Cervus elaphus Foraging Impacts on Plants and Soils at an Ungrazed Desert Grass/Shrubland in Northwestern New Mexico, USA

Table 5

Species, number of plants per species, and mean residual leaf stubble height (cm) with 95% confidence interval for grasses detected on grazing surveys, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 2004 and 2006. The cutoff height below which a plant is considered “overgrazed,” as defined by Allison et al. (2007) [25], is given (Standard).

Area	Species	2004			2006			Standard
		RSH	95% CI		RSH	95% CI
Chacra Fingers	Sporobolus airoides	12.5	11.4–13.6	168	24.4	22.1–26.7	38	n/a
Chacra Fingers	Bouteloua spp.	8.1	7.7–8.5	643	6.3	6.1–6.6	302	6.35
Chacra Fingers	Bouteloua eriopoda	—	—	—	6.4	5.3–7.5	35	6.35
Chacra Fingers	Bouteloua gracilis	—	—	—	7.7	5.9–8.4	25	3.81
Chacra Fingers	Pleuraphis jamesii	13.2	12.2–14.1	211	13.8	12.9–14.8	107	6.35
Chacra Fingers	Muhlenbergia spp.	23.3	19.4–27.1	11	—	—	—	6.35
Chacra Fingers	Achnatherum hymenoides	22.2	21.4–23.1	542	21.2	19.6–22.8	44	10.16
Chacra Fingers	Muhlenbergia torreyi	7.0	4.3–9.7	13	10.6	7.7–13.4	18	1.91
Chacra Fingers	Sporobolus cryptandrus	21.9	16.6–27.2	22	15.8	12.7–18.8	13	10.16
Chacra Fingers	Hesperostipa comata	23.8	22.7–25.0	250	18.8	16.6–21.2	28	10.16
Chacra Fingers	Aristida spp.	12.4	10.9–13.8	80	—	—	—	6.35
Chacra Mesa	Bouteloua gracilis	6.9	6.2–7.6	127	—	—	—	3.81
Chacra Mesa	Bouteloua spp.	7.2	6.8–7.7	522	7.2	7.0–7.4	456	6.35
Chacra Mesa	Achnatherum hymenoides	21.2	20.6–21.9	1032	19.5	18.9–20.1	173	10.16
Chacra Mesa	Muhlenbergia torreyi	8.5	5.1–12.0	13	8.7	6.9–10.5	32	1.91
Chacra Mesa	Sporobolus cryptandrus	15.9	13.0–18.7	28	11.8	11.1–12.8	117	10.16
Chacra Mesa	Elymus elymoides	8.6	7.3–9.8	11	—	—	—	10.16
Chacra Mesa	Hesperostipa comata	30.0	29.0–30.9	603	15.9	11.7–20.0	80	10.16
Chacra Mesa	Pleuraphis jamesii	—	—	—	13.9	13.1–14.7	61	6.35
S/W Mesas	Sporobolus airoides	2243	19.1–25.6	38	29.5	26.8–32.2	21	n/a
S/W Mesas	Bouteloua spp.	8.4	7.9–8.9	253	13.5	12.7–14.2	246	6.35
S/W Mesas	Bouteloua gracilis	—	—	—	13.0	11.2–14.7	71	3.81
S/W Mesas	Bouteloua eriopoda	—	—	—	13.7	12.2–15.2	59	6.35
S/W Mesas	Bouteloua curtipendula	—	—	—	16.0	14.9–17.1	48	10.16
S/W Mesas	Pleuraphis jamesii	15.4	14.7–16.0	302	20.1	19.4–20.8	381	6.35
S/W Mesas	Muhlenbergia spp.	16.2	12.1–20.2	17	19.3	15.3–23.3	13	6.35
S/W Mesas	Achnatherum hymenoides	28.9	27.9–29.9	281	28.3	27.1–29.6	231	10.16
S/W Mesas	Hesperostipa comata	31.4	29.3–33.0	318	24.0	22.3–25.6	123	10.16
S/W Mesas	Aristida spp.	12.9	11.6–14.2	19	—	—	—	6.35
S/W Mesas	Sporobolus cryptandrus	—	—	—	24.9	22.2–27.6	30	10.16