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Composition and Diversity of Plant and Small Mammal Communities in Tebuthiuron-Treated Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

Kris H. Johnson ,
Richard A. Olson  and
Thomas D. Whitson
Kris H. Johnson
Affiliation:
Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071
Richard A. Olson
Affiliation:
Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071
Thomas D. Whitson
Affiliation:
Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071
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Abstract

Sagebrush control has historically involved mechanical and chemical (2,4-D) treatments designed for total control and which detrimentally affect nontarget plant species, resulting in decreases in native wildlife abundance and diversity. Tebuthiuron, a potentially selective herbicide with thinning capabilities, was applied at various rates to big sagebrush plots near Ten Sleep, WY in 1979 and Hyatteville, WY in 1983. Plant and small mammal communities were evaluated in 1992 and 1993. Big sagebrush cover in untreated areas was 31 ± 1% in 1992 and 34 ± 1% in 1993 at Ten Sleep, and 44 ± 4% at Hyatteville (α = 0.10). Big sagebrush control increased as application rate increased. Productivity of herbaceous species (graminoids, forbs, or both) tended to be greatest at about 11 to 17% big sagebrush cover. In general, plant community diversity tended to be greatest where sagebrush was thinned to this level. Small mammal community diversity was least at both sites where big sagebrush cover was less than 5%, and was strongly correlated with plant community diversity at Ten Sleep (R2W = 0.99; 4 degrees of freedom). In addition, greater abundance of or better habitat quality for endemic, stenotypic (habitat specialist) species was associated with about 15% big sagebrush cover. This suggests (albeit retroductively) that biodiversity at both local (alpha) and global (epsilon) scales might be conserved by thinning big sagebrush with tebuthiuron.

Keywords

Tebuthiuron, N-[5-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl]-N-N-dimethylurea2,4-D, (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acidbig sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata Nutt. # ARTTRAster mollisbiodiversityCentrocercus urophasianuscommunityendangered speciesherbicidessagebrush thinningShannon diversity indexspatial scaleSpermophilus eleganswildlife habitat managementARTTR
Type
Symposium
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , June 1996 , pp. 404 - 416
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 by the Weed Science Society of America 

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