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Animal Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Zoology

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Journal

2012

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Contributions Of Seed Bank And Vegetative Propagules To Vegetation Composition On Prairie Dog Colonies In Western South Dakota, Emily R. Helms Jan 2012

Contributions Of Seed Bank And Vegetative Propagules To Vegetation Composition On Prairie Dog Colonies In Western South Dakota, Emily R. Helms

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Characterizing the contributions of the seed bank and vegetative propagules will enhance our understanding of community resiliency associated with prairie dog disturbances. Our objective was to determine the effects of ecological condition (EC) and distance from burrows on the soil seed bank and vegetative propagules. Based on species composition of the extant vegetation, two prairie dog colonies were selected on the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands in western South Dakota. Within each colony, two prairie dog burrows were randomly selected at each of three sample points located about 150m apart. Two soil cores were taken at 0.5m, 1.0m, and 1.5m distances …