Knowledge Resource Center for Ecological Environment in Arid Area
EFFECTS OF FERAL HORSE HERDS ON RANGELAND PLANT COMMUNITIES ACROSS A PRECIPITATION GRADIENT | |
Baur, Lauren E.1; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.2,3; Smith, Melinda D.4,5 | |
通讯作者 | Baur, Lauren E. |
来源期刊 | WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST
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ISSN | 1527-0904 |
EISSN | 1944-8341 |
出版年 | 2017 |
卷号 | 77期号:4页码:526-539 |
英文摘要 | Feral horses are widespread in the western United States, with the majority of feral horse herds found in the Great Basin. There is a federal mandate to manage these herds in order to maintain "ecological balance"; however, understanding of the specific effects of feral horse grazing on rangeland plant communities in this region is incomplete. To address this research gap, we utilized long-term grazing exclosures and fenceline contrasts to evaluate the impacts of feral horses on several plant community variables (diversity, richness, dominance, and biomass) and species composition. Because the effects of grazing can vary with site precipitation and productivity, we selected 5 sites from 4 different rangeland types (Great Basin Desert, Colorado Plateau, Rocky Mountain grassland, and mixed grass prairie) that spanned a mean annual precipitation gradient of 229 to 413 mm. Our results did not reveal a significant effect of feral horse grazing on plant community composition, species richness, diversity, evenness, or dominance. In contrast, total aboveground herbaceous biomass and grass biomass were significantly reduced with feral horse grazing, but these effects did not vary with mean annual precipitation. Our results suggest that, at least at the sites we studied, feral horses have affected the plant community by reducing herbaceous biomass but have not caused plant community shifts. Additional multisite studies, preferably with standardized exclosures and larger sample sizes, would increase our understanding of feral horse grazing effects and inform management of feral horse herds in the western United States. |
类型 | Article |
语种 | 英语 |
国家 | USA |
收录类别 | SCI-E |
WOS记录号 | WOS:000425667300011 |
WOS关键词 | WESTERN UNITED-STATES ; MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS ; SEMIARID ECOSYSTEMS ; RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS ; SAGEBRUSH STEPPE ; PRYOR MOUNTAINS ; GREAT-BASIN ; SALT-MARSH ; VEGETATION ; DIVERSITY |
WOS类目 | Biodiversity Conservation ; Ecology |
WOS研究方向 | Biodiversity & Conservation ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
来源机构 | United States Geological Survey ; Colorado State University |
资源类型 | 期刊论文 |
条目标识符 | http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/202934 |
作者单位 | 1.Univ New Mexico, Dept Biol, Albuquerque, NM 87131 USA; 2.Colorado State Univ, Ft Collins Sci Ctr, US Geol Survey, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA; 3.Colorado State Univ, Dept Ecosyst Sci & Sustainabil, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA; 4.Colorado State Univ, Dept Biol, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA; 5.Colorado State Univ, Grad Degree Program Ecol, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | Baur, Lauren E.,Schoenecker, Kathryn A.,Smith, Melinda D.. EFFECTS OF FERAL HORSE HERDS ON RANGELAND PLANT COMMUNITIES ACROSS A PRECIPITATION GRADIENT[J]. United States Geological Survey, Colorado State University,2017,77(4):526-539. |
APA | Baur, Lauren E.,Schoenecker, Kathryn A.,&Smith, Melinda D..(2017).EFFECTS OF FERAL HORSE HERDS ON RANGELAND PLANT COMMUNITIES ACROSS A PRECIPITATION GRADIENT.WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST,77(4),526-539. |
MLA | Baur, Lauren E.,et al."EFFECTS OF FERAL HORSE HERDS ON RANGELAND PLANT COMMUNITIES ACROSS A PRECIPITATION GRADIENT".WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST 77.4(2017):526-539. |
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