Bock et al. looked at the effect that long term cattle grazing has had on the habitat selection of the bunchgrass lizard in southwest Arizona. Bock et al. found that lizards were ten times more abundant on a research sanctuary that has been excluded from grazing for twenty years as compared to the surrounding grassland that has been grazed for a century or more. The bunchgrass lizard is a species that is quite vulnerable to predation without ample cover, such as bunch grass or woody plants. It was initially assumed that the lizard was only found in the high montane meadows of the Santa Rita and Huachuca mountains, but Bock et al. insists that the lizards have taken to these high elevations because they have been flushed out of the grasslands due to intensive cattle grazing.
Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.