The Influence of Cattle Grazing on Pocket Gophers in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains, California: Potential Implications for Great Gray Owls

Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains feed primarily on rodents, especially voles and pocket gophers. Voles have been shown to be negatively affected by cattle grazing, but effects of grazing on gophers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are unknown. We investigated the effects...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Northwestern naturalist (Olympia, Wash.) Wash.), 2011-04, Vol.92 (1), p.13-18
Main Authors: Powers, Breanna, Johnson, Matthew D., LaManna, Joseph A., Rich, Adam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beef cattle
Biodiversity
Botta's Pocket Gopher
Cattle
cattle grazing
Community ecology
Grasses
Grazing
Great Gray Owl
Habitat conservation
Habitats
Meadows
Mountain Pocket Gopher
National forests
Owls
Predation
Rodents
Sierra Nevada Mountains
Silvopastoral systems
Strix nebulosa
Thatch
Thomomys bottae
Thomomys monticola
Vegetation
Voles
Wildlife management
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Summary:Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) in the Sierra Nevada Mountains feed primarily on rodents, especially voles and pocket gophers. Voles have been shown to be negatively affected by cattle grazing, but effects of grazing on gophers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are unknown. We investigated the effects of grazing on pocket gophers (Thomomys monticola and T. bottae) in 21 grazed and 21 ungrazed montane meadow sites in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Pocket gopher densities were significantly higher in grazed meadows than ungrazed meadows. Vegetation cover and height, thatch depth, and the frequency of sedge occurrence were higher in ungrazed meadows and there were negative correlations between pocket gopher densities and these vegetation variables. We suggest that potential negative effects of grazing on Great Gray Owls could be minimized by managing meadow vegetation commensurate with the habitat needs of their prey.
ISSN:1051-1733
1938-5315
DOI:10.1898/10-13.1