![]() The results from this study have important implications for the conservation of sagebrush steppe habitats and wildlife. Overall, our study suggests that disturbance in sagebrush steppe ecosystems may cause a series of interactions that result in less energy acquisition by a top predator, the Great Basin rattlesnake. Small mammal biomass within the rattlesnakesÂ’ home range influenced how much weight the snakes gained during the active season. Rattlesnake diets differed between study sites, and snakes showed preference for certain small mammals at the Crater Butte study site. Snakes displayed preference for habitat characteristics typical of undisturbed sites, with the exception of a preference for areas with lower biological crust cover. Rattlesnake movements were not significantly different among disturbance categories. Disturbed areas had lower proportions of large prey species (such as least chipmunks) and higher proportions of small prey species (such as pocket mice). Small mammal species richness was lower in disturbed areas at only one site. We found lower small mammal biomass, abundance, and rabbit index values in disturbed areas. Habitat characteristics associated with disturbance levels, such as shrub cover and shrub height, were important predictors of prey resources for snakes. In addition, at one study site, grass cover in disturbed areas was dominated by non-native invasive grasses such as cheatgrass and crested wheatgrass. We found lower biological crust cover, shrub cover, shrub height, and shrub dispersion and higher grass and bare soil cover in disturbed areas (i.e., areas with grazing and/or burning). We used radio telemetry to track rattlesnakes while concurrently conducting habitat sampling and small mammal trapping in areas used by snakes and in random locations. We studied disturbance, substrate, vegetation, prey, and rattlesnakes at two study sites in the Upper Snake River Plain of southeastern Idaho. We developed a study that links landscape disturbance to rattlesnake populations through a series of trophic interactions. The Great Basin rattlesnake is a good species to study the potential influence of landscape conversion on reptiles because they are widely distributed, sympatric with many other species of reptiles, move long distances relative to other reptiles, and have life histories that are sensitive to variation in prey availability. Previous studies have documented the effects of landscape conversion on birds and mammals but there is little information on the effects on reptiles. Sagebrush steppe ecosystems throughout the Great Basin and Interior Columbia Basin are experiencing widespread landscape conversion due to livestock overgrazing, invasive plants, and fire. Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution.
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