Pocket gopher activity across elevation gradients.
Abstract
In ecology it is important to understand the limits of a species range and what their behaviors are within their range. Thomomys talpoides (Northern Pocket Gopher) and its relatives have been studied extensively at lower elevations (<2500m), but little is known about them at alpine elevations (>2700m). We asked what mechanism(s) (elevation, edaphic factors) determined their high elevational ranges. We were also interested in if there was a correlation between their burrowing and plant community composition. Our results showed a significant negative correlation between gopher disturbance and elevation on both ends of a quadratic curve which means that at lower and higher elevations gopher disturbance diminishes, and the most disturbance is in the middle. The abiotic factors of elevation cause an altitudinal pattern in pocket gopher disturbance. The edaphic and plant community composition data has not been completely analyzed at this moment.
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