2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
8/23/2017 | 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Effects of Feral Horses on Soils and Vegetation in Sagebrush and Riparian Communities | Salon F
Effects of Feral Horses on Soils and Vegetation in Sagebrush and Riparian Communities
Feral horses (Equus caballus) are a non-native grazer in North America, South America, and Australia that are relatively unmanaged. This has led to concern about their potential to damage natural resources. Information about their influence on vegetation and soil characteristics in semi-arid rangelands and riparian areas has been limited by confounding effects of grazing by livestock and a lack of empirical manipulative studies. We compared plant community and soil surface characteristics in feral horse grazed areas and ungrazed exclosures at five sagebrush (Artemisia) steppe and riparian communities in northern Nevada. In the sagebrush steppe, horse grazed areas had lower sagebrush density and plant diversity, greater soil surface compaction, and lower soil aggregate stability than ungrazed areas. In the riparian areas, feral horse grazed areas had 7-fold greater bare ground, reduced litter and visual obstruction, and increased rush density compared to ungrazed areas. The cumulative effect of feral horses on soil characteristics in uplands suggests that they may negatively affect ecological function by increasing the risk of soil erosion and potentially decreasing availability of water for plant growth. The two-fold increase in sagebrush density with horse exclusion suggests that feral horses may limit sagebrush recruitment and thereby negatively impact Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and other sagebrush-associated wildlife. The greater bare ground in horse grazed riparian areas increases the risk of erosion, and subsequently stream channel incising, and susceptibility to exotic plant invasion. The effects of feral horses on native ecosystems should be considered when developing conservation plans for these ecosystems and associated wildlife.
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Presenters/Authors
Kirk Davies
(), USDA - Agricultural Research Service, kirk.davies@oregonstate.edu;
Dr. Kirk Davies is the Lead Rangeland Scientist at the Agricultural Research Service Unit at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Burns, OR. He obtained dual B.S. degrees in Crop and Soil Science and Rangeland Resources in 2000. Dr. Davies then obtained a PhD in Rangeland Resources from Oregon State University in 2005. He was hired by the Agricultural Research Service in 2006. Dr. Davies has published over 90 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles on fire ecology, grazing-fire interactions, plant community dynamics, sagebrush steppe ecology, invasive species management, and feral horse effects. He has also published numerous management guides, extension articles, and proceedings.
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Chad Boyd
(), USDA - Agricultural Research Service, chad.boyd;
Dr. Chad Boyd is the Research Leader for the Agricultural Research Service in Burns, OR.
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