simulated foraging, and non-exclusion reference plots. Treatments were replicated in three forest types in each of three forest blocks. Lyrebirds foraged exte...