<b>Data from: Soil Change Induced by Prairie Dogs Across Three Ecological Sites</b>

Prairie dog influences on soil properties should be considered when implementing management recommendations to improve rangeland health. Unfortunately, few studies have addressed soil responses to prairie dog activity across a range of soil types and landscapes. A study was conducted in 2011 to quantify prairie dog effects on soil properties and infiltration rate within three ecological sites differing in landscape, soil, and vegetation characteristics in north central South Dakota, USA. Soil samples were collected from each ecological site in areas with and without prairie dog activity. Prairie dog mounds were sampled using two perpendicular transects over each mound, with samples collected 30, 60, and 120 cm from the mound center. Soil samples were collected from the 0-100cm depth in increments of 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-60m, and 60-100 cm using a hydraulic probe with an inner tip diameter of 3.52 cm. Soil samples were evaluated for soil bulk density, soil pH, extractable nitrogen and phosphorus, and total carbon and nitrogen. Measurements of carbon and nitrogen were determined by dry combustion. Infiltration rate was measured using single-ring infiltrometers on active prairie dog mounds and in a control area without prairie dog activity. Data may be used to understand soil responses to prairie dog activity for rangeland in a semiarid continental climate. Rangeland with rolling landscapes (0-70% slope) and soils derived from soft clay shale or semi-consolidated loamy sedimentary beds closely align with conditions evaluated in this study. Applicable USDA soil types include Hurley, Cabba, and Wayden.

Data and Resources

Field Value
accessLevel public
accrualPeriodicity irregular
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identifier 10.15482/USDA.ADC/27165684.v1
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2025-05-02
programCode {005:040}
publisher Agricultural Research Service
resource-type Dataset
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source_hash 443adb9a201395a78035f3ef3d9ab6781814edace186f101394647b04f7b2f91
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temporal 2010-07-27/2011-08-05
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • AmeriGEO
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • CKAN
  • GEO
  • GEOSS
  • National
  • North America
  • United States
  • bioturbation
  • ecological-sites
  • prairie-dog-colonies
  • rangeland
  • soil-change
  • south-dakota
  • water-infiltration-rate
isopen True
license_id cc-zero
license_title Creative Commons CCZero
license_url http://www.opendefinition.org/licenses/cc-zero
maintainer Liebig, Mark A.
maintainer_email mark.liebig@usda.gov
metadata_created 2025-09-23T22:29:05.643282
metadata_modified 2025-09-23T22:29:05.643289
notes <p dir="ltr">Prairie dog influences on soil properties should be considered when implementing management recommendations to improve rangeland health. Unfortunately, few studies have addressed soil responses to prairie dog activity across a range of soil types and landscapes. A study was conducted in 2011 to quantify prairie dog effects on soil properties and infiltration rate within three ecological sites differing in landscape, soil, and vegetation characteristics in north central South Dakota, USA. Soil samples were collected from each ecological site in areas with and without prairie dog activity. Prairie dog mounds were sampled using two perpendicular transects over each mound, with samples collected 30, 60, and 120 cm from the mound center. Soil samples were collected from the 0-100cm depth in increments of 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-60m, and 60-100 cm using a hydraulic probe with an inner tip diameter of 3.52 cm. Soil samples were evaluated for soil bulk density, soil pH, extractable nitrogen and phosphorus, and total carbon and nitrogen. Measurements of carbon and nitrogen were determined by dry combustion. Infiltration rate was measured using single-ring infiltrometers on active prairie dog mounds and in a control area without prairie dog activity. Data may be used to understand soil responses to prairie dog activity for rangeland in a semiarid continental climate. Rangeland with rolling landscapes (0-70% slope) and soils derived from soft clay shale or semi-consolidated loamy sedimentary beds closely align with conditions evaluated in this study. Applicable USDA soil types include Hurley, Cabba, and Wayden.</p>
num_resources 7
num_tags 15
title <b>Data from: Soil Change Induced by Prairie Dogs Across Three Ecological Sites</b>