Vegetation responses to natural regulation of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

1999 | Publisher: USGS | Science Center: Fort Collins Science Center (FORT, Ft. Collins) | Format: URL

www.fort.usgs.gov — A quasi-experimental situation exists in Rocky Mountain National Park, where elk (Cervus elaphus) populations have increased 3-fold since 1968 following their release from artificial controls within the park. Increases in elk habitat use and decreases in deer habitat use were observed. Significant increases in cover of mosses and lichens occurred More... A quasi-experimental situation exists in Rocky Mountain National Park, where elk (Cervus elaphus) populations have increased 3-fold since 1968 following their release from artificial controls within the park. Increases in elk habitat use and decreases in deer habitat use were observed. Significant increases in cover of mosses and lichens occurred in three of four vegetation types. Percent cover of bare ground, forbs (Selaginella densa) and Carex spp. increased on grassland transects. Increases in timothy (Phleum pratense) were observed on meadow transects. Graminoid and litter cover increased on sagebrush transects, and shrub cover and litter cover increased on bitterbrush transects. Some grazing induced responses were detected. Grazing resistant species such as sedges (native), timothy (exotic), and club mosses increased and the amount of bare ground increased on some grazed sites. Less...