Effects of the Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) on Rangeland

Abstract

Gophers reduced forage production by 18 to 49% on sands and silty range sites in western Nebraska. Determination of percentages of the soil surface that were bare, covered by litter, and occupied by plant bases showed that gopher-disturbed areas contained greater percentages of bare soil and litter than did undisturbed areas. Basal cover of vegetation was highest on undisturbed areas. Frequency of vegetation on gopher mounds of different age was determined. Most perennial grasses increased in frequency on mounds with increasing mound age, while annual grasses and forbs decreased.

Plant Succession on Gopher Mounds in Western Cascade Meadows: Consequences for Species Diversity and Heterogeneity

“…Similar shifts in dominance have been observed in other grasslands (Foster and Stubbendieck, 1980;Tilman, 1983;Inouye et al, 1987a;Collins, 1989;Martinsen et al, 1990) and subalpine meadows (Sherrod et al, 2005). Greater survival and more rapid emergence of dicots following burial has been attributed to their strong clonal potential (e.g., Collins, 1989;Umbanhowar, 1995) and abundant storage of carbon in below-ground structures (Webber and May, 1977;Sherrod et al, 2005, see also Lezberg et al, 1999).…”

“…Six species were more abundant on mounds, but all of these were also present in meadows. Thus, mounds in this system clearly do not serve as microsites for germination of fugitive or subordinate species as they do in other systems (Laycock, 1958;McDonough, 1974;Platt, 1975;Foster and Stubbendieck, 1980;Inouye et al, 1987a;Collins, 1989;Gibson, 1989;Hartway and Steinberg, 1997). In fact, the rarest taxa -those with one or two occurrences -were restricted to meadow plots.…”

“…For example, in grasslands, mounds commonly support a greater abundance of annuals (Laycock, 1958;McDonough, 1974;Laycock and Richardson, 1975;Platt, 1975;Foster and Stubbendieck, 1980;Gibson, 1989), perennial forbs (Williams et al, 1986;Martinsen et al, 1990;Hartway and Steinberg, 1997), or both (Tilman, 1983;Spencer et al, 1985;Inouye et al, 1987a;Collins, 1989). Mounds can ensure persistence of fugitive or subordinate forbs in systems that are dominated by competitively superior perennial grasses.…”

Subterranean Rodents as Pests: The Case of the Pocket Gopher

“…The substantial impacts that Geomys gophers can have to rangelands was reviewed by Foster and Stubbendieck (1980). They documented 18−49% reduction in range plant production on sites occupied by pocket gophers in Nebraska.…”

The Influence of Pocket Gophers on the Biotic and Abiotic Environment

“…The most obvious evidence of pocket gopher activity is the mounds they deposit on the surface, and these have been well studied. A list of studies would reveal almost all possible combinations of the influences of mounds on plant communities, from increasing or decreasing germination success, survivorship, growth, and fecundity of plants to patterns of diversity (Foster and Stubbendieck 1980;Mooney 1985, 1991;Davis et al 1995).…”