Abstract
The defining period of coevolution among Great Plains plant and ungulate species occurred during the past 12,000 years (Mack and Thompson 1982, Axelrod 1985). In the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, a diverse array of large grazers and browsers were reduced to a much smaller group of ungulate species represented by bison (Bison bison), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), deer (Odocoileus hemionus and O. virginianus), and elk (Cervus canadensis). These changes occurred in the presence of nomadic humans from the Asian steppe who were immigrating to the Great Plains during the same time. The landscape was characterized by gently rolling interfluvial surfaces covered with perennial herbaceous vegetation. These exposed grasslands were periodically interrupted by more protected wetland, riparian woodland, or scarp woodland habitats. Although wetlands and woodlands occupied less than 7 and less than 3% of the Great Plains, respectively (National Wetlands Inventory, and Nebraska Natural Heritage Program data bases), the heterogeneity that they created at landscape scales played a major role in determining the distribution and abundance of native ungulates. Extreme cold and heat, drought, flood, fire, wind, and countless biotic interactions caused locally short-term fluctuations in ungulate populations and long-term shifts in landscape features. These dynamic temporal changes were overlayed on a multi-scale spatial mosaic. Native ungulates were adapted to this landscape.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aguilera, M.O., and W.K. Lauenroth. 1995. Influence of gap disturbances and type of microsites on seedling establishment in Bouteloua gracilis. J. Ecol. 83:87–97.
Andrew, M.H. 1988. Grazing impact in relation to livestock watering points. Trends Ecol. Evol. 3:336–339.
Archer, S., C.J. Scifres, S.R. Bassham, and R. Maggio. 1988. Autogenic succession in a subtropical savanna: conversion of grassland to thorn scrub. Ecol. Monogr. 58:111–127.
Archer, S., and F.E. Smeins. 1991. Ecosystem-level processes. Pp. 109–139 in R.K. Heitschmidt and J.W. Stuth, eds. Grazing management: an ecological perspective. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Axelrod, D.I. 1985. Rise of the grassland biome, central North America. Bot. Rev. 51:164–201.
Ballinger, R.E., and S.M. Jones. 1985. Ecological disturbance in a sandhills prairie: impact and importance to the lizard community on Arapaho Prairie in western Nebraska. Prairie Nat. 17:91–100.
Belovsky, G.E. 1986. Optimal foraging and community structure: implications for a guild of generalist grassland herbivores. Oecologia 70:35–52.
Bennett, J.P., and R.B. Dahlgren. 1982. Seasonal food habits of bison on mixed grass prairie. Pp. 143–146 in D.D. Briske and M.M. Kothman, eds. Proceedings, a national conference on grazing management technology. Texas A&M Univ., College Station.
Biondini, M.E., A.A. Steuter, and C.E. Grygiel. 1989. Seasonal fire effects on the diversity patterns, spatial distribution and community structure of forbs in the northern mixed prairie, USA. Vegetatio 85: 21–31.
Bragg, T.B., and L.C. Hulbert. 1976. Woody plant invasion of unburned Kansas bluestem prairie. J. Range Manage. 29:19–24.
Briske, D.D., and V.J. Anderson. 1990. Tiller dispersion in populations of the bunchgrass Schizachyrium scoparium: implications for herbivory tolerance. Oikos 59:50–56.
Brummer, J.E., R.I. Gillen, and F.T. McCollum. 1988. Herbage dynamics of tallgrass prairie under short duration grazing. J. Range Manage. 41:264–266.
Butler, J.L., and D.D. Briske. 1988. Population structure and tiller demography of the bunchgrass Schizachyrium scoparium in response to herbivory. Oikos 51:306–312.
Campbell, C., I.D. Campbell, C.B. Blyth, and J.H. McAndrews. 1994. Bison extirpation may have caused aspen expansion in western Canada. Ecography 17:360–362.
Caughley, G. 1979. What is this thing called carrying capacity? Pp. 2–8 in M.S. Boyce and L.D. Hayden-Wing, eds. North American elk: ecology, behavior, and management. Univ. Wyoming, Laramie.
Cid, M.S., J.K. Detling, A.D. Whickler, and M.A. Brizuela. 1991. Vegetational responses of a mixed-grass prairie site following exclusion of prairie dogs and bison. J. Range Manage. 44:100–105.
Coffin, D.P., and W.K. Lauenroth. 1988. The effects of disturbance size and frequency on a shortgrass plant community. Ecology 69:1609–1617.
Collins, S.L. 1987. Interaction of disturbances in tallgrass prairie: a field experiment. Ecology 68:1243–1250.
Collins, S.L., and S.C. Barber. 1985. Effects of disturbance on diversity in mixed-grass prairie. Vegetatio 64:87–94.
Coppock, D.L., J.K. Detling, J.E. Ellis, and M.I. Dyer. 1983. Plant-herbivore interactions in a North American mixed-grass prairie. I. Effects of black-tailed prairie dogs on intraseasonal aboveground plant biomass and nutrient dynamics and plant species diversity. Oecologia 56:1–9.
Coughenour, M.B. 1991. Spatial components of plant-herbivore interactions in pastoral, ranching, and native ungulate ecosystems. J. Range Manage. 44:530–542.
Day, T.A., and J.K. Detiing. 1990. Grassland patch dynamics and herbivore grazing preference following urine deposition. Ecology 71:180–188.
Dyer, M.I., J.K. Detiing, D.C. Coleman, and D.W. Hilbert. 1982. The role of herbivores in grasslands. Pp. 255–295 in J.R. Estes, R.J. Tyrl, and J.N. Brunken, eds. Grasses and grasslands: systematics and ecology. Univ. Oklahoma Press, Norman.
England, R.C., and A. DeVos. 1969. Influence of animals on pristine conditions on the Canadian grasslands. J. Range Manage. 22:87–94.
Evans, E.E. 1988. Grasshopper (Insecta: Orthoptera: Acrididae) assemblages of tallgrass prairie: influences of fire frequency, topography, and vegetation. Can. J. Zool. 66:1495–1501.
Fahnestock, J.T., and A.K. Knapp. 1994. Plant responses to selective grazing by bison: interactions between light, herbivory and water stress. Vegetatio 115:123–131.
Frank, D.A., and S.J. McNaughton. 1991. Stability increases with diversity in plant communities: empirical evidence from the 1988 Yellowstone drought. Oikos 62:360–362.
Fuller, W.A. 1960. Behavior and social organization of the wood bison of Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada. Arctic 13:3–19.
Gammon, D.M. 1978. A review of experiments comparing systems of grazing management on natural pastures. Proc. Grassland Soc. S. Africa 13:75–82.
Gammon, D.M., and R.B. Roberts. 1978. Patterns of defoliation during continuous and rotational grazing of the Matapos Sandveld in Rhodesia. 1. Selectivity of grazing. Rhodesia J. Agric. Res. 16:117–131.
Gartner, F.R., W.W. Thompson, and K.J. Wrage. 1993. Bison, pine and environmental stress. Pp. 85–90 in N.H. Granholm, ed. Biostress: mechanisms, responses, management. Proc. Stress Symp. Coll. of Agric. and Biol. Sci., South Dakota State Univ., Brookings.
Geist, V. 1991. Phantom subspecies: the wood bison Bison “athabascae” Rhoads 1897 is not a valid taxon, but an ecotype. Arctic 44:283–300.
Gibson, D.J. 1989. Effects of animal disturbances on tallgrass prairie vegetation. Am. Midi. Nat. 121:144–154.
Gillen, R.L., F.T. McCollum, and J.E. Brummer. 1990. Tiller defoliation patterns under short duration grazing in tallgrass prairie. J. Range Manage. 43:95–99.
Gillen, R.L., F.T. McCollum, M.E. Hodges, J.E. Brummer, and K.W Tate. 1991. Plant community responses to short duration grazing in tallgrass prairie. J. Range Manage. 44:124–128.
Hansen, J.R. 1984. Bison ecology in the northern Great Plains and a reconstruction of bison patterns for the North Dakota region. Plains Anthropol. 29:93–113.
Harper, J.L. 1977. The population biology of plants. Academic Press, New York.
Hart, R.H. 1978. Stocking rate theory and its application to grazing on rangelands. Pp. 547–550 in D.N. Hyder, ed. Proc. First Intl. Rangelands Congr. Soc. Range Manage., Denver, CO.
Hart, R.H., S. Clapp, and P.S. Test. 1993. Grazing strategies, stocking rates, and frequency and intensity of grazing on western wheatgrass and blue grama. J. Range Manage. 46:122–126.
Hart, R.H., M.J. Samuel, P.S. Test, and M.A. Smith. 1988. Cattle, vegetation, and economic responses to grazing systems and grazing pressure. J. Range Manage. 41:282–286.
Hartnett, D.C., K.R. Hickman, and L.E. Fischer-Walter. 1996a. Effects of bison on plant species diversity in tallgrass prairie. Pp. 215–216 in N.E. West, ed. Proc. Fifth Int. Rangeland Congr. Soc. Range Manage., Denver, CO.
Hartnett, D.C., K.R. Hickman, and L.E. Fischer-Walter. 1996b. Effects of bison grazing, fire, and topography on floristic diversity in tallgrass prairie. J. Range Manage. 49:413–420.
Hayes, W.P. 1927. Prairie insects. Ecology 8:238–250.
Heitschmidt, R.K., S.L. Dowhower, and J.W. Walker. 1987. Some effects of rotational grazing treatment on quantity and quality of available forage and amount of ground litter. J. Range Manage. 40:318–321.
Herbal, C.H., and K.L. Anderson. 1959. Response of true prairie vegetation on major Flint Hills range sites to grazing treatment. Ecol. Monogr. 29:171–186.
Hickman, K.R. 1996. Effects of large ungulate herbivory on tallgrass prairie plant populations and community structure. PhD dissertation. Kansas State Univ., Manhattan.
Hickman, K.R., D.C. Hartnett, and R.C. Cochran. 1996. Effects of grazing systems and stocking rates on plant species diversity in Kansas tallgrass prairie. Pp. 228–229 in N.E. West, ed. Proc. Fifth Int. Rangelands Congr. Soc. Range Manage., Denver, CO.
Hobbs, N.T., and D.M. Swift. 1988. Grazing in herds: when are nutritional benefits realized? Am. Nat. 131:760–764.
Holechek, J.L., R.D. Pieper, and C.H. Herbei. 1989. Range management: principles and practices. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Hudson, R.J., and S. Frank. 1987. Foraging ecology of bison in Aspen boreal habitats. J. Range Manage. 40:71–75.
Huntly, N. 1991. Herbivores and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Systematics 22:477–503.
Hyder, D.N., R.E. Bernent, E.E. Remmenga, and C. Terwilliger, Jr. 1966. Vegetation—soils and vegetation-grazing relations from frequency data. J. Range Manage. 19:11–17.
Jaramillo, V.J., and J.K. Detling. 1992. Small-scale grazing in a semi-arid North American grassland. I. Tillering, N uptake, and retranslocation in simulated urine patches. J. App. Ecol. 29:1–8.
Jones, J.K., Jr., D.C. Carter, and H.H. Genoways. 1973. Checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico. Texas Tech Univ. Mus. Occas. Pap. 12.
Jones, S.M., and R.E. Ballinger. 1987. Comparative life histories of Holbrookia maculata and Sceloporus undulatus in western Nebraska. Ecology 68:1828–1838.
Kantrud, H.A. 1981. Grazing intensity effects on the breeding avifauna of North Dakota native grasslands. Can. Field Nat. 95:404–417.
Kautz, J.E., and G.M. Van Dyne. 1978. Comparative analyses of diets of bison, cattle, sheep and pronghorn antelope on shortgrass prairie in northeastern Colorado, USA. Pp. 438–442 in D.N. Hyder, ed. Proc. First Int. Rangeland Congr. Soc. Range Manage., Denver, CO.
Kothmann, M.M. 1984. Concepts and principles underlying grazing systems: a discussant paper. Pp. 903–916 in Developing strategies for rangeland management. Nat. Res. Counc.-Nat. Acad. Sci., Westview Press, Boulder, CO.
Krasinska, M., and Z.A. Krasinski. 1995. Composition, group size, and spatial distribution of European bison bulls in Balowieza Forest. Acta Theriologica 40:1–21.
Krueger, K. 1986. Feeding relationships among bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs: an experimental analysis. Ecology 67:760–770.
Kucera, C.L. 1956. Grazing effects on composition of virgin prairie in north-central Missouri. Ecology 37:389–391.
Lewis, M., and W. Clark. 1893. The history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. E. Coues,ed., originally published by F. P. Harper, New York. Republished in 1964 by Dover, New York.
Lott, D.F. 1979. Dominance relations and breeding rate in mature male American bison. Z. Tierpsychologie 49:418–432.
Lott, D.F. 1981. Sexual behavior and intersexual strategies in American bison. Z. Teir-psychologie 56:97–114.
Mack, R.N., and J.N. Thompson. 1982. Evolution in steppe with few large, hooved mammals. Am. Nat. 119:757–773.
May R.M. and J.R. Beddington. 1981. Notes on some topics in theoretical ecology in relation to management of locally abundant populations of mammals. Pp. 205–215 in P.A. Jewell, S. Holt, and D. Hart, eds. Problems in management of locally abundant wild mammals. Academic Press, New York.
McHugh, T. 1979. The time of the buffalo. Univ. Nebraska Press, Lincoln.
McNaughton, S.J. 1979. Grazing as an optimization process: grass-ungulate relationships in the Serengeti. Am. Nat. 113:691–703.
McNaughton, S.J. 1985. Ecology of a grazing ecosystem: the Serengeti. Ecol. Monogr. 55:259–294.
Milchunas, D.G., W.K. Lauenroth, P.L. Chapman, and M.K. Kazempour. 1989. Effects of grazing, topography, and precipitation on the structure of a semiarid grassland. Vegetatio 80:11–23.
Milchunas, D.G., O.E. Sala, and W.K. Lauenroth. 1988. A generalized model of the effects of grazing by large herbivores on grassland community structure. Am. Nat. 132:87–106.
Morey, D.F. 1994. The early evolution of the domestic dog. Am. Sci. 82:336–347.
Norland, J. 1984. Habitat use and distribution of bison in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. M.S. thesis. Montana State Univ., Bozeman.
Noy-Meir, I. 1976. Rotational grazing in a continuously growing pasture: a simple model. Agric. Syst. 1:87–112.
Olson, K.C., J.R. Brethour, and J.L. Launchbaugh. 1993. Shortgrass range vegetation and steer growth response to intensive-early stocking. J. Range Manage. 46:127–132.
Owensby, C.E., R.C. Cochran, and E.F. Smith. 1988. Stocking rate effects on intensive-early stocked Flint Hills bluestem range. J. Range Manage. 41:483–487.
Pacala, S.W., and M.J. Crawley. 1992. Herbivores and plant diversity. Am. Nat. 140:243–260.
Peden, D.G. 1976. Botanical composition of bison diets on shortgrass plains. Am. Midl. Nat. 96:225–229.
Peden, D.G., G.M. Van Dyne, R.W. Rice and R.M. Hansen. 1974. The trophic ecology of Bison bison L. on shortgrass plains. J. Appl. Ecol. 11:489–497.
Pfeiffer, K.E., and D.C. Hartnett. 1995. Bison selectivity and grazing response of little bluestem in tallgrass prairie. J. Range Manage. 48:26–31.
Pfeiffer, K.E., and A.A. Steuter. 1994. Preliminary response of Sandhills Prairie to fire and bison grazing. J. Range Manage. 47:395–397.
Pitts, J.S., and F.C. Bryant. 1987. Steer and vegetation response to short duration continuous grazing. J. Range Manage. 40:386–389.
Platt, W.J., G.W. Evans, and S.L. Rathburn. 1988. The population dynamics of a long-lived conifer (Pinus palustuis). Am. Nat. 131:491–525.
Plumb, G.E., and J.L. Dodd. 1993. Foraging ecology of bison and cattle on a mixed prairie: implications for natural area management. Ecol. Appl. 3:631–643.
Polley, H.W., and S.L. Collins. 1984. Relationships of vegetation and environment in buffalo wallows. Am. Midl. Nat. 112:178–186.
Reiger, J.F. 1972. Passing of the Great West. Scribner & Sons, New York.
Reinhardt, V. 1985. Quantitative analysis of wallowing in a confined bison herd. Acta Theriologica 30:149–156.
Ring, C.B., R.A. Nicholson, and J.L. Launchbaugh. 1985. Vegetational traits of patch-grazed rangeland in west-central Kansas. J. Range Manage. 38:51–55.
Roe, F.G. 1970. The North American buffalo: a critical study of the species in its wild state. Second ed. Univ. Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario.
Sala, O.E., M. Oesterheld, R.J.C. Leon, and A. Soriano. 1986. Grazing effects upon plant community structure in subhumid grasslands of Argentina. Vegetatio 67:27–32.
Savory, A. 1983. The Savory grazing method or holistic resource management. Rangelands 5:155–159.
Savory, A. 1988. Holistic resource management. Island Press, Covelo, CA.
Schaefer, A.L., B.A. Young, and A.M. Chimwano. 1978. Ration digestion and retention times of digesta in domestic cattle (Bos taurus), American bison (Bison bison), and Tibetan yak (Bos grunniens). Can. J. Zool. 56:2355–2358.
Schonewald, C. 1994. Cervus canadensis and C. elaphus: North American subspecies and evaluation of clinical extremes. Acta Theriologica 39:431–452.
Schwartz, C.C., and J.E. Ellis. 1981. Feeding ecology and niche separation in some native and domestic ungulates on the shortgrass prairie. J. Appl. Ecol. 18:343–353.
Senft, R.L., L.R. Rittenhouse, and R.G. Woodmansee. 1985. Factors influencing patterns of cattle grazing behavior on shortgrass steppe. J. Range Manage. 38:82–87.
Siekert, R.E., Q.D. Skinner, M.A. Smith, J.L. Dodd, and J.D. Rodgers. 1985. Channel response of an ephemeral stream in Wyoming to selected grazing treatments. Pp. 276–278 in R. Roy Johnson, C.D. Ziebell, D.R. Patton, P.F. Efollian, and R.H. Hamre, eds. Riparian ecosystems and their management: reconciling conflicting uses. Proc. First N. Am. Riparian Conf., Tucson, AZ.
Smith, E.F., and C.E. Owensby. 1978. Intensive-early stocking and season-long stocking of Kansas Flint Hills range. J. Range Manage. 31:14–17.
Smith, J.G. 1895. Forage conditions of the prairie region. Pp. 309–324 in U.S. Dept. Agric. Yearbook of Agric—1895. U.S. Dept. Agric.
Steinauer, E.M., and T.B. Bragg. 1987. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) invasion of Nebraska Sandhills Prairie. Am. Midl. Nat. 118:358–365.
Steinauer, E.M., and S.L. Collins. 1995. Effects of urine deposition on small-scale patch structure in prairie vegetation. Ecology 76:1195–1205.
Steuter, A.A., B. Jasch, J. Ihnen, and L.L. Tieszen. 1990. Woodland Boundary changes in the middle Niobrara Valley of Nebraska identified by C values of soil organic matter. Am. Midl. Nat. 124:301–308.
Steuter, A.A., E.M. Steinauer, G.L. Hill, P.A. Bowers, and L.L. Tieszen. 1995. Distribution and diet of bison and pocket gophers in a Sandhills prairie. Ecol. Appl. 5:756–766.
Streng, D.R., and P.A. Harcombe. 1982. Why don’t east Texas savannas grow up to forests? Am. Midl. Nat. 108:278–294.
Taylor, C.A., T.D. Brooks, and N.E. Garza. 1993. Effects of short duration and high-intensity, low-frequency grazing systems on forage production and composition. J. Range Manage. 46:118–121.
Telfer, E.S., and A. Cairns. 1986. Resource use by moose versus sympatric deer, wapiti, and bison. Alces 22:114–137.
Telfer, E.S., and J.P. Kelsall. 1984. Adaptations of some large North American mammals for survival in snow. Ecology 65:1828–1934.
Tieszen, L.L., D.J. Ode, P.W. Barnes, and P.M. Bultsma. 1980. Seasonal variation in C3 and C4 biomass at the Ordway Prairie and selectivity by bison and cattle. Pp. 165–174 in D.C. Hartnett, ed. Proc. 7th N. Am. Prairie Conf. Kansas State University, Manhattan.
Tilman, D., and J.A. Downing. 1994. Biodiversity and stability in grasslands. Nature 367:363–365.
Trlica, M.J., M. Buwai, and J.W. Menke. 1977. Effects of rest following defoliations on the recovery of several range species. J. Range Manage. 30:21–27.
Vallentine, J.F. 1990. Grazing management. Academic Press, New York.
Van Vuren, D. 1982. Comparative ecology of bison and cattle in the Henry Mountains, Utah. Pp. 449–457 in L. Nelson and J.M. Peek, eds. Proc. Wildlife-livestock Relationships Symp. Univ. Idaho, Coeur d’Alene.
Van Vuren, D. 1984. Summer diets of bison and cattle in southern Utah. J. Range Manage. 37:260–261.
Van Zyll de Jong, C.G., C. Gates, H. Reynolds, and W Olson. 1995. Phenotypic variation in remnant populations of North American bison. J. Mammal. 76:391–405.
Vinton, M.A., and S.L. Collins. In press. Landscape gradients and habitat structure in native grasslands of the central Great Plains. Ecol. Stud.
Vinton, M.A., and D.C. Hartnett. 1992. Effects of bison grazing on Andropogon gerardii and Panicum virgatum in burned and unburned tallgrass prairie. Oecologia 90:374–382.
Voisin, A. 1988. Grass productivity. Island Press, Covela, CA.
Walker, J.W., and R.K. Heitschmidt. 1986. Effect of various grazing systems on type and density of cattle trails. J. Range Manage. 39:428–431.
Warren, S.D., T.L. Thurow, W.H. Blackburn, and N.E. Garza. 1986. The influence of livestock trampling under intensive rotation grazing on soil hydrologic characteristics. J. Range Manage. 39:491–495.
Weigel, J.R., C.M. Britton, and G.R. McPherson. 1990. Trampling effects from short-duration grazing on tobosa-grass range. J. Range Manage. 43:92–95.
Wells, P.V. 1965. Scarp woodlands, transported grassland soils, and the concept of grassland climate in the Great Plains region. Science 148:246–249.
West, N.E. 1993. Biodiversity of rangelands. J. Range Manage. 46:2–13.
Whicker, A.D., and J.K. Detling. 1988. Modification of vegetation structure and ecosystem processes by North American grassland mammals. Pp. 301–316 in M.J.A. Werger, H.J. During, and P.J.M. Van Der Aart, eds. Plant form and vegetation structure. SPB Acad. Publ., The Hague.
Wydeven, A.P., and R.B. Dahlgren. 1985. Ungulate habitat relationships in Wind Cave National Park. J. Wildl. Manage. 49:805–813.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hartnett, D.C., Steuter, A.A., Hickman, K.R. (1997). Comparative Ecology of Native and Introduced Ungulates. In: Knopf, F.L., Samson, F.B. (eds) Ecology and Conservation of Great Plains Vertebrates. Ecological Studies, vol 125. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2703-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2703-6_4
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-2851-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2703-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive