Impacts of feral horses on a desert environment
| Autor: | Stacey D. Ostermann-Kelm, Larry E Hendrickson, Esther S. Rubin, Edward A Atwill, Walter M. Boyce |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: |
Plant Development
Biology California Feces Soil Environmental Science(all) Abundance (ecology) Soil retrogression and degradation Research article Animals Horses Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics QH540-549.5 Ecosystem General Environmental Science Ecology fungi Species diversity Vegetation Native plant biology.organism_classification Equus Plant cover Trampling Desert Climate |
| Zdroj: | BMC Ecology BMC Ecology, Vol 9, Iss 1, p 22 (2009) |
| ISSN: | 1472-6785 |
| Popis: | Background Free-ranging horses (Equus caballus) in North America are considered to be feral animals since they are descendents of non-native domestic horses introduced to the continent. We conducted a study in a southern California desert to understand how feral horse movements and horse feces impacted this arid ecosystem. We evaluated five parameters susceptible to horse trampling: soil strength, vegetation cover, percent of nonnative vegetation, plant species diversity, and macroinvertebrate abundance. We also tested whether or not plant cover and species diversity were affected by the presence of horse feces. Results Horse trailing resulted in reduced vegetation cover, compacted soils, and in cases of intermediate intensity disturbance, increased plant species diversity. The presence of horse feces did not affect plant cover, but it did increase native plant diversity. Conclusion Adverse impacts, such as soil compaction and increased erosion potential, were limited to established horse trails. In contrast, increased native plant diversity near trails and feces could be viewed as positive outcomes. Extensive trailing can result in a surprisingly large impact area: we estimate that < 30 horses used > 25 km2 of trails in our study area. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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