Title | Can prairie dog-cattle interactions be used to remediate desertified Chihuahuan Desert grasslands? |
Publication Type | Conference Paper |
Year of Publication | 2007 |
Authors | R. Corona S, Fredrickson E.L., Ceballos G., Gonzalez AL, Laliberte AS, Davidson A.D., Sanchez R.L., Bezanilla G., Gevara E.P. |
Conference Name | Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting |
Date Published | 08/2007 |
Conference Location | San Jose, CA |
ARIS Log Number | 215028 |
Keywords | cattle, prairie dog |
Abstract | Chihuahuan Desert grasslands are undergoing a rapid transition to desert scrub conditions. In an effort to remove prairie dogs that are believed to compete with cattle, pastoralists have created a cascade of events promoting shrub expansion and severely reducing the viability of pastoralism within many Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems. The resulting desertification leads to depauperate socio-ecological conditions, with attempts to remediate desertified landscapes often being tenuous and seldom cost effective. The goal of this and other studies are to develop a better understanding of ecosystem drivers, and their interactions, within the Janos-Nuevo Casas Grandes prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) complex in northwest Chihuahua. Beef cattle (Bos taurus) habitat selection was measured on a desert grassland-prairie dog ecosystem using GPS, GIS, and remote sensing technologies inside 4 x 4 km pasture. To classify vegetation we used multispectral Quickbird imagery with 60 cm resolution and eCognition software. We grouped the vegetation in 6 different types: Aristida spp. (50%), Pleuraphis mutica (8%), Panicum obtusum (8%), Bouteloa gracilis (15%), Amaranthus palmeri (4%) and prairie dog colonies (15%). Analyses of cattle movements during the dormant season show a direct preference for the prairie dog colonies, with minimal use of other vegetation types. In smaller scale studies beef cattle showed a preference for forages near the margins of the prairie dog colonies. From these observations we further hypothesize that cattle may help maintain black-tailed prairie dog colonies via mutualistic interactions that may promote the formation and maintenance of Chihuahuan Desert grasslands in this region. |