Fertilizing western rangelands for ungulate conservation: An assessment of benefits and risks

Wildlife Society Bulletin

Volumn 39, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 1-8

  Korfanta, Nicole M ^a   Mobley, Megan L ^a   Burke, Ingrid C ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING   (United States)

Author keywords

Artemisia spp; Bromus tectorum; energy mitigation; fertilization; mule deer; nitrogen; Odocoileus hemionus; ozone; semi arid; ungulate nutrition

Indexed keywords

CARRYING CAPACITY; DEER; ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION; ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION; ENVIRONMENTAL RISK; FERTILIZER APPLICATION; GRASS; HABITAT LOSS; HERB; NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT; OZONE; RANGELAND; RISK ASSESSMENT; SEMIARID REGION; SHRUB; SPECIES CONSERVATION; WEED; WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT;

ARTEMISIA; ARTEMISIA TRIDENTATA; BROMUS TECTORUM; ODOCOILEUS HEMIONUS; UNGULATA;

EID: 84947429304     PISSN: 00917648     EISSN: 19385463     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/wsb.519     Document Type: Article

References (81)

1. Ammann, A. P., R. L. Cowan, C. L. Mothershead, and, B. R. Baumgardt,. 1973. Dry matter and energy intake in relation to digestibility in white-tailed deer. Journal of Wildlife Management 37: 195-201.
2. Austin, D. D., and, P. J. Urness,. 1985. Values of four communities for mule deer ranges with limited summer habitat. Journal of Range Management 37: 247-255.
3. Barrett, M. W,. 1979. Evaluation of fertilizer on pronghorn winter range in Alberta. Journal of Range Management 32: 55-59.
4. Bayoumi, M. A., and, A. D. Smith,. 1976. Response of big game winter range vegetation to fertilization. Journal of Range Management 29: 44-48.
5. Beck, J. L., J. W. Connelly, and, C. L. Wambolt,. 2012. Consequences of treating Wyoming big sagebrush to enhance wildlife habitats. Rangeland Ecology & Management 65: 444-455.
6. Bergman, E. J., C. J. Bishop, D. J. Freddy, G. C. White, and, P. F. Doherty, Jr,. 2014. Habitat management influences overwinter survival of mule deer fawns in Colorado. The Journal of Wildlife Management 78: 448-455.
7. Berteaux, D., M. Crête, J. Huot, J. Maltais, and, J.-P. Ouellet,. 1998. Food choice by white-tailed deer in relation to protein and energy content of the diet: a field experiment. Oecologia 115: 84-92.
8. Bishop, C. J., G. C. White, D. J. Freddy, B. E. Watkins, and, T. R. Stephenson,. 2009. Effect of enhanced nutrition on mule deer population rate of change. Wildlife Monographs 172.
9. Burke, I. C,. 1989. Control of nitrogen mineralization in a sagebrush steppe landscape. Ecology 70: 1115-1126.
10. Burke, I. C., E. E. Bontti, J. E. Barrett, P. N. Lowe, W. K. Lauenroth, and, R. Riggle,. 2013. Impact of labile and recalcitrant carbon treatments on available nitrogen and plant communities in a semiarid ecosystem. Ecological Applications 23: 537-545.
11. Burke, I. C., W. A. Reiners, and, D. S. Schimel,. 1989. Organic-matter turnover in a sagebrush steppe landscape. Biogeochemistry 7: 11-31.
12. Carpenter, A. T., and, N. E. West,. 1987. Indifference of mountain big sagebrush growth to supplemental water and nitrogen. Journal of Range Management 40: 448-451.
13. Carpenter, L. H., O. C. Wallmo, and, R. B. Grill,. 1979. Forage diversity and dietary selection by wintering mule deer. Journal of Range Management 32: 226-229.
14. Carpenter, S. R., N. F. Caraco, D. L. Correll, R. W. Howarth, A. N. Sharpley, and, V. H. Smith,. 1998. Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorous and nitrogen. Ecological Applications 8: 559-568.
15. Carter, W. P. L., and, J. H. Seinfeld,. 2012. Winter ozone formation and VOC incremental reactivities in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming. Atmospheric Environment 50: 255-266.
16. Charley, J. L,. 1977. VIII. Mineral cycling in rangeland ecosystems. Pages 215-256 in, R. E. Sosebee, R. W. Brown, J. L. Charley, B. E. Dahl, J. R. Goodin, D. N. Hyder, W. T. McDonough, R. T. Moore, L. E. Moser, and, M. J. Trlica, editors. Rangeland plant physiology. Society for Range Management, Denver, Colorado, USA.
17. Cleary, M. B., E. Pendall, and, B. E. Ewers,. 2010. Aboveground and belowground carbon pools after fire in mountain big sagebrush steppe. Rangeland Ecology & Management 63: 187-196.
18. Cluff, L. K., B. L. Welch, J. C. Pederson, and, J. D. Brotherson,. 1982. Concentration of monoterpenoids in the rumen ingesta of wild mule deer. Journal of Range Management 35: 192-194.
19. Copeland, H. E., K. E. Doherty, D. E. Naugle, A. Pocewicz, and, J. M. Kiesecker,. 2009. Mapping oil and gas development potential in the US Intermountain West and estimating impacts to species. PLoS ONE 4: e7400.
20. Davies, K. W., C. S. Boyd, J. L. Beck, J. L. Bates, T. J. Svejcar, and, M. A. Gregg,. 2011. Saving the sagebrush sea: an ecosystem conservation plan for big sagebrush plant communities. Biological Conservation 144: 2573-2584.
21. Dietz, D. R,. 1965. Deer nutrition research in range management. Transactions of the North American Wildlife Conference 30: 247-285.
22. Ellis, R. A., D. J. Jacob, M. P. Sulprizio, L. Zhang, C. D. Holmes, B. A. Schichtel, T. Blett, E. Porter, L. H. Pardo, and, J. A. Lynch,. 2013. Present and future nitrogen deposition to national parks in the United States: critical load exceedances. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 13: 9083-9095.
23. Estell, R. E,. 2010. Coping with shrub secondary metabolites by ruminants. Small Ruminant Research 94: 1-9.
24. Fenn, M. E., M. A. Poth, J. D. Aber, J. S. Baron, B. T. Bormann, D. W. Johnson, A. D. Lemly, S. G. McNulty, D. E. Ryan, and, R. Stottlemyer,. 1998. Nitrogen excess in North American ecosystems-predisposing factors, ecosystem responses, and management strategies [review]. Ecological Applications 8: 706-733.
25. Gaillard, J.-M., M. Festa-Bianchet, and, N. G. Yoccoz,. 1998. Population dynamics of large herbivores: variable recruitment with constant adult survival. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 13: 58-63.
26. Gilbert, P. F., O. C. Wallmo, and, R. B. Gill,. 1970. Effect of snow depth on mule deer in Middle Park, Colorado. Journal of Wildlife Management 34: 15-23.
27. Goetz, H,. 1969. Composition and yields of native grassland sites fertilized at different rates of nitrogen. Journal of Range Management 22: 384-390.
28. Hall, S. J., P. A. Matson, and, P. M. Roth,. 1996. NOx emissions from soil: implications for air quality modeling in agricultural regions. Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 21: 311-346.
29. Harniss, R. O., and, R. B. Murray,. 1973. 30 years of vegetal change following burning of sagebrush-grass range. Journal of Range Management 26: 322-325.
30. Hooper, D., and, L. Johnson,. 1999. Nitrogen limitation in dryland ecosystems: responses to geographical and temporal variation in precipitation. Biogeochemistry 46: 247-293.
31. Knight, D. H,. 1994. Mountains and plains: the ecology of Wyoming landscapes. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; and London, England, United Kingdom.
32. Kucera, T. E,. 1997. Fecal indicators, diet, and population parameters in mule deer. Journal of Wildlife Management 61: 550-560.
33. Kufield, R. C., M. Stevens, and, D. C. Bowden,. 1981. The timing and degree of root proliferation in fertile-soil microsites for three cold-desert perennials. Oecologia 81: 149-153.
34. Mack, R. N,. 1977. Mineral return via the litter of Artemisia tridentata. American Midland Naturalist 97: 189-197.
35. Matson, P., C. Volkmann, K. Coppinger, and, W. Reiners,. 1991. Annual nitrous-oxide flux and soil-nitrogen characteristics in sagebrush steppe ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 14: 1-12.
36. Mautz, W. W,. 1978. Sledding on a bushy hillside: the fat cycle in deer. Wildlife Society Bulletin 6: 88-90.
37. McKell, C. M,. 1989. Shrub palatability. Page 267-282 in, C. M. McKell, editor. The biology and utilization of shrubs. Academic Press, San Diego, California, USA.
38. Milchunas, D. G., and, W. K. Lauenroth,. 1995. Inertia in plant community structure: state changes after cessation of nutrient-enrichment stress. Ecological Applications 5: 452-458.
39. Monteith, K. L., T. R. Stephenson, V. C. Bleich, M. M. Conner, B. M. Pierce, and, R. T. Bowyer,. 2013. Risk-sensitive allocation in seasonal dynamics of fat and protein reserves in a long-lived mammal. Journal of Animal Ecology 82: 377-388.
40. Mosier, A. R., W. J. Parton, D. W. Valentine, D. S. Ojima, D. S. Schimel, and, J. A. Delgado,. 1996. CH4 and N2O fluxes in the Colorado shortgrass steppe: 1. Impact of landscape and nitrogen addition. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 10: 387-399.
41. Mule Deer Working Group. 2013. Range-wide status of mule deer and black-tailed deer in 2013. Mule Deer Working Group, Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
42. Naugle, D. E,. 2011. Energy development and wildlife conservation in Western North America. Island Press, Washington, D.C., USA.
43. Ngugi, R. K., F. C. Hinds, and, J. Powell,. 1995. Mountain big sagebrush browse decreases dry matter intake, digestibility, and nutritive quality of sheep diets. Journal of Range Management 48: 487-492.
44. Northrup, J. M., and, G. Wittemyer,. 2013. Characterizing the impacts of emerging energy development on wildlife, with an eye towards mitigation. Ecology Letters 16: 112-125.
45. Parton, W. J., A. R. Mosier, and, D. S. Schimel,. 1988. Rates and pathways of nitrous oxide production in a shortgrass steppe. Biogeochemistry 6: 45-58.
46. Paschke, M. W., K. Topper, R. B. Brobst, and, E. F. Redente,. 2005. Long-term effects of biosolids on revegetation of disturbed sagebrush steppe in northwestern Colorado. Restoration Ecology 13: 545-551.
47. Pearson, L,. 1965. Primary production in grazed and ungrazed desert communities of eastern Idaho. Ecology 46: 278-285.
48. Pierce, B. M., V. C. Bleich, K. L. Monteith, and, R. T. Bowyer,. 2012. Top-down versus bottom-up forcing: evidence from mountain lions and mule deer. Journal of Mammalogy 93: 977-988.
49. Rao, P. S. C., R. F. Jessup, and, A. G. Hornsby,. 1982. Simulation of nitrogen in agro-ecosystem criteria for model selection use. Plant and Soil 67: 35-45.
50. Sawyer, H., and, R. M. Nielson,. 2011. Mule deer monitoring in the Pinedale Anticline Project Area-2011 Annual Report. Western Ecosystems Technology, Laramie, Wyoming, USA.
51. Sawyer, H., R. M. Nielson, L. F. Lindzey, and, L. L. McDonald,. 2006. Winter habitat selection of mule deer before and during development of a natural gas field. Journal of Wildlife Management 70: 396-403.
52. Sawyer, H., M. J. Kauffman, and, R. M. Nielson,. 2009. Influence of well pad activity on winter habitat selection patterns of mule deer. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: 1052-1061.
53. Schlaepfer, D. R., W. K. Lauenroth, and, J. B. Bradford,. 2012. Ecohydrological niche of sagebrush ecosystems. Ecohydrology 5: 453-466.
54. 3. Biogeochemistry 15: 191-211.
55. Schnell, R. C., S. J. Oltmans, R. R. Neely, M. S. Endres, J. V. Molenar, and, A. B. White,. 2009. Rapid photochemical production of ozone at high concentrations in a rural site during winter. Nature Geoscience 2: 120-122.
56. Sebillo, M., B. Mayer, B. Nicolardot, G. Pinay, and, A. Mariotti,. 2013. Long-term fate of nitrate fertilizer in agricultural soils. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110: 18185-18189.
57. Short, H. L., D. R. Dietz, and, E. E. Remmenga,. 1966. Selected nutrients in mule deer browse plants. Ecology 47: 222-229.
58. Smart, D., J. Stark, and, V. Diego,. 1999. Resource limitations to nitric oxide emissions from a sagebrush-steppe ecosystem. Biogeochemistry 47: 63-86.
59. Sneva, F. A., A. Winward, and, R. G. Kelsey,. 1983. Nitrogen fertilization effects on the essential oils in sagebrush. Northwest Science 57: 143-146.
60. Stark, J. M., D. R. Smart, S. C. Hart, and, K. A. Haubensak,. 2002. Regulation of nitric oxide emissions from forest and rangeland soils of western North America. Ecology 83: 2278-2292.
61. Suding, K. N., S. L. Collins, L. Gough, C. Clark, E. E. Cleland, K. L. Gross, D. G. Milchunas, and, S. Pennings,. 2005. Functional- and abundance-based mechanisms explain diversity loss due to N fertilization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102: 4387-4392.
62. Swift, D. M,. 1983. A simulation model of energy and nitrogen balance for free-ranging ruminants. Journal of Wildlife Management 70: 620-645.
63. Swift, R. A,. 1948. Deer select most nutritious forages. Journal of Wildlife Management 12: 109-110.
64. 15N tracer field studies. Ecology 93: 1816-1829.
65. Tollefson, T. N., L. A. Shipley, W. L. Myers, and, N. Dasgupta,. 2011. Forage quality's influence on mule deer fawns. Journal of Wildlife Management 75: 919-928.
66. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management [USDI BLM]. 2008. Record of decision-Final supplemental environmental impact statement for the Pinedale anticline oil and gas exploration and development project, Sublette County, Wyoming. Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, USA.
67. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management [USDI BLM]. 2011a. Environmental assessment for mesa sagebrush fertilization. Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, USA.
68. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management [USDI BLM]. 2011b. Finding of no significant impact and decision record for mesa sagebrush fertilization project. Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, USA.
69. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management [USDI BLM]. 2012a. Mesa sagebrush fertilization projects. http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/rac/presentations.Par.18717.File.dat/BLMwildlife.pdf Accessed 4 Sep 2014.
70. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management [USDI BLM]. 2012b. Draft Environmental Impact Statement-Continental Divide-Creston natural gas development project. Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, Cheyenne, USA.
71. Vinton, M. A., and, I. C. Burke,. 1995. Interactions between individual plant species and soil nutrient status in shortgrass steppe. Ecology 76: 1116-1133.
72. Vitousek, P. M., J. D. Aber, R. W. Howarth, G. E. Likens, P. A. Matson, D. W. Schindler, W. H. Schlesinger, and, D. G. Tilman,. 1997. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: sources and consequences. Ecological Applications 7: 737-750.
73. Wallmo, O. C., L. H. Carpenter, W. L. Raegelin, R. B. Gill, and, D. L. Baker,. 1977. Evaluation of deer habitat on a nutritional basis. Journal of Range Management 30: 122-127.
74. Walston, L. J., B. L. Cantwell, and, J. R. Krummel,. 2009. Quantifying spatiotemporal changes in a sagebrush ecosystem in relation to energy development. Ecography 32: 943-952.
75. Wambolt, C. L,. 2004. Browsing and plant age relationships to winter protein and fiber of big sagebrush species. Journal of Range Management 57: 620-623.
76. Welch, B. L., and, J. C. Pederson,. 1981. In vitro digestibility among accessions of big sagebrush by wild mule deer and its relationship to monoterpenoid content. Journal of Range Management 34: 497-500.
77. Welch, B. L., and, F. J. Wagstaff,. 1992. 'Hobble Creek' big sagebrush vs. antelope bitterbrush as a winter forage. Journal of Range Management 45: 140-142.
78. Welch, B. L., 1997. Big sagebrush pro versus con. Journal of Range Management 50: 322-323.
79. West, N. E,. 1983. Western intermountain sagebrush steppe. Pages 351-374 in, N. E. West, editor. Temperate deserts and semideserts. Elsevier, New York, New York, USA.
80. 15N tracer retention, and growth response in intact and Bromus tectorum-invaded Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities. Oecologia 171: 1013-1023.
81. Woodmansee, R. G., J. L. Dodd, R. A. Bowman, F. E. Clark, and, C. E. Dickinson,. 1978. Nitrogen budget of a shortgrass prairie ecosystem. Oecologia 34: 363-376.