Effects of Wild Pig Rooting in a Deciduous Forest
Singer FJ, Swank WT, Clebsch EE. 1984. Effects of Wild Pig Rooting in a Deciduous Forest. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 48(2):464-473
The influence of rooting by wild pigs (Sus scrofa) on surface fauna, nutrients, and biomass of forest litter and soil was investigated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1979-80. Rooting by wild pigs mixed A1 and A2 soil horizons and reduced ground vegetative cover and leaf litter. Two vertebrates that depend largely on leaf litter for habitat, the southern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) and northern short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda), were nearly eliminated from intensively rooted areas. Two other mammals and five salamanders that preferred more arboreal or subterranean habitats were unaffected by rooting. Rooting accelerated leaching of Ca, P, Zn, Cu, and Mg from leaf litter and soil. Nitrate concentrations were higher in soil, soil water, and stream water from the rooted areas suggesting alterations in nitrogen transformation processes. Rooting did not increase sediment yield, apparently because of the high infiltration rate of southern Appalachian soils and because disturbance promoted infiltration through decreased bulk density.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Singer, Francis; Swank, Wayne; Clebsch, Edward
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Behavior (Rooting), Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park NC TN, GRSM, GRSM-01801, SER, Southeast Region, Wild Hog (Sus scrofa)