Plant-herbivore-hydroperiod interactions: Effects of native mammals on floodplain tree recruitment
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Authors: D. C. Anderson, and D. J. Cooper
Date: 2000
Journal: Ecological Applications
Volume: 10
Number: 5
Pages: 1384-1399
Summary of Methods: Small, medium and large mammalian herbivory was evaluated on young (seedlings and saplings) Fremont cottonwood tree on two sites (Green River in Northeastern Utah and Yampa River in Northwestern Colorado). Mammals present were evaluated by capture-recapture (unpublished) in these areas. Large and small exclosures were established at each site to exclude combinations of small, medium, large mammals, and controls. Cottonwood sapling survivorship and growth was measured to assess the effects from the three classes of mammals.
Article Summary / Main Points:
• Small mammals reduced sapling survivorship at both sites.
• Effect of larger mammals was unclear due to survivorship patterns influenced by the hydrologic regime.
• Return of the natural flow regime of floods, to establish saplings in these areas, would likely aid in restoration of riparian community.
• This study suggests that changes in riparian plant-herbivore relationships due to shifts in river hydrology may be a common and important consequence of river regulation.Vegetation Types: Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands (includes juniper woodlands) Riparian and Wetlands
MLRA Ecoregions: 34B Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Cottonwoods
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: alluvial arid-land rivers, browsing, dinosaur national monument, fremont cottonwood growth, populus deltoides marshall subsp. wizlizenii (watson) eckenwalder, green river, mammalian herbivory, montane vole, microtus montanus, plant-herbivore-hydroperiod i
Annotation: The findings of this replicated five year study are applicable to the many watersheds that have regulated water flows and cottonwood regeneration is a concern. As is true for all grazing research, the results are most directly applicable to areas with similar herbivores, historic use, landscapes, weather conditions and season of use. Level of native herbivore grazing was not controlled or measured in this study so may limit the wide spread applicability of these results. Keep in mind that livestock grazing has been allowed at the Island Park site, but no evidence of livestock in the vicinity of the Island Park study site. In contrast, trespassing cattle probably lightly grazed the first Deerlodge Park site during most years of the study.
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