Distribution and diet of bison and pocket gophers in a sandhills prairie
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Authors: A. A. Steuter, E. M. Steinauer, G. L. Hill, P. A. Bowers, and L. L. Tieszen
Date: 1995
Journal: Ecological Applications
Volume: 5
Number: 3
Pages: 756-766
Summary of Methods: Steuter et al. determined the effects of bison (Bos bison) grazing and the diet and distribution of bison and pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) on sandhills prairie pastures. All pastures were dominated by tall, rhizomatous grasses with some intermixed rhizomatous forbs, however, areas that were grazed by bison also had clumped patches of annual taprooted forbs. This change in plant community structure, which may have resulted from the preferential use of C4 grasses by bison, attracted pocket gophers that preferred to graze the taproots of these annual forbs. Field data indicate that bison and pocket gophers use herbage resources that have distinctly different distributions within the sandhills prairie. The results of this study support the view that bison remain well adapted to native Great Plains grassland fragments of the size studied (~3000 ha), and through interactions with other herbivores and vegetation patterns, will support a diverse landscape.
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: bison, bos bison, pocket gophers, geomys bursarius, forbs, perennial c4 grasses, plant-herbivore interaction, species composition, vegetation community structure, exclosures
Annotation: Bison are stocked at 1 animal/15 ha. Pocket gophers are abundant at the site. Some grazing by wild pronghorn, mule deer, and white-tailed deer also occurred occasionally at the site. Studies were conducted from May 1988 through April 1991.
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