Four-wing Saltbush (Atriplex canescens) Seed and Seedling Consumption by Granivorous Rodents

Abstract

On the Ground Four-wing saltbush is an important browse species for wildlife and domestic livestock and has been reported to provide as much as 11.4% to 13.6% crude protein. Granivorous rodents are important in the ecology of plant communities as well as the management practices that occur in those communities. In any land management practice that involves seeding in restoration or rehabilitation efforts, land managers must be cognizant of the role that biotic and abiotic factors ultimately have on the success and failures of these efforts. Abiotic factors such as poor seed germination or lack of proper amount and periodicity of precipitation are more well understood than biotic factors such as seed and seedling predation by granivorous rodents. Granivorous rodents in this study consumed as much as 55% and 99% of the four-wing saltbush seed and seedlings, respectively. Understanding the possible effects of rodent behavior with four-wing saltbush seed and seedlings should help resource managers in their pl...