Habitat Use by Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) on Alluvial Fans in the Sonoran Desert, South-Central Arizona

Wind turbine-induced fires at a wind energy facility in California, USA, provided an opportunity to study the before and after effects of fire on a population of protected Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Sonoran Desert, a species and ecosystem poorly adapted to fire. We compared annual activity areas (AAs) of tortoises in 2011 and 2013, before and after two 2012 fires, with those of tortoises in adjacent areas unaffected by the same fires. Tortoises in both AAs affected by fire or unaffected by fire occupied the same general AAs in 2013, after the fires, as they did in 2011, before the fires. Some tortoises had both their 2011 and 2013 AAs completely or almost completely within the areas burned by the 2012 fires, despite the proximity of unburned habitat. None of the tortoises with 2011 AAs subsequently unaffected by the 2012 fires shifted their AAs into burned habitat in 2013. For the fire-affected group of tortoises, the mean percentages of 2011 and 2013 AAs burned by the 2012 fires were not significantly different, showing fidelity to the burned areas. Tortoises in both groups generally occupied consistent AAs, even post fire, placing them at potential risk of exposure to unfavourable burned habitat.

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Variation in Annual Clutch Phenology of Sonoran Desert Tortoises (Gopherus morafkai) in Central Arizona

Herpetologica ◽

10.1655/herpetologica-d-17-00007.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 313-322 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jeffrey E. Lovich ◽

Roy C. Averill-Murray ◽

Mickey Agha ◽

Joshua R. Ennen ◽

Meaghan Austin

Keyword(s):

Sonoran Desert ◽

Gopherus Morafkai ◽

Central Arizona

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Long-term responses of mammalian herbivores to stand thinning and fertilization in young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) forest

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x10-173 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 40 (12) ◽

pp. 2302-2312 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Thomas P. Sullivan ◽

Druscilla S. Sullivan ◽

Pontus M.F. Lindgren ◽

Douglas B. Ransome

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Pinus Contorta ◽

Large Scale ◽

Stand Structure ◽

Lodgepole Pine ◽

South Central ◽

Commercial Thinning ◽

Snowshoe Hares ◽

Understory Shrubs

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Exrleben, 1777), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817)), and moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) commonly occur in young coniferous forests. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that large-scale pre-commercial thinning (PCT) and repeated fertilization 15–20 years after the onset of treatments in young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Wats.) stands would enhance relative habitat use by hares, deer, and moose compared with unmanaged stands. Study areas were located in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Habitat use was measured by fecal pellet and pellet-group counts. Understory vegetation and coniferous stand structure were measured in all stands. Habitat use by deer and moose was highest in heavily thinned stands, probably due to the higher levels of forage and cover provided by understory shrubs and conifers in thinned stands. Habitat use by snowshoe hares was highest in high-density stands, but also in lower-density (≤1000 stems·ha–1) stands where an increase in understory conifers provided essential cover for hares. Managers should consider the long-term nature of understory development in young stands managed for timber production. Heavy thinning (≤1000 stems·ha–1) will generate suitable understory habitat for these herbivores sooner than conventional PCT at higher stand densities.

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