Plant responses to pocket-gopher disturbances across pastures and topography

Pocket gophers are important disturbance agents in rangelands, yet little is known about how plant responses to gopher disturbances vary with grazing and topography. We measured the spatial distribution of soil mounds created by the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides attenuatus Hall and Mont...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of range management 1999-11, Vol.52 (6), p.637-645
Main Authors: Carlson, J.M, Crist, T.O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annuals
botanical composition
Coffins
Forbs
Grasses
Grazing
grazing intensity
ground cover
Highlands
Livestock
Opuntia polyacantha
Pastures
Plant-Animal
Plants
rain
species diversity
Steppes
Thomomys talpoides
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Pocket gophers are important disturbance agents in rangelands, yet little is known about how plant responses to gopher disturbances vary with grazing and topography. We measured the spatial distribution of soil mounds created by the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides attenuatus Hall and Montague) in shortgrass steppe, and sampled plant cover and species composition on gopher mounds at 3 topographic positions within 2 pastures that were lightly and heavily grazed by cattle. Measurements were taken during 1996 and 1997 in each pasture along a 75 x 900-m transect that spanned the same topographic gradient: a south-facing slope, a north-facing slope, and an upland plain. Pocket-gopher mounds were more numerous in the lightly grazed pasture but mounds were larger in the heavily grazed pasture. An estimated 1-6% of the total area was disturbed on uplands and south-facing slopes, and
ISSN:0022-409X
2162-2728
DOI:10.2307/4003635