Distribution and Habitat Selection by the Maritime Pocket Gopher

Cortez, Jorge D.; Henke, Scott E.; Wiemers, Dean W.; Fulbright, Timothy E.; Wester, David B.; Riddle, Richard

doi:10.1656/058.014.0108

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Similar to other studies about the effect of buffelgrass on wildlife in Sonora (Franklin, 2012;Macías-Duarte et al, 2019), and in contrast to studies in other countries (Kuvlesky et al, 2002;Eyre et al, 2009;Smyth et al, 2009;Schlesinger et al, 2020) and studies about the effect exotic grasses, including buffelgrass, on rodents of other countries (Cortez et al, 2015;Marinaro and Grau, 2015), we conclude that, at our spatial scale, buffelgrass does not seem to affect the community dynamics of nocturnal desert rodents in central Sonora. However, readers must take this conclusion with caution due to our relatively low sample size.…”

Section: Buffelgrasssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Therefore, adverse effects of disturbance by buffelgrass on rodent communities may have bottom-up effects in wildlife community assemblage. Even though we are not aware of published studies that focus on the direct effects of buffelgrass on desert rodent communities, there is evidence that areas with native vegetation are more favorable for rodents such as the fossorial Maritime pocket gopher in the southern United States ( Geomys personatus maritimus ; Cortez et al, 2015) and the Chacoan cavy in Argentina ( Pediolagus salinicola ; Marinaro and Grau, 2015) than areas with a combination of buffelgrass and other exotic grasses with native vegetation. Conversely, understanding mechanisms of habitat selection in nocturnal rodents in the Sonoran Desert ecosystems under disturbance by buffelgrass may allow predicting buffelgrass range expansion in North American deserts, as nocturnal desert rodents disperse and cache seeds (Sommers and Chesson, 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of Buffelgrass (Cenchrus Ciliaris) on Sonoran Desert Rodent Diversity and Population Density

Guzmán-Ojeda

Castillo-Gámez

Macías‐Duarte

et al. 2023

The Southwestern Naturalist

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Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris, syn. Pennisetum ciliare) is exotic to the Sonoran Desert and has caused drastic changes in this ecosystem. Yet, little research has documented the impact of buffelgrass on wildlife in the region, including small mammals. The objective of this study was to estimate abundance of native nocturnal rodents and characterize habitat structure in an area with native vegetation and buffelgrass prairies to assess the effect of this exotic grass on the diversity and population density of this community in the Sonoran Desert, located in the municipality of La Colorada, in central Sonora, Mexico. We trapped nocturnal rodents in a buffelgrass prairie site and in a site with native vegetation (with two trapping plots at each site), before and during the summer rainy season, and observed the differences in species composition between sites. We used capture-mark-recapture and distance sampling models to estimate population density of the two most common species, Dipodomys merriami and Chaetodipus penicillatus. Despite differences in habitat structural diversity between buffelgrass prairies and native vegetation, our results suggest that buffelgrass does not seem to affect dominance or population density of these two heteromyids, whereas evenness and species richness showed some differences between buffelgrass prairies and native vegetation sites.

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Section: Buffelgrasssupporting

confidence: 91%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Buffelgrass (Cenchrus Ciliaris) on Sonoran Desert Rodent Diversity and Population Density

Guzmán-Ojeda

Castillo-Gámez

Macías‐Duarte

et al. 2023

The Southwestern Naturalist

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“…The tendencies ( Figure 3) of Bothriochloa and Dichanthium to develop monocultures create changes in habitat suitability for various wildlife species. For example, mounds of maritime pocket gophers (Geomys personatus maritimus Davis) are less likely to be found on sites containing D. annulatum (Cortez et al 2015). A study of B. ischaemum impacts on rodent communities in the Edwards Plateau of Texas found hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord) densities to be similar between native vegetation and invaded sites, but fulvous harvest mice (Reithrodontomys fulvescens J.A.…”

Section: Old World Bluestemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive grasses in South Texas rangelands: historical perspectives and future directions

Wied

Perotto‐Baldivieso

Conkey

et al. 2020

Invasive plant sci. manag.

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South Texas is home to a high diversity of species due to its location at the confluence of subtropical, desert, and coastal ecoregions. Historical overgrazing of South Texas rangelands transformed the savanna and prairie to a landscape dominated by woody plants and shrubs interspersed with low seral grass species and bare ground. During the first half of the 20th century, exotic grass species, coupled with the application of industrial agricultural practices appeared to be the future of forage production in South Texas and elsewhere. Several of these exotic species, namely King Ranch bluestem [Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng], Kleberg bluestem [Dichanthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf], Angelton bluestem [Dichanthium aristatum (Poir.) C.E. Hubbard], buffelgrass [Pennisetum ciliare (L.) Link], guineagrass [Urochloa maxima (Jacq.) R. Webster], Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees), and Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], have escaped pasture cultivation. Additionally, the native grass tanglehead [Heteropogon contortus (L.) P. Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult.] has begun displaying invasive behaviors. The monoculture growth habit of these species simplifies vegetation structure, reduces biodiversity, and decreases habitat for many species of wildlife. These grasses also alter natural fire regimes and nutrient cycling. This landscape-level transformation of vegetation composition and structure requires monitoring to quantify and assess the spatial and temporal distributions of invasive species as a basis to inform management practices. Current advances in remote sensing technologies, such as very high spatial resolution coupled with daily satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicles, are providing tools for invasive vegetation monitoring. We provide a synthesis of the natural history of these grasses, including their introductions, an overview of remote sensing applications in South Texas, and recommendations for future management practices.

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Simulating biogeomorphological coevolutionary feedback among pocket gophers, grassland vegetation, and the associated bioengineered landforms

Kim,

Lee,

Grant

et al. 2024

CATENA

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Distribution and Habitat Selection by the Maritime Pocket Gopher

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Effect of Buffelgrass (Cenchrus Ciliaris) on Sonoran Desert Rodent Diversity and Population Density

Effect of Buffelgrass (Cenchrus Ciliaris) on Sonoran Desert Rodent Diversity and Population Density

Invasive grasses in South Texas rangelands: historical perspectives and future directions

Simulating biogeomorphological coevolutionary feedback among pocket gophers, grassland vegetation, and the associated bioengineered landforms

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