Association of black-tailed prairie dog colonies with cattle point attractants in the Northern Great Plains
Licht DS and Sanchez KD. 1993. Association of black-tailed prairie dog colonies with cattle point attractants in the Northern Great Plains. Great Basin Naturalist. 53(4):385-389
In October 1991 we recorded all black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and cattle point attractants in a 1248-km2 study area in southwest North Dakota and southeast Montana. Cattle point attractants were defined as fabricated water tanks and long-term supplemental feed sites. We found that a significant number of prairie dog colonies encompassed or adjoined cattle point attractants (p < .001). Prairie dog colonies associated with cattle point attractants were a mean distance of 1.0 km from the next nearest town. The existence of cattle point attractants may encourage prairie dog colonization. Conversely, refraining from using long-term cattle point attractants can discourage prairie dog colonization.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Licht, Daniel; Sanchez, Kenneth
- Units
- THRO
- Keywords
- cattle, Cynomys ludovicianus, dispersal, management, prairie dogs, trampling
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Grassland/Herbaceous Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals