Bunchgrass Ridge

Restoration of montane meadows in western Oregon:
Research and adaptive management
     
Home > Research > 3. Gopher disturbance > 3B. Community structure
     
3B. Contributions of gopher mounds and castings to meadow community structure
 
Home
Study area
Research
 
1. Conifer invasion
2. Vegetation responses
 
3. Gopher disturbance
 
A. Succession on mounds
B. Community structure
 
4. Restoration experiment
Education
Outreach
Products
Participants
Key findings
   
Also see
Study area
BG Study area link
 
Hosted by
UW link
Privacy | Terms
 

Case, M. F., C. B. Halpern, and S. A. Levin. 2013. Contributions of gopher mound and casting disturbances to plant community structure in a Cascade Range meadow complex. 2013. Botany 91:555-561. Request reprint

Also see

Case, M.F. 2012. Gopher disturbance and plant community dynamics in montane meadows. Senior thesis. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. 74 p. Download PDF

Case, M. F., C. B. Halpern, and S. A. Levin. 2013. Gopher-mound and casting disturbances contribute to plant community structure in a Cascade Range meadow complex. 98th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Minneapolis, MN. Download PDF
Mounds Castings
Mounds Castings
As fresh mounds age, soil compaction and rain bring stones to the surface and plant colonization commences.
Soil castings form under winter snowpack. Gophers move soil into snow tunnels which are then exposed by spring snowmelt.