An intertebrate ecosystem engineer likely covered under the umbrella of sage-grouse conservation
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: External Repository
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Conservation practitioners often rely on areas designed to protect species of greatest conservation priority to also conserve co-occurring species (i.e., the umbrella species concept). The extent to which vertebrate species may serve as suitable umbrellas for invertebrate species, however, has rarely been explored. Sage-grouse (Centrocercus spp.) have high conservation priority throughout much of the rangelands of western North America and are considered an umbrella species through which the conservation of entire rangeland ecosystems can be accomplished. Harvester ants are ecosystem engineers and play important roles in the maintenance and function of rangeland ecosystems. We compared indices of the abundance of western harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) and Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at 72 sites in central Wyoming, USA, in 2012. The abundance of harvester ant mounds was best predicted by a regression model that included a combination of local habitat characteristics and the abundance of sage-grouse. When controlling for habitat-related factors, areas with higher abundances of sage-grouse pellets (an index of sage-grouse abundance and/or habitat use) had higher abundances of ant mounds than areas with lower abundances of sage-grouse pellets. The causal mechanism underlying this positive relationship between sage-grouse and ant mound abundance at the fine scale could be indirect (e.g., both species prefer similar environmental conditions) or direct (e.g., sage-grouse prefer areas with a high abundance of ant mounds because ants are an important prey item during certain life stages). We observed no relationship between a broad-scale index of breeding sage-grouse density and the abundance of ant mounds. We suspect that consideration of the nonbreeding habitat of sage-grouse and finer-scale measures of sagegrouse abundance are critical to the utility of sage-grouse as an umbrella species for the conservation of harvester ants and their important role in rangeland ecosystems.
Publication type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | An intertebrate ecosystem engineer likely covered under the umbrella of sage-grouse conservation |
Series title | Western North American Naturalist |
DOI | 10.3398/064.077.0406 |
Volume | 77 |
Issue | 4 |
Year Published | 2017 |
Language | English |
Publisher | Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University |
Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Seattle |
Description | 14 p. |
First page | 450 |
Last page | 463 |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |