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Stein RM, Lecigne B, Eitel JUH, Johnson TR, McGowan C, Rachlow JL. Vegetation and vantage point influence visibility across diverse ecosystems: Implications for animal ecology. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.911051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual information can influence animal behavior and habitat use in diverse ways. Visibility is the property that relates 3D habitat structure to accessibility of visual information. Despite the importance of visibility in animal ecology, this property remains largely unstudied. Our objective was to assess how habitat structure from diverse environments and animal position within that structure can influence visibility. We gathered terrestrial lidar data (1 cm at 10 m) in four ecosystems (forest, shrub-steppe, prairie, and desert) to characterize viewsheds (i.e., estimates of visibility based on spatially explicit sightlines) from multiple vantage points. Both ecosystem-specific structure and animal position influenced potential viewsheds. Generally, as height of the vantage point above the ground increased, viewshed extent also increased, but the relationships were not linear. In low-structure ecosystems (prairie, shrub-steppe, and desert), variability in viewsheds decreased as vantage points increased to heights above the vegetation canopy. In the forest, however, variation in viewsheds was highest at intermediate heights, and markedly lower at the lowest and highest vantage points. These patterns are likely linked to the amount, heterogeneity, and distribution of vegetation structure occluding sightlines. Our work is the first to apply a new method that can be used to estimate viewshed properties relevant to animals (i.e., viewshed extent and variability). We demonstrate that these properties differ across terrestrial landscapes in complex ways that likely influence many facets of animal ecology and behavior.
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Fremgen-Tarantino MR, Olsoy PJ, Frye GG, Connelly JW, Krakauer AH, Patricelli GL, Forbey JS. Assessing accuracy of GAP and LANDFIRE land cover datasets in winter habitats used by greater sage-grouse in Idaho and Wyoming, USA. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 280:111720. [PMID: 33309394 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Remotely sensed land cover datasets have been increasingly employed in studies of wildlife habitat use. However, meaningful interpretation of these datasets is dependent on how accurately they estimate habitat features that are important to wildlife. We evaluated the accuracy of the GAP dataset, which is commonly used to classify broad cover categories (e.g., vegetation communities) and LANDFIRE datasets, which classifies narrower cover categories (e.g., plant species) and structural features of vegetation. To evaluate accuracy, we compared classification of cover types and estimates of percent cover and height of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) derived from GAP and LANDFIRE datasets to field-collected data in winter habitats used by greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Accuracy was dependent on the type of dataset used as well as the spatial scale (point, 500-m, and 1-km) and biological level (community versus dominant species) investigated. GAP datasets had the highest overall classification accuracy of broad sagebrush cover types (49.8%) compared to LANDFIRE datasets for narrower cover types (39.1% community-level; 31.9% species-level). Percent cover and height were not accurately estimated in the LANDFIRE dataset. Our results suggest that researchers must be cautious when applying GAP or LANDFIRE datasets to classify narrow categories of land cover types or to predict percent cover or height of sagebrush within sagebrush-dominated landscapes. We conclude that ground-truthing is critical for successful application of land cover datasets in landscape-scale evaluations and management planning, particularly when wildlife use relatively rare habitat types compared to what is available.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter J Olsoy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725, USA
| | - Graham G Frye
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 982 N. Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | | | - Alan H Krakauer
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Gail L Patricelli
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Jennifer Sorensen Forbey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725, USA
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3
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Seigle-Ferrand J, Atmeh K, Gaillard JM, Ronget V, Morellet N, Garel M, Loison A, Yannic G. A Systematic Review of Within-Population Variation in the Size of Home Range Across Ungulates: What Do We Know After 50 Years of Telemetry Studies? Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.555429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the factors determining the sizes of home ranges, based on body mass, feeding style, and sociality level, is a long-standing goal at the intersection of ecology and evolution. Yet, how species-specific life history traits interact with different components of the landscape to shape differences in individual home ranges at within-population level has received much less attention. Here, we review the empirical literature on ungulates to map our knowledge of the relative effects of the key environmental drivers (resource availability, landscape heterogeneity, lethal and non-lethal risks) on the sizes of individual home ranges within a population and assess whether species' characteristics (body mass, diet, and social structure), account for observed variation in the responses of the sizes of individual home ranges to local environmental drivers. Estimating the sizes of home ranges and measuring environmental variables raise a number of methodological issues, which complicate the comparison of empirical studies. Still, from an ecological point of view, we showed that (1) a majority of papers (75%) supported the habitat productivity hypothesis, (2) the support for the influence of landscape heterogeneity was less pervasive across studies, (3) the response of cattle-type to variation in food availability was stronger than the response of moose-type, and (4) species-specific body mass or sociality level had no detectable effect on the level of support to the biological hypotheses. To our surprise, our systematic review revealed a dearth of studies focusing on the ecological drivers of the variation in the sizes of individual home ranges (only about 1% of articles that dealt with home ranges), especially in the later decade where more focus has been devoted to movement. We encourage researchers to continue providing such results with sufficient sample sizes and robust methodologies, as we still need to fully understand the link between environmental drivers and individual space use while accounting for life-history constraints.
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Iranzo EC, Traba J, Mata C, Acebes P, Malo JE. Habitat structure and association with ungulates drive habitat selection and grouping behaviour of lesser rhea (
Rhea pennata
subsp.
pennata
). AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Esperanza C. Iranzo
- Instituto de Ciencia Animal Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias Universidad Austral de Chile Edificio SaelzerCampus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Juan Traba
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Cristina Mata
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Pablo Acebes
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Juan E. Malo
- Terrestrial Ecology Group‐TEG Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC‐UAM) Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
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5
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Wagnon CJ, Schooley RL, Cosentino BJ. Shrub encroachment creates a dynamic landscape of fear for desert lagomorphs via multiple pathways. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Casey J. Wagnon
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois 1102 South Goodwin Avenue Urbana Illinois61801USA
| | - Robert L. Schooley
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Illinois 1102 South Goodwin Avenue Urbana Illinois61801USA
| | - Bradley J. Cosentino
- Department of Biology Hobart and William Smith Colleges 300 Pulteney Street Geneva New York14456USA
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Lecigne B, Eitel JUH, Rachlow JL. viewshed3d
: An
r
package for quantifying 3D visibility using terrestrial lidar data. Methods Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bastien Lecigne
- Department of Biological Sciences Centre for Forest Research (CEF) and NSERC/Hydro‐Québec Chair on Tree Growth Control Université du Québec à Montréal Montreal QC Canada
| | - Jan U. H. Eitel
- Department of Natural Resources and Society University of Idaho Moscow ID USA
- McCall Outdoor Science School College of Natural Resources University of Idaho McCall ID USA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow ID USA
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7
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Harrison RL. A Comparison of Diurnal Resting Sites Used by Sylvilagus audubonii and Lepus californicus in the Chihuahuan Desert. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2019. [DOI: 10.3398/064.079.0204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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8
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Potash AD, Conner LM, McCleery RA. Vertical and horizontal vegetation cover synergistically shape prey behaviour. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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9
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Bose S, Forrester TD, Casady DS, Wittmer HU. Effect of activity states on habitat selection by black-tailed deer. J Wildl Manage 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samhita Bose
- School of Biological Sciences; Victoria University of Wellington; PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 New Zealand
| | - Tavis D. Forrester
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology; University of California Davis; 1 Shields Avenue Davis CA 95616 USA
| | - David S. Casady
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Large Mammal Conservation Program; 1812 9th Street Sacramento CA 95811 USA
| | - Heiko U. Wittmer
- School of Biological Sciences; Victoria University of Wellington; PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 New Zealand
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McMahon LA, Rachlow JL, Shipley LA, Forbey JS, Johnson TR. Habitat selection differs across hierarchical behaviors: selection of patches and intensity of patch use. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura A. McMahon
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho USA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho USA
| | - Lisa A. Shipley
- School of the Environment Washington State University Pullman Washington USA
| | - Jennifer S. Forbey
- Department of Biological Sciences Boise State University Boise Idaho USA
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11
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Olsoy PJ, Shipley LA, Rachlow JL, Forbey JS, Glenn NF, Burgess MA, Thornton DH. Unmanned aerial systems measure structural habitat features for wildlife across multiple scales. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Olsoy
- School of the Environment Washington State University Pullman WA USA
| | - Lisa A. Shipley
- School of the Environment Washington State University Pullman WA USA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow ID USA
| | | | - Nancy F. Glenn
- Department of Geosciences Boise State University Boise ID USA
| | - Matthew A. Burgess
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
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12
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Crowell MM, Shipley LA, Camp MJ, Rachlow JL, Forbey JS, Johnson TR. Selection of food patches by sympatric herbivores in response to concealment and distance from a refuge. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:2865-76. [PMID: 27069587 PMCID: PMC4803802 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 12/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Small herbivores face risks of predation while foraging and are often forced to trade off food quality for safety. Life history, behaviour, and habitat of predator and prey can influence these trade-offs. We compared how two sympatric rabbits (pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis; mountain cottontail, Sylvilagus nuttallii) that differ in size, use of burrows, and habitat specialization in the sagebrush-steppe of western North America respond to amount and orientation of concealment cover and proximity to burrow refuges when selecting food patches. We predicted that both rabbit species would prefer food patches that offered greater concealment and food patches that were closer to burrow refuges. However, because pygmy rabbits are small, obligate burrowers that are restricted to sagebrush habitats, we predicted that they would show stronger preferences for greater cover, orientation of concealment, and patches closer to burrow refuges. We offered two food patches to individuals of each species during three experiments that either varied in the amount of concealment cover, orientation of concealment cover, or distance from a burrow refuge. Both species preferred food patches that offered greater concealment, but pygmy rabbits generally preferred terrestrial and mountain cottontails preferred aerial concealment. Only pygmy rabbits preferred food patches closer to their burrow refuge. Different responses to concealment and proximity to burrow refuges by the two species likely reflect differences in perceived predation risks. Because terrestrial predators are able to dig for prey in burrows, animals like pygmy rabbits that rely on burrow refuges might select food patches based more on terrestrial concealment. In contrast, larger habitat generalists that do not rely on burrow refuges, like mountain cottontails, might trade off terrestrial concealment for visibility to detect approaching terrestrial predators. This study suggests that body size and evolutionary adaptations for using habitat, even in closely related species, might influence anti-predator behaviors in prey species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa A. Shipley
- School of the EnvironmentWashington State UniversityPullmanWashington
| | - Meghan J. Camp
- School of the EnvironmentWashington State UniversityPullmanWashington
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdaho
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13
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Parsons MA, Barkley TC, Rachlow JL, Johnson‐Maynard JL, Johnson TR, Milling CR, Hammel JE, Leslie I. Cumulative effects of an herbivorous ecosystem engineer in a heterogeneous landscape. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell A. Parsons
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Tela C. Barkley
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Jodi L. Johnson‐Maynard
- Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Timothy R. Johnson
- Department of Statistical Science University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Charlotte R. Milling
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - John E. Hammel
- Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Ian Leslie
- Department of Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
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14
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Lone K, van Beest FM, Mysterud A, Gobakken T, Milner JM, Ruud HP, Loe LE. Improving broad scale forage mapping and habitat selection analyses with airborne laser scanning: the case of moose. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00156.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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15
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Rachlow JL, Peter RM, Shipley LA, Johnson TR. Sub-lethal effects of capture and collaring on wildlife: Experimental and field evidence. WILDLIFE SOC B 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences; University of Idaho; Moscow ID 83844-1136 USA
| | - Renee M. Peter
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences; University of Idaho; Moscow ID 83844-1136 USA
| | - Lisa A. Shipley
- Department of Natural Resource Science; Washington State University; Pullman WA 99164 USA
| | - Timothy R. Johnson
- Department of Statistical Science; University of Idaho; Moscow ID 83844-1104 USA
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16
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Lone K, Loe LE, Gobakken T, Linnell JDC, Odden J, Remmen J, Mysterud A. Living and dying in a multi-predator landscape of fear: roe deer are squeezed by contrasting pattern of predation risk imposed by lynx and humans. OIKOS 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00938.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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17
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Camp MJ, Rachlow JL, Shipley LA, Johnson TR, Bockting KD. Grazing in sagebrush rangelands in western North America: implications for habitat quality for a sagebrush specialist, the pygmy rabbit. RANGELAND JOURNAL 2014. [DOI: 10.1071/rj13065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Livestock grazing is one of the primary uses of sagebrush rangelands in western North America; therefore, an understanding of the ecological implications of grazing on habitat quality for sagebrush-dependent wildlife is needed to help land managers balance multiple objectives for land use. We studied effects of cattle grazing on components of habitat for an uncommon sagebrush habitat specialist, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), which has been petitioned for endangered or threatened status in the USA. We evaluated multiple components of habitat before and after grazing in replicated control and treatment plots in a mesic, high-elevation sagebrush-steppe environment in south-western Montana, USA. We predicted that grazing would decrease the biomass of herbaceous forage, alter security cover, and increase rate of collapse of rabbit burrows, and we expected that these effects would be more pronounced during summer than spring. As expected, cattle grazing reduced the biomass of perennial grasses available to pygmy rabbits after grazing that occurred during either spring or summer, and the biomass of forbs after spring grazing. In contrast, grazing did not markedly influence the functional properties of vegetation related to predation risk or the integrity of rabbit burrow systems. In the context of the stocking rate of the allotments in our study (7.3 acres/Animal Unit Month, 2.95 ha/Animal Unit Month), annual cattle grazing did not seem to markedly change habitat for pygmy rabbits in our study area; however, longer-term and higher intensity grazing might result in more pronounced habitat changes. Understanding the ecological implications of cattle grazing on habitat quality for pygmy rabbits and other sagebrush-dependent wildlife can guide conservation strategies for these species on sagebrush rangelands managed under multiple-use policies.
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