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INFLUENCE OF EXOTIC HORSES ON LIMITING RESOURCE USE BY NATIVE WILDLIFE IN THE GREAT BASIN.
Author
McMillan, Brock R.
Hall, Lucas K.
Knight, Robert N.
Larsen, Randy T.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

Exotic wildlife can have negative direct and indirect impacts on communities of native wildlife.� Exotic species may directly compete with native wildlife for resources or indirectly alter structure and quality of habitat for native species.� These direct and indirect effects would be most apparent in areas of high community overlap or use where the potential for interspecific interactions is greatest.� In arid regions, water is limiting and locations with water are likely areas of communal aggregation that may become flash points for interspecific interactions.� Our objective was to determine if exotic horses negatively influenced the community of native wildlife. �More specifically, we compared species richness and diversity of wildlife communities at water sources with and without feral horses (Equus caballus) in the Great Basin Desert, Utah.� We predicted that exotic horses would negatively influence species richness and diversity of native communities that access limiting sources of water. �We used infrared-triggered cameras to detect mammalian and avian species at 32 water sources. �We obtained 67,458 photographs of mammals (comprised of 16 species) and 34,038 photographs of birds (comprised of 60 species). �Species richness and diversity were greater�nearly double�at water sources where horses were absent than at water sources where horses were present.� There were no differences among water sources in landscape juxtaposition or surrounding habitats beyond the very local scale suggesting the differences are likely due to the presence of feral horses.� Water sources and the immediate surroundings that were used by horses were typically degraded and denuded of natural vegetation (due to trampling).� Our results indicate that exotic horses may exclude native species from access to a limited resource.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM St. George, UT
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts