Faunal Soil Disturbance Regime of a Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

Pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis), Gopher Tortoises, armadillos, and fire ants were the primary soil disturbance agents in a longleaf pine ecosystem. Pocket gopher mounds were the most abundant soil disturbance and covered the greatest percentage of the study area. The most prominent feature of the po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSoutheastern naturalist (Steuben, Me.) Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 133 - 152
Main Authors Simkin, Samuel M., Michener, William K.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Humboldt Field Research Institute 01.01.2005
Subjects
Climate models
Ecological disturbance
Ecological engineering
Ecology
Ecosystems
Forest ecosystems
Landscape ecology
Soil disturbance
Soil ecology
Tortoises
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Summary:Pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis), Gopher Tortoises, armadillos, and fire ants were the primary soil disturbance agents in a longleaf pine ecosystem. Pocket gopher mounds were the most abundant soil disturbance and covered the greatest percentage of the study area. The most prominent feature of the pocket gopher soil disturbance regime was a strong peak in mound formation from November to January each year in the three-year study, with the location of mound clusters shifting from year to year. During the three-year study, the area disturbed in 0.25-ha plots ranged from 0.7–1.0% yr−1. Pocket gopher mound formation rates were negatively correlated with air temperature and influenced by soil type in some cases, but mostly unaffected by prescribed fires.
ISSN:1528-7092
1938-5412
DOI:10.1656/1528-7092(2005)004[0133:FSDROA]2.0.CO;2