| constraints on tree seedling establishment in montane grasslands of the valles caldera, new mexico. | montane and subalpine grasslands are prominent, but poorly understood, features of the rocky mountains. these communities frequently occur below reversed tree lines on valley floors, where nightly cold air accumulation is spatially coupled with fine soil texture. we used field experiments to assess the roles of minimum temperature, soil texture, grass competition, and ungulate browsing on the growth, photosynthetic performance, and survival of transplanted ponderosa pine (pinus ponderosa) seedli ... | 2008 | 18481534 |
| flea abundance, diversity, and plague in gunnison's prairie dogs (cynomys gunnisoni) and their burrows in montane grasslands in northern new mexico. | plague, a flea-transmitted infectious disease caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, is a primary threat to the persistence of prairie dog populations (cynomys spp.). we conducted a 3-yr survey (2004-2006) of fleas from gunnison's prairie dogs (cynomys gunnisoni) and their burrows in montane grasslands in valles caldera national preserve in new mexico. our objectives were to describe flea communities and identify flea and rodent species important to the maintenance of plague. we live-trapped p ... | 2010 | 20688629 |