Review and annotated bibliography of feral burro literature /

Douglas, C.L.; Hurst, Thomas L.

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.124981

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Nevertheless, the success of donkeys in arid areas is due to their ability to survive in low-quality environments and to their capacity to alternate between a grazing and a browsing diet (Douglas and Hurst 1993). On the contrary, the relatively poorer adaptation of cattle to this type of environments is reflected in their constant association with nearly all waterholes, showing higher dependence on water sources for subsistence (Owen-Smith 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lack of feral livestock interference with native guanaco during the dry season in a South American desert

et al. 2011

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Analyzing coexistence of exotic and native ungulates in arid areas is important from both a theoretical and a species conservation perspective. We assess the habitat use patterns and possible interference between guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and feral livestock (donkey and cattle) in arid environments of South America. To determine habitat use and niche overlap between exotic and native ungulate species, ten sites with different habitats and six natural waterholes were selected. Plots (20 at each site, ten around each waterhole) were randomly set up and characterized by environmental variables and relative use by cattle, donkey and guanaco through faecal pellet counts. Aggregation, niche breadth and niche overlap of the three herbivores were analyzed at habitat level (mesoscale). A direct redundancy analysis was used to examine the relationships between abundance of herbivore faeces and environmental variables at microscale. Mesoscale analyses showed (i) an extensive use of the area by all three species, with guanaco having the highest niche breadth followed by donkey and cattle and (ii) a large, broad guanaco-donkey and donkey-cattle habitat overlap. However, results at a finer scale showed high spatial aggregation of feral livestock species and an independent use of territory by guanacos. This study is the first to provide information about habitat partitioning between guanacos and feral livestock in the hyper-arid Monte Desert biome and points to an apparent lack of negative effects on the native ungulate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The donkey is native to arid zones of Africa and has been successfully naturalized in American and Australian deserts (Grinder et al 2006). Donkeys are considered grazers, and their diet is composed of grasses and shrubs (Douglas and Hurst 1993). This species has been poorly studied in South America (Novillo and Ojeda 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lack of feral livestock interference with native guanaco during the dry season in a South American desert

et al. 2011

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A Systematic Review of Wild Burro Grazing Effects on Mojave Desert Vegetation, USA

Abella

2008

Environmental Management

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Wild burros (Equus asinus), protected by the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act on some federal lands but exotic animals many ecologists and resource mangers view as damaging to native ecosystems, represent one of the most contentious environmental management problems in American Southwest arid lands. This review synthesizes the scattered literature about burro effects on plant communities of the Mojave Desert, a center of burro management contentions. I classified 24 documents meeting selection criteria for this review into five categories of research: (i) diet analyses directly determining which plant species burros consume, (ii) utilization studies of individual species, (iii) control-impact comparisons, (iv) exclosure studies, and (v) forage analyses examining chemical characteristics of forage plants. Ten diet studies recorded 175 total species that burros consumed. However, these studies and two exclosure studies suggested that burros preferentially eat graminoid and forb groups over shrubs. One study in Death Valley National Park, for example, found that Achnatherum hymenoides (Indian ricegrass) was 11 times more abundant in burro diets than expected based on its availability. Utilization studies revealed that burros also exhibit preferences within the shrub group. Eighty-three percent of reviewed documents were produced in a 12-year period, from 1972 to 1983, with the most recent document produced in 1988. Because burros remain abundant on many federal lands and grazing may interact with other management concerns (e.g., desert wildfires fueled by exotic grasses), rejuvenating grazing research to better understand both past and present burro effects could help guide revegetation and grazing management scenarios.

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Review and annotated bibliography of feral burro literature /

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Lack of feral livestock interference with native guanaco during the dry season in a South American desert

Lack of feral livestock interference with native guanaco during the dry season in a South American desert

A Systematic Review of Wild Burro Grazing Effects on Mojave Desert Vegetation, USA

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