Food habits of the plains pocket gopher on western Nebraska rangeland [Impact on forage production]

Plains pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) were trapped during 10 months (June and July excluded) of 1974, 1975, and 1976 to determine their food habits. Using a microscopic technique, twenty species of grasses, forbs, and rushes were identified in the stomach contents of 141 pocket gophers. Of the to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of range management 1980-03, Vol.33 (2), p.129-131
Main Authors: Luce, D.G, Case, R.M, Stubbendieck, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diet
Feeding habits
Food
Forbs
Grasses
Plains
Plants
Prairies
Stems
Vegetation
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Summary:Plains pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) were trapped during 10 months (June and July excluded) of 1974, 1975, and 1976 to determine their food habits. Using a microscopic technique, twenty species of grasses, forbs, and rushes were identified in the stomach contents of 141 pocket gophers. Of the total diet, forbs comprised 9.9%, grasses 44.9%, and rushes 14.8%. Root and leaf-stem materials were found to make up 30.9% and 38.7% of the diet, respectively. Winter food constituents were difficult to identify with 30.4% of the total diet being unidentified material. Gophers exhibited diet selectivity; major species in the vegetation were not necessarily major species in the diet.
ISSN:0022-409X
2162-2728
DOI:10.2307/3898427