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Response of cottontail rabbit populations to herbicide and fire applications on cross timbers rangeland
Author
Lochmiller, R. L.
Boggs, J. F.
McMurry, S. T.
Leslie, D. M.
Engle, D. M.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
1991-03-01
Body

Knowledge of how resident wildlife populations respond to brush management strategies is especially limited for rangelands in the cross timbers vegetation type of Oklahoma. We examined how cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) density and habitat use were influenced by applications of tebuthiuron or triclopyr, with and without annual burning, on cross timbers rangeland. Line transect flush-counts, mark-recapture livetrapping, and fecal pellet counts were used to evaluate seasonal differences in population density among 5 brush control treatments. Cottontail rabbits (n = 225) were flushed along 362 km of line transects during 5 census periods. Density in winter was consistently lower than summer for all treatments, except for the untreated control in winter 1987. Line transect density estimates varied from 0 to 1.975 rabbits/ha and suggested that herbicide and annual burning treatments had a positive influence on cottontail rabbit populations compared to untreated controls. Mark-recapture density estimates did not differ among treatments. Fecal pellet counts were greater on herbicide-treated pastures than an untreated control in both spring and fall. Prairie-eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) and forest-prairie ecotone habitats were utilized greater than expected by cottontail rabbits. Mature hardwood overstory and mixed-brush habitats were avoided. Tebuthiuron and triclopyr effectively deceased hardwood overstory and increased preferred habitats for cottontail rabbits. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2307/4002314
Additional Information
Lochmiller, R. L., Boggs, J. F., McMurry, S. T., Leslie, D. M., & Engle, D. M. (1991). Response of cottontail rabbit populations to herbicide and fire applications on cross timbers rangeland. Journal of Range Management, 44(2), 150-155.
ISSN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/644915
Journal Volume
44
Journal Number
2
Journal Pages
150-155
Collection
Rangeland Ecology & Management (REM)
Journal Name
Journal of Range Management
Keywords
tebuthiuron
population density
triclopyr
Sylvilagus floridanus
ecotones
habitats
forests
brush control
population dynamics
prescribed burning
Oklahoma
prairies
range management