Habitat relationships of great gray owl prey in meadows of the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Abstract

Habitat Relationships of Great Gray Owl Prey in Meadows of the Sierra Nevada MountainsRyan KalinowskiThe great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) has been a state endangered species in California since 1980 because of low population size. Annual productivity of the great gray owl in California is thought to be largely dependent on vole (Microtus spp.) and pocket gopher dominance; vole abundance was weakly negatively associated with cattle grazing.Gopher abundance was negatively associated with site wetness, and positively associated with stem density, the frequency of forb presence, cattle grazing, and the dominance of corn lily. When managing meadows for great gray owl conservation, cattle grazing and vegetation should be monitored to accommodate the habitat relationships of both voles and gophers. Management of owl prey may be most efficient by prioritizing wet meadow sites for voles since gophers were not likely to be abundant in wet sites, and vole iv abundance has been correlated with moist soils in other studies. Therefore particularly in areas with moist soils, I recommend maintaining plant sward height commensurate with the habitat relationships of voles found in this study.v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Grazing and wildfire effects on small mammals inhabiting montane meadows

“…Yarborough and Chambers () also captured fewer Navajo Mogollon voles in grazed meadows compared to meadows with low or no grazing. In other regions, cattle grazing negatively affected abundance of other vole species by reducing vegetation height and volume or trampling burrows (Schmidt et al , Kalinowski et al , Schieltz and Rubenstein ). Schieltz and Rubenstein () noted consistent negative responses by voles to grazing in an evidence‐based review.…”

“…However, we found only 1 study on small‐mammal communities in wet meadows in Idaho (Austin and Pyle ). Other studies focused on the role of small mammals as predators (Cain et al , Cocimano et al ), prey (Kalinowski et al ), or habitat relationships of individual species (Chambers and Doucett , Frey ).…”

“…Montane meadows may experience intensive modification by seasonal or continuous livestock grazing (Dobkin et al 1998, Herbst et al 2012, Kalinowski et al 2014. Cattle and elk (Cervus elaphus) often concentrate in these areas (Platts and Nelson 1985) and can increase soil compaction, change plant species composition, vegetation structure, biomass, sediment movement, and streambank stability (Medin and Clary 1989, Kie et al 1996, McEldowney et al 2002, Austin et al 2007.…”

Toward climate change refugia conservation at an ecoregion scale

“…Climate change impacts on hydrology are further exacerbated by livestock grazing and trampling, which affects channel morphology and soil and nutrient dynamics (Ostoja et al, 2014; Vernon, Campos, & Burnett, 2019). Meadow‐dependent wildlife species are directly vulnerable due to loss of suitable habitat from hydrologic degradation, livestock grazing and trampling, and conifer encroachment (Brown, Hayes, Green, MacFarlane, & Lind, 2015; Green, Bombay, & Morrison, 2003; Kalinowski, Johnson, & Rich, 2014; USFWS, 2014).…”

“…Managers can protect meadow refugia by removing livestock (Vernon et al, 2019), rerouting recreational trails that undermine meadow hydrological and ecological function (sensu Yosemite's Lyell Canyon, Yosemite Conservancy, 2020), restoring incised streams (Hammersmark, Rains, & Mount, 2008; Long, Lake, Goode, & Burnette, 2020), and raising the water table with beaver dam analogs or maintenance of beaver populations (Fair et al, 2018; Greenwood et al, 2018; Pollock et al, 2014) or via controlled burns that stave off encroaching vegetation (Aldern & Goode, 2014; Meddens et al, 2018). Additional actions may include restoration of willow stands (Green et al, 2003), and maintaining meadow grass at sufficient heights to support vole habitat for great gray owl (Kalinowski et al, 2014).…”