| Title: | Plant-herbivore interactions in a North American mixed-grass prairie : I. Effects of black-tailed prairie dogs on intraseasonal aboveground plant biomass and nutrient dynamics and plant species diversity |
| Author(s): | Coppock DL; Detling JK; Ellis JE; Dyer MI; |
| Address: | "Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA. Environmental Resources Section, Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, 37830, Oak Ridge, TN, USA" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1432-1939 (Electronic) 0029-8549 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Research was conducted to determine the effects of a native, sedentary rodent of North American grasslands, the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), on seasonal aboveground plant biomass and nutrient dynamics and plant species diversity. The study was done on a northern mixed-grass prairie site at wind Cave National Park, South Dakota.Peak live plant biomass was greatest (190 g/m(2)) on the uncolonized part of the study area and least (95 g/m(2)) on a part of the prairie dog town colonized for 3 to 8 y. Peak live plant biomass (170 g/m(2)) of the oldest portion of the prairie dog town (colonized >26 y) was not significantly different from that of uncolonized prairie. However, where-as graminoids composed >85% of the total biomass of the latter area, forbs and dwarf shrubs (Artemisia frigida) were >95% of the total of the former. Both standing-dead plant biomass and litter declined markedly as time since colonization increased. Total plant species diversity (H) was greatest in the young prairie dog town (colonized for 3 to 8 y).Nitrogen concentration of plant shoots varied significantly as a function of time since colonization. Shoot-nitrogen was lowest in plants from the uncolonized site and greatest in plants collected from the longest-colonized areas of the prairie dog town. Shoot-nitrogen declined significantly over the growing season and tended to be higher in C(3) graminoids than in C(4) graminoids. In vitro digestible dry matter showed similar trends; the differences between C(3) and C(4) digestibilities were greatest during the last half of the growing season.We suggest that prairie dog-induced changes in plant biomass, plant species diversity, plant nutrient content, and forage digestibility may lead to further alterations of nutrient cycling and trophic dynamics in this mixed-grass prairie ecosystem" |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINECoppock, D L Detling, J K Ellis, J E Dyer, M I eng Germany 1983/01/01 Oecologia. 1983 Jan; 56(1):1-9. doi: 10.1007/BF00378210" |
