Pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) soil disturbance peaks at mid-elevation and is associated with air temperature, forb cover, and plant diversity

Burrowing mammals can be ecosystem engineers by increasing soil aeration and erosion and altering the structure of plant communities. Studies that characterize the constraints on the distributions of fossorial mammal disturbances to soil can help predict changes in ecosystem engineering under future climates. We quantified the density of soil disturbances caused by Thomomys talpoides (northern pocket gopher) over replicate elevation gradients spanning 2,700-4,000 m a.s.l. in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado, USA. As a conceptual framework for predicting biogeographic variation in soil disturbance, we used the abundant center hypothesis (ACH), which proposes that species abundance declines monotonically away from the most abundant location in its distribution, with the assumption that ecosystem engineering scales with gopher abundance. We also evaluated the relative importance of abiotic and biotic variables as correlates of soil disturbance. Gopher disturbance peaked at mid elevations (similar to 3,150 m), supporting the ACH. The best model for predicting gopher-caused soil disturbance contained both abiotic and biotic variables, with increased soil disturbance where mean annual temperature, forb cover, and plant diversity were greatest. Results suggest that mountain ecosystems may experience increases in gopher-caused soil disturbance as climate warms, possibly accompanied by increases in plant diversity and forb cover.