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Desert Cottontail Use of Natural and Modified Pinyon- Juniper Woodland

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Desert Cottontail Use of Natural and Modified Pinyon- Juniper Woodland Desert Cottontail Use of Natural and Modified Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Item Type text; Article Authors Kundaeli, J. N.; Reynolds, H. G. Citation Kundaeli, J. N., & Reynolds, H. G. (1972). Desert cottontail use of natural and modified pinyon-juniper woodland. Journal of Range Management, 25(2), 116-118. DOI 10.2307/3896798 Publisher Society for Range Management Journal Journal of Range Management Rights Copyright © Society for Range Management. Download date 27/09/2021 20:42:20 Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Version Final published version Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/647402 116 KUNDAELI AND REYNOLDS grazing pangolagrass pastures re- and blood of cows grazing pangola- PALTING,J. F. EASLEY,J. W. CAR- ceiving different phosphate fertili- grass. J, Range Manage. 23: 136-139. PENTER,AND MARVIN KOGER. 1963. zer. Fla. A’gr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. NUTRIENTREQUIREMENT OF BEEFCATTLE. Water, phosphorus, calcuim, ash 735. 55 p. 1970. Nat. Res. Council National and protein of the heart, liver and KIRK, W. G., R. L. SHIRLEY, J. F. Academy of Sciences. Washington, muscle of Hereford, Brahman and EASLEY,AND F. M. PEACOCK. 1970b. D. C. 55 p. Hereford-Brahman crossbred cattle. Vitamin A and B-carotene in liver SHIRLEY,R. L., D. D. HARGROVE,FLORA J. Anim. Sci. 22393-395. sideoats grama (B. curtipendulu Desert Cottontail Use of Natural and (Michx.) Torr.)-contribute about Modified Pinyon- Juniper Woodland’9 2 two-thirds of the total. Over 30 species of perennial grasses make JOHN N. KUNDAELI AND HUDSON G. REYNOLDS up the remainder of the production. Game Management Officer, College of African Wildlife, Moshi, Tanzania; and Forb production is about half Principal Wildlife Biologist, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment that of perennial grasses. No forb Station, Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Tempe, Arizona. species dominate the composition; of the more than 50 species involved, Highlight clearing upoln the desert cottontail most abundant genera include: Pinyon-juniper woodland, a habitat in southern New Mexico. Recom- vetch (Viciu spp.), globemallow for desert cottontails throughout much mendations are given for coordinat- (Sphuerulceu spp.) goosefoot (Chen- of the West, is often cleared to im- ing clearing activities with the opodium spp.), and buckwheat (Eri- prove grazing conditions for livestock. habitat needs of cottontails. ogonum spp.). In southern New Mexico, habitat con- In 1963, permanent pellet sam- ditions for cottontails can be main- Study Area and Methods tained or enhanced during clearing pling stations were located at me- operations by preserving some combi- This study was conducted on chanically spaced intervals on the nation of 70-90 down, dead trees and 13,000 acres of the Ft. Bayard Ex- entire experimental area at an in- living shrubs per acre. perimental Forest, about 10 miles tensity of 25 per sectioa (approxi- east of Silver City, New Mexico. mately 450 plots). In 1965 sampling Desert cottontails (Sy2viEagu.s au- The area includes only elevations intensity was increased to 225 sta- duboni Baird) are distributed of 6,000 to 7,000 ft in the pinyon- tions per section on the southern widely throughout the western juniper. Rainfall averages about 16 one-third of the area. United States. These animals pro- inches. Considerable diversity of PelIet plots at each sample station vide substantial recreational hunt- soils and topography provide a com- consisted of four belts laid out in ing. For example, about 29,000 plex environment for plant growth. cardinal directions. Each belt con- hunters harvest over 185,000 cotton- Percent density composition of trees tained l/400 acre (3 by 36.3 feet). tails annually in Arizona (Smith, is: pinyon (Pinzcs edulis Engelm.), Presence or absence of accumulated 1962) while expending about 40; alligator juniper (Juniperus cottontail rabbit pellets was noted $640,000 (Davis, 1962). Mainten- deppeana Steud.), 24; gray oak annually on each sampling belt. ance of cottontail rabbit production (Quercus griseu Liebm.), 24; Utah Trees and shrubs were counted to satisfy recreationists depends juniper (J. osteospermu (Torr.) around the center of each sample upon proper habitat management. Little), 10; other trees (15), 2. Simi- station on a l/lo-acre plot (37.2-foot The range of cottontails includes larly, shrub composition is: hairy radius). 60 million acres of pinyon-juniper mountainmahogany (Cercocurpus Herbaceous vegetation was esti- woodland in the Rocky Mountain breuiflorus A. Gray), 47; gray oak mated periodically by species on and Intermountain Regions (Forest (less than 6 ft tall), 20; Wright silk- belts 1 by 24 feet in size superim- Service, 1958). This woodland, tassel (Gurryu wrightii Torr.), 18; posed over the pehet plots. Esti- among other values, provides im- skunkbush (Rhus trilobutu Nutt.), mates of herbage were corrected to portant forage for livestock. Many 10; other shrubs (25), 5. Tree den- actual weight by double sampling public and private land managers sity varies from none on 7% of the (Wilm et al., 1944). Vegetation continue to clear areas of pinyon- area to sites with more than 250 samples were dried so that produc- juniper to improve forage produc- plants/acre. Some areas support an tion could be expressed as pounds tion for livestock. This paper re- equal density of shrubs, although of air-dry material per acre. ports the effect of pinyon-juniper 17% of the area is without shrubs. Pinyon-juniper was removed in Perennial grass production av- various amounts and by several 1 Received May 2 1, 197 1. erages about 300 Ib./acre. The methods on the southern one-third 2 Results reported are based on Mr. Kundaeli’s MS thesis to Colorado dominant species-blue grama (Bou- of the experimental area in 1965. State University. telouu grucilis (H.B.K.) Lag.) and The experimental design consisted DESERT COTTONTAIL 117 Table 1. Occurrence (%) of desert cottontail pellets in relation to tree density and approximately 125 shrubs per (no./acre), shrub abundance (na./acre), and berbaceous vegetation Produc- acre use by cottontails decreases tion (lb./acre) on Ft. Hayard in 1966. (Table 1). Overstory trees can affect cotton- tail use by suppressing shrub>. Tree density above 160 per acre sup- presses ahrub abundance. If shrubs are reduced by tree competition below optimmn habitat conditions of about S5 shrubs per acre, cotton- tail use is depressed. Within the range of 150 to 370 pounds per acre production of her- of five randomized treatments in ran be too few or to” dense for best baceous vegetation does not seem each of two blocks. Each treatment cottontail habitat conditions. to affect cottontail use. plot contained 300-500 acres. In To separate the effect of shrubs and overstory trees upon cottontail one treatment, trees were uprooted, Use of Modified Areas piled, and burned. In another presence, pellet densities were mea- treatment, trees were uprooted but sured on areas with and without Modifications of cottontail habi- tat by different methods of tree re- left where they fell. Retention of trees. An area of 300 acres near “p- trees on steep slopes and northerly timum for cottontail presence (Fig. moval resulted in differences in cot- exposures constituted a third treat- 1) averaging 86 shnlbs/acre and 57 tontail use. Pellet densities were ment. On a fourth area, trees were trees/acre had a pellet density of significantly lower (0.05 level) from thinned to a density of 100 trees/ 2.8 per square foot. An adjacent the control plot where all trees acre by felling with a chain saw. area of comparable size and density were uprooted, piled, and burned The fifth area was left undisturbed. of shrubs but without trees, had a (Table 2). Pellet densities were significantly higher than the con- In 196R, a supplemental study density of 3.1 pellets per square was made of cottontail use of treat- foot. This comparison suggests that trol where trees \,‘ere uprooted but ment areas. Accumulated cottontail if sufficient shrubs are present, left intact. The thinning treatment rabbit pellets were counted on ran- the habitat will be occupied by did not differ significantly from the domly selected sample points on cottontails whether living trees are control area. Since the treatment belts of l/400 acre within the mid- present or not. areas were comparable in density dle of each treatment area. Such Cottontail use is strongly related of shrubs (50-59 per acre) the dif- measurements permitted quantita- to ahrub density. With an increase ferences in cottontail use suggest tive comparisons between relative from 53 to 85 shrubs per acre, cot- that abundance of down, dead trees rabbit abundance, as measured by tontail use increases; between X5 influenced habitat conditions. pellet counts, and characteristics and condition of the surrounding vegetation. Use of Undisturbed Areas Use of natural areas by cotton- tails was extensively surveyed on 9,000 acres of undisturbed pinyon- juniper in 1966. Evidence of rabbit ;se was found on 83% of the area. Within use areas, however, certain combinations of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants were preferred. Evidence of cottontails was greatest (91% of plots with pellets) where per acre amounts of vege- tation averaged 85 trees, R5 shrubs, and 270 lb. of perennial grass (Table 1). Pellet occurrence at this tree density differed significantly (0.05 level) from that at higher and lower densities of ahrubs and trees. This relation suggests that woody plants 118 KUNDAELI AND REYNOLDS Table 2. Relation of cottontail pellet densities (no./ftz) to shrubs and down shrubs furnish the primary cover trees as affected by treatment (after Kundaeli, 1969). for cottontails. About 85 shrubs/ acre furnish ideal habitat con- Cover complex (no./acre) ditions. Living trees influence hab- Cotton- tail Down itat conditions only indirectly by Treatment pellets Shrubs Trees Total suppressing shrubs when tree num- bers exceed 160 per acre.
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