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Plant morphology and grazing history:

Relationships between native grasses and herbivores

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Abstract

Grazing-related, intraspecific, morphological variation was studied in four North American grasses (Bouteloua gracilis, Agropyron smithii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Andropogon gerardii) from eight locales in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota: three locales currently occupied and heavily grazed by prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), colonized (since settlement) for 2–100 years, where native ungulates concentrate grazing activities; an extinct colony locale from which prairie dogs were removed 30 years previously, moderately to lightly grazed by ungulates; two noncolony locales, moderately to lightly grazed by ungulates; and two locales from within a 50-year-old grazing exclosure, with no known history of grazing by prairie dogs nor any recent grazing by ungulates. Data were collected both in situ and in common environments.

Active-colony plants were more frequently and more heavily grazed than those at other grazed locales. In situ, plants from heavily grazed populations were smaller and more prostrate than those from populations with little or no grazing (including the extinct colony) and interpopulation variation corresponded to current grazer use. After several growing seasons in common environments, there were still significant interpopulation differences; however, variation often corresponded with grazing history. Although differences between active-colony and noncolony plants were somewhat reduced (indicating some phenotypic plasticity), active-colony plants were still smaller and more prostrate. However, extinct-colony plants more closely resembled active-colony plants than noncolony plants. Morphological variation among these populations is the result of more than simple grazer use; historical factors and the dynamic nature of the grazing regimes are also contributing factors.

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Abbreviations

A. gerardii :

Andropogon gerardii

A. smithii :

Agropyron smithii

BFC:

Bison Flats colony locale

BFN:

noncolony locale at Bison Flats

B. gracilis :

Bouteloua gracilis

EXT:

Upper Highland extinct-colony locale

GDN:

common garden

GH:

greenhouse

NEW:

new satellite colony locale

PVC:

Pringle Valley colony locale

PVN:

noncolony locale in Pringle Valley

S. scoparium :

Schizachyrium scoparium

WCNP:

Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, USA

XFN:

exclosure locale just inside exclosure fence from BFN

XHQ:

exclosure locale near headquarters buildings

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    E. L. Painter, J. K. Detling & D. A. Steingraeber

  2. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    J. K. Detling

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  1. E. L. Painter
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Painter, E.L., Detling, J.K. & Steingraeber, D.A. Plant morphology and grazing history:. Vegetatio 106, 37–62 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00044857

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