VEGETATIONAL ANALYSIS OF HABITATS
Detailed maps of vegetation within the trapping grid were needed to aid
in analyzing distribution of mice within the grid. In preparing such
maps, I recorded all plants within a 25 foot radius of each trapping
station. The dominant and codominant plants in the overstory (trees or
shrubs) were noted at each station. Next the three most abundant plants
other than the dominant and codominants were rated for each station,
where possible. Finally a listing was made of all remaining species of
plants.
On the basis of this analysis, four vegetational maps were prepared. One
shows associations of dominant overstory and understory plants.
Individual maps are devoted to the first, second and third most abundant
plants in the ground cover within the trapping grid (Figs. 5-8).
Approximately seven man-hours were required to analyze each trapping
unit, and 112 man-hours to analyze the entire grid.
The home range grid encompasses approximately one million square feet.
At least four different vegetational stands occur within the grid: 1)
pinyon-juniper woodland with various associations in the understory; 2)
_Artemisia tridentata_ (big sagebrush), or _A. nova_ (black sagebrush);
3) _Quercus gambelii_ (Gambel oak); and 4) mixed shrubs--_Fendlera
rupicola_ (fendlerbush), _Amelanchier utahensis_ (Utah serviceberry),
and _Cercocarpos montanus_ (mountain mahogany).
Flora in the ground cover is regulated, at least in part, by the canopy
cover; hence different associations of pinyon-juniper woodland and each
of the stands mentioned above have different plants, or a different
distribution of the same kinds of plants, in their ground cover.
Units A, B, E, and parts of D and G in the western third of the grid are
in pinyon-juniper woodland (Fig. 5). A relatively pure understory of
_Poa fendleriana_ (muttongrass), is typical of such woodland on the
middle parts of the mesas. Woodland on the western third of the grid
differs somewhat in that, when the area occupied by each plant is
considered, _Artemisia tridentata_ is codominant there with _Poa
fendleriana_. As far as individual plants are concerned, _Poa_ far
outnumbers _Artemisia_. The next most abundant plants in the ground
cover are _Solidago petradoria_ (rock goldenrod), _Chrysothamnus
depressus_ (dwarf rabbitbrush), and _Penstemon linarioides_ (penstemon),
in that order.
In unit E there is a large depression, about 200 by 60 feet, created by
removal of soil (Fig. 8). _Artemisia nova_ grows there, and pioneering
plants adapted to early stages of succession are present.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account