The role of a spiny plant refuge in structuring grazed shortgrass steppe plant communities

Abstract

This study evaluates the hypothesis that biological grazing refuges have an important role in plant‐grazer interactions of grasslands with a long history of grazing. We assessed the hypothesis that clumps of the spiny cactus Opuntia polyacantha provide biological refuges from cattle grazing, affecting cover and seedhead production of associated vascular plants in the shortgrass steppe of the North America. The study was based on sampling inside and outside Opuntia clumps in eight long‐term moderately grazed pastures established 60 yr ago and their respective ungrazed controls. Opuntia clumps provided a refuge for seedhead production of the dominant grass (Bouteloua gracilis) and for cover and seedhead production of many plant groups. Clumps were also a refuge for species sensitive to grazing (species that decrease with grazing) and barrel‐cacti, but not for species preferred by cattle (species with greater proportion in the diet than in the field), exotics or weeds. Our results suggest that these effects were mainly through changes in the microenvironmental conditions resulting from protection effects, even though all potential microenvironmental effects could not be measured. Cacti promoted some negative effects on other plant groups, probably due to the space occupied by cladodes inside cactus clumps. The refuge effects observed at the group level did not translate into strong community level effects. Species diversity (H′) was greater in cactus clumps due to lower dominance rather than greater richness. The presence of Opuntia clumps increased landscape‐scale diversity. This ecological role of Opuntia clumps as refuge from cattle grazing should be taken into consideration in management practices aimed at cactus eradication in order to increase forage availability for livestock. We discuss the potential role of plant community productivity and grazing history with regard to the importance of natural refuges in structuring grassland communities.