Summer habitat use by Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in western Idaho
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Authors: V. A. Saab, and J. S. Marks
Date: 1992
Journal: Great Basin Naturalist
Volume: 52
Number: 2
Pages: 166-173
Summary of Methods: Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) selected areas with increased herbaceous cover and less bare ground. This type of habitat is generally found in areas with none to little livestock influences. Grouse also preferred sites with a greater amount of decreaser forb species. Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) and bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) were major components of preferred grouse microhabitats; both of these plant species decrease with overgrazing and are important factors species in later seral stages. This study suggests that shrub steppe communities, in later seral stages, are important to maintain summer grouse habitat in the Intermountain West.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus, arrowleaf balsamroot, balsamorhiza sagittata, bluebunch wheatgrass, agropyron spicatum, overgrazing
Annotation: No livestock grazing occurred during this study.
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