Burrowing Richardson's ground squirrels affect plant seedling assemblages via environmental but not seed bank changes.

In grassland ecosystems, burrowing mammals create disturbances, providing habitat for animal species and increasing plant community diversity. We investigated whether seedling assemblages on Richardson's ground squirrel mounds result from seed rearrangement or environmental changes that favor germination of certain species over others. To test whether ground squirrels rearrange the seed bank by burrowing, we compared seed compositions among mounds, burrows, and undisturbed soil.