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Infilled pocket gopher tunnels: seasonal features of high alpine plateaux
Author(s) -
Knight Jasper
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.1759
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , biodiversity , spring (device) , alpine climate , climate change , ecology , geography , geology , biology , archaeology , engineering , mechanical engineering
Anastomosing networks of infilled tunnels, formed by the burrowing of western pocket gophers ( Thomomys spp.), are exposed seasonally on Burroughs Mountain, Washington State, USA. The tunnel‐fills disintegrate over several weeks following exposure by the late spring thaw (April–June). The presence of infilled tunnels demonstrates the soil moving and the overturning capacity of small mammals on high alpine plateaux, but may also have positive benefits for the maintenance of biodiversity in these sensitive environments, particularly within the context of future climate change. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.