Impact of small mammal disturbances on sediment yield from grassland and shrubland ecosystems in the Chihuahuan Desert

This study examines water and sediment movement on Summerford bajada in the Jornada Basin, N.M. Forty-five rainfall simulation experiments were conducted on 1- and 2-m2 runoff plots in grassland, degraded grassland, and shrubland communities. Within the shrubland community separate experiments were conducted in shrub and intershrub environments. Regression analyses indicate that for a 30-min rainfall at approximately 130 mm h−1, water yields on these environments are negatively related to the percentage of ground covered by vegetation and/or litter. In the degraded grassland and intershrub environments, sediment concentration is positively correlated with the average diameter of small mammal disturbances, suggesting that animal digging is an important factor controlling rates of erosion in these environments. Sediment concentration is not correlated with any surface property in the grassland or shrub environments. An analysis of water yields and sediment concentrations at 5-min intervals during the 30-min simulated rainfall experiments reveals that the influence of the above-mentioned factors on runoff and erosion is established during events as short as 10–15 min.