The ecology of elk in an arid environment: An overview of the Hanford elk project

Conference · Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6602625

McCorquodale, S M ^[1]; Eberhardt, L E ^[2]

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1. Yakima Indian Nation, Toppenish, WA (USA). Wildlife Resource Management
2. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)

We studied elk (Cerves elaphus) in Washington's shrub-steppe region from 1982 to the present. The population originated from a small number of colonizers that took up residence on the Hanford Site in winter 1972--73. Rapid population growth was facilitated by high reproductive and survival rates. Elk showed strong preferences for bedding in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) stands, the only vegetative cover available. Foraging elk typically selected previously burned habitats that no longer supported sagebrush. Elk limited their major diurnal activity, favoring dusk-to-dawn foraging with relatively high nocturnal activity levels. Elk diets were dominated by grasses from winter through early summer and by forbs during the summer drought period. High reproductive success and survival and superior antler growth relative to elk occupying more mesic environments suggested that these elk were effectively utilizing the shrub-steppe environment. Mild, short winters in the shrub-steppe were hypothesized to contribute to reduced winter energy deficits common in temperate herbivores, partly facilitating the observed high fitness. We also hypothesize that in the absence of a significant overstory, the proportion of the range of these elk that would be considered foraging habitat exceeded that typical of elk occupying coniferous forests. Thus, the quantity of foraging areas may have compensated for reduced productivity typical of this region. 29 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: CAFGD
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6602625
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-17865; CONF-9005269-1; ON: DE90017646
• Resource Relation: Conference: Western states and provinces workshop, Eruka, CA (USA), 15-17 May 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
DEER
POPULATION DYNAMICS
ARID LANDS
DAILY VARIATIONS
DIET
GRASS
HABITAT
HANFORD RESERVATION
MAMMALS
NORTH AMERICA
REPRODUCTION
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
WASHINGTON
ANIMALS
ECOSYSTEMS
FEDERAL REGION X
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PLANTS
RUMINANTS
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
VARIATIONS
VERTEBRATES
550100* - Behavioral Biology