Pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius), vegetation, and soil nitrogen along a successional sere in east central Minnesota

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Oecologia

Volume

72

Publication Date

1987

First Page

178

Last Page

184

Abstract

Pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius: Geomyidae Rodentia) are shown to affect soil resources and thus, indirectly, vegetation. Gophers reduce average soil nitrogen near the surface and increase point-to-point heterogeneity of soil nitrogen by moving nitrogen-poor subsurface soil to the soil surface. Data from 22 old fields at Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Minnesota, USA show correlations of soil nitrogen, vegetation, and gopher mounds that are consistent with this indirect mechanism by which gophers affect local species composition and old field succession.

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