Mechanisms for the keystone status of kangaroo rats: graminivory rather than granivory?

Kerley, Graham I. H.; Whitford, Walter G.; Kay, Fenton R.

doi:10.1007/s004420050254

Cited by 53 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Understanding the foraging habits of kangaroo rats, including graminivory, may in part explain why, in the absence of kangaroo rats, a grass species can dramatically increase in abundance and change a shrub habitat into a grassland habitat (Kerley et al, 1997). If Lompoc kangaroo rats do utilize Veldt grass seed it would justify assessing their effect as "seed predators" and as a possible bio-control mechanism, especially when Veldt grass seed is rare.…”

Section: Kangaroo Rats As Keystone Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Lompoc kangaroo rat is a medium sized kangaroo rat. The studies by Brown and Heske (1990) and Kerley et al (1997) showed that medium sized kangaroo rats are graminivores. Therefore, given my specific results…”

Section: Evidence Of Graminivory But Also Invasive Plant Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…I have now shown it in Dipodomys heermanni arenae with Veldt grass and under field conditions. Yet, the pervasiveness of this behavior must be highlighted: removing seed heads from other grasses has been documented in Dipodomys heermanni, Ord's kangaroo rats (Kerley et al, 1997), Giant kangaroo rats (Schiffman, 1994) and Banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Schroder, 1979). Grass seeds were found to be the most important food item for Merriam's kangaroo rats in a study that looked at the cheek pouch contents of 411 individuals: grass seeds occurred in approximately 75% of the cheek pouches containing food (Bradley and Mauer, 1971).…”

Section: Kangaroo Rats Take the Seed Placed In The Field And Also Offmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The kangaroo rats clearly cut off and consumed tillers from all three species of desert grasses. The kangaroo rats consumed a large percentage of the grasses presented; suggesting that graminivory by kangaroo rats can impact desert grasslands (Kerley et al 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kerley et al (1997) merriami and D. ordii) were responsible for the grass cutting under field conditions. In the lab, Ord's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii) were provided with three different species of grass, for 1-4 days and consumption of the plant was monitored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Native Small Mammal Use of an Invasive Grass: Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) and Veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina) in Coastal California

Trunzo¹

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Section: Kangaroo Rats As Keystone Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Evidence Of Graminivory But Also Invasive Plant Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Kangaroo Rats Take the Seed Placed In The Field And Also Offmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Native Small Mammal Use of an Invasive Grass: Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) and Veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina) in Coastal California

Trunzo¹

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The past, present, and future of predator–prey interactions in a warming world: Using species distribution modeling to forecast ectotherm–endotherm niche overlap

Hill,

Grisnik,

Hanscom

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate change has the potential to disrupt species interactions across global ecosystems. Ectotherm–endotherm interactions may be especially prone to this risk due to the possible mismatch between the species in physiological response and performance. However, few studies have examined how changing temperatures might differentially impact species' niches or available suitable habitat when they have very different modes of thermoregulation. An ideal system for studying this interaction is the predator–prey system. In this study, we used ecological niche modeling to characterize the niche overlap and examine biogeography in past and future climate conditions of prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) and Ord's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii), an endotherm–ectotherm pair typifying a predator–prey species interaction. Our models show a high niche overlap between these two species (D = 0.863 and I = 0.979) and further affirm similar paleoecological distributions during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid‐Holocene (MH). Under future climate change scenarios, we found that prairie rattlesnakes may experience a reduction in overall suitable habitat (RCP 2.6 = −1.82%, 4.5 = −4.62%, 8.5 = −7.34%), whereas Ord's kangaroo rats may experience an increase (RCP 2.6 = 9.8%, 4.5 = 11.71%, 8.5 = 8.37%). We found a shared trend of stable suitable habitat at northern latitudes but reduced suitability in southern portions of the range, and we propose future monitoring and conservation be focused on those areas. Overall, we demonstrate a biogeographic example of how interacting ectotherm–endotherm species may have mismatched responses under climate change scenarios and the models presented here can serve as a starting point for further investigation into the biogeography of these systems.

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Native lagomorphs suppress grass establishment in a shrub‐encroached, semiarid grassland

Abercrombie

Koprowski

Nichols

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Shrub encroachment into arid grasslands has been associated with reduced grass abundance, increased soil erosion, and local declines in biodiversity. Livestock overgrazing and the associated reduction of fine fuels has been a primary driver of shrub encroachment in the southwestern United States, but shrublands continue to persist despite livestock removal and grassland restoration efforts. We hypothesized that an herbivory feedback from native mammals may contribute to continued suppression of grasses after the removal of livestock. Our herbivore exclusion experiment in southeastern Arizona included five treatment levels and allowed access to native mammals based on their relative body size, separating the effects of rodents, lagomorphs, and mule deer. We included two control treatments and replicated each treatment 10 times (n = 50). We introduced uniform divisions of lawn sod (Cynodon dactylon) into each exclosure for 24‐hr periods prior to (n = 2) and following (n = 2) the monsoon rains and used motion‐activated cameras to document herbivore visitations. In the pre‐monsoon trials, treatments that allowed lagomorph access had less sod biomass relative to other treatments (p < 0.001), averaging 44% (SD 36%) and 29% (SD 45%) remaining biomass after the 24‐hr trial periods. Following the onset of monsoons, differences in remaining biomass among treatments disappeared. Desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii) were detected more frequently than any of the other 11 herbivore species present at the site, accounting for 83% of detections during the pre‐monsoon trials. Significantly more (p < 0.001) desert cottontails were detected during the pre‐monsoon trials (2,077) compared to the post‐monsoon trials (174), which coincided with biomass removal from lagomorph accessible treatments. We conclude that desert cottontails are significant consumers of herbaceous vegetation in shrub‐encroached arid grasslands and they, along with other native herbivores, may act as a biotic feedback contributing to the competitive advantage and persistence of shrubs.

show abstract

Mechanisms for the keystone status of kangaroo rats: graminivory rather than granivory?

Cited by 53 publications

References 35 publications

Native Small Mammal Use of an Invasive Grass: Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) and Veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina) in Coastal California

Native Small Mammal Use of an Invasive Grass: Heermann's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni) and Veldt grass (Ehrharta calycina) in Coastal California

The past, present, and future of predator–prey interactions in a warming world: Using species distribution modeling to forecast ectotherm–endotherm niche overlap

Native lagomorphs suppress grass establishment in a shrub‐encroached, semiarid grassland

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