Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Effects on Montana's Mixed-Grass Prairie

Johnson-Nistler, Carolyn M.; Sowell, Bok F.; Sherwood, Harrie W.

doi:10.2458/azu_jrm_v57i6_johnson-nistler

Cited by 6 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Forbs, bare ground and purple threeawn are more abundant on prairie dog colonies, but both noncolonized and colonized areas are dominated by a warm-season shortgrass, blue grama (Winter et al 2002). In contrast, the Phillips County landscape includes greater topographic variability, a diversity of soil types, and off-colony vegetation with tallerstructure, cool-season grasses and sagebrush (Reading and Matchett 1997;Johnson-Nistler et al 2004). These differences, especially the difference in vegetation structure, likely aid prairie dog colonization or expansion into unoccupied grassland on Comanche compared to Phillips County.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grassland areas are dominated by western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), blue grama, needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata) and green needlegrass (Stipa viridula), and shrub-dominated areas contain big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) and greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) (Reading and Matchett 1997). Vegetation of non-colonized grassland has substantially greater abundance of cool-season perennial grasses (western wheatgrass and needle-andthread) and sagebrush than areas colonized by prairie dogs (Johnson-Nistler et al 2004). The area is grazed by cattle, typically during May-October, at stocking rates of approximately 2-3 ha/AUM.…”

Section: Comanche National Grassland Coloradomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Weltzin et al 1997;Winter et al 2002;Johnson-Nistler et al 2004), but the time since colonization also determines vegetation changes. Studies in mixed-grass prairie of South Dakota (outside the plague zone) found that changes in species composition do not begin until 2 or more years after colonization, and that more than 15 years of prairie dog presence is required to induce the transition from grass dominance to a forb-shrub dominated community (Archer et al 1987;Coppock et al 1983;Whicker and Detling 1988;Detling 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies affected by plague

Augustine¹,

Matchett

Toombs

et al. 2007

Landscape Ecol

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Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a key component of the disturbance regime in semi-arid grasslands of central North America. Many studies have compared community and ecosystem characteristics on prairie dog colonies to grasslands without prairie dogs, but little is known about landscape-scale patterns of disturbance that prairie dog colony complexes may impose on grasslands over long time periods. We examined spatiotemporal dynamics in two prairie dog colony complexes in southeastern Colorado (Comanche) and northcentral Montana (Phillips County) that have been strongly influenced by plague, and compared them to a complex unaffected by plague in northwestern Nebraska (Oglala). Both plague-affected complexes exhibited substantial spatiotemporal variability in the area occupied during a decade, in contrast to the stability of colonies in the Oglala complex. However, the plague-affected complexes differed in spatial patterns of colony movement. Colonies in the Comanche complex in shortgrass steppe shifted locations over a decade. Only 10% of the area occupied in 1995 was still occupied by prairie dogs in 2006. In 2005 and 2006 respectively, 74 and 83% of the total area of the Comanche complex occurred in locations that were not occupied in 1995, and only 1% of the complex was occupied continuously over a decade. In contrast, prairie dogs in the Phillips County complex in mixed-grass prairie and sagebrush steppe primarily recolonized previously occupied areas after plague-induced colony declines. In Phillips County, 62% of the area occupied in 1993 was also occupied by prairie dogs in 2004, and 12% of the complex was occupied continuously over a decade. Our results indicate that plague accelerates spatiotemporal movement of prairie dog colonies, and have significant implications for The U.S. Government's right to retain a non-exclusive, royaltyfree license in and to any copyright is acknowledged. 123Landscape Ecol (2008) 23:255-267 DOI 10.1007 landscape-scale effects of prairie dog disturbance on grassland composition and productivity. These findings highlight the need to combine landscape-scale measures of habitat suitability with long-term measures of colony locations to understand the role of plague-affected prairie dogs as a grassland disturbance process.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comanche National Grassland Coloradomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies affected by plague

Augustine¹,

Matchett

Toombs

et al. 2007

Landscape Ecol

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“…They showed that prairie dogs substantially reduced the standing biomass and increased the protein content of plants growing on colonies, but did not assess effects on forage digestibility. More recently, Johnson-Nistler et al (2004) measured forage quantity, protein content, and digestibility at a complex of prairie dog colonies in the north mixed prairie of Montana. Prairie dogs reduced standing herbage by 62% (from 32 g/m 2 off colonies to 12 g/m 2 on colonies), while increasing the weighted-average N content of herbage from 1.28% to 1.73% (36% relative increase) and the weighted-average in vitro dry matter digestibility to a lesser degree, from 32.3% to 36.2% (12% relative increase; not statistically significant).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We quantified spatiotemporal variation in forage quantity and quality at three prairie dog colony complexes in the western Great Plains (Fig. 1), and obtained additional data on forage quality and quantity from a fourth complex (Johnson-Nistler et al 2004). Our objectives were to assess (1) spatial variation in the trade-offs between forage quantity and quality among prairie dog colony complexes located in the northern mixed prairie (dominated by a mixture of mid-height, C 3 and short, C 4 perennial grass species) vs. the shortgrass steppe (dominated by short, C 4 perennial grasses), (2) temporal variation in forage quality/quantity trade-offs among years, related to above-and below-average precipitation conditions, and (3) temporal variation in forage quality/ quantity trade-offs over the growing season at each complex.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition and facilitation between a native and a domestic herbivore: trade‐offs between forage quantity and quality

Augustine

Springer

2013

Ecological Applications

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Potential competition between native and domestic herbivores is a major consideration influencing the management and conservation of native herbivores in rangeland ecosystems. In grasslands of the North American Great Plains, black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are widely viewed as competitors with cattle but are also important for biodiversity conservation due to their role in creating habitat for other native species. We examined spatiotemporal variation in prairie dog effects on growing-season forage quality and quantity using measurements from three colony complexes in Colorado and South Dakota and from a previous study of a fourth complex in Montana. At two complexes experiencing below-average precipitation, forage availability both on and off colonies was so low (12-54 g/m2) that daily forage intake rates of cattle were likely constrained by instantaneous intake rates and daily foraging time. Under these dry conditions, prairie dogs (1) substantially reduced forage availability, thus further limiting cattle daily intake rates, and (2) had either no or a small positive effect on forage digestibility. Under such conditions, prairie dogs are likely to compete with cattle in direct proportion to their abundance. For two complexes experiencing above-average precipitation, forage quantity on and off colonies (77-208 g/m2) was sufficient for daily forage intake of cattle to be limited by digestion rather than instantaneous forage intake. At one complex where prairie dogs enhanced forage digestibility and [N] while having no effect on forage quantity, prairie dogs are predicted to facilitate cattle mass gains regardless of prairie dog abundance. At the second complex where prairie dogs enhanced digestibility and [N] but reduced forage quantity, effects on cattle can vary from competition to facilitation depending on prairie dog abundance. Our findings show that the high spatiotemporal variation in vegetation dynamics characteristic of semiarid grasslands is paralleled by variability in the magnitude of competition between native and domestic grazers. Competitive interactions evident during dry periods may be partially or wholly offset by facilitation during periods when forage digestibility is enhanced and forage quantity does not limit the daily intake rate of cattle.

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Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone

Duchardt

Porensky²,

Augustine³

et al. 2018

Ecosphere

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Ecotones, or transitional zones between ecosystems, are often hotspots for biodiversity and targets for conservation. Where the Great Plains meet the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe, an opportunity exists to conserve habitat for the two most imperiled avian guilds in North America, grassland and shrubsteppe birds. This ecotone creates a unique challenge with respect to the management of disturbance processes, such as fire and grazing, because grassland and sagebrush-shrubland birds respond quite dissimilarly to disturbance. To address this management challenge and maximize conservation opportunities, we examined the responses of grassland and sagebrush bird communities to disturbance at a grasslandsagebrush ecotone in northeast Wyoming, USA. Specifically, we surveyed bird communities on active black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and burned areas, as well as on paired undisturbed points in 2016 and 2017. Bird community structure varied in response to both the presence and type of disturbance. Although alpha diversity of avian species was highest on undisturbed sites and burned areas, only prairie dog colonies provided breeding habitat for the imperiled shortgrass-obligate mountain plover (Charadrius montanus), and species turnover (beta diversity) was greatest between on-colony and off-colony points. Furthermore, bird communities were shaped by both disturbance-dependent (e.g., disturbance age) and disturbance-independent (e.g., topography and soils) landscape features. Managers must balance the benefits of high species diversity in undisturbed sagebrush with habitat requirements of other imperiled species like the mountain plover. This may entail prioritizing the amount and distribution of disturbances in relation to population goals for species of conservation concern while simultaneously maintaining a mosaic of all three patch types in this landscape.

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Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Effects on Montana's Mixed-Grass Prairie

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

Spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies affected by plague

Spatiotemporal dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies affected by plague

Competition and facilitation between a native and a domestic herbivore: trade‐offs between forage quantity and quality

Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone

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