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Geomorphologic Groundhog Day

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


We don't know how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if he could chuck wood, but we know how much sediment he moves per year…

Biogeomorphology, also referred as ecogeomorphology or sometimes as zoogeomorphology, is the study of the linkages between ecology and geomorphology, or in simple terms between life forms and landforms. Such two-way interactions range from simple tracks left by an organism in the landscape to the complex cycles of energy and matter transfer (like for the element carbon) between the biosphere and the lithosphere.

The role of animals in the evolution of a landscape is still poorly studied, but one of the most interesting processes modifying a landscape involves digging animals.


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Mammals move earth for two reasons - to collect food (digging up roots or other animals) or to dig a burrow as shelter. Large rodents, like the groundhogs (genus Marmota), are feared for their burrowing habits in agricultural areas, as the entrance to - or the collapse of - their extensive burrow systems can pose a hazard for the machinery or the livestock.

The density of burrows varies with the climate and environment, for example a humid mountain area can provide more food and guarantee the survival of more individuals than a dry steppe.

The increased activity of a large number of marmots can influence the surface runoff and erosion of a mountain slope and redistribute humus, moisture and mineral components in the soil profile. The research by Tadzhiyev & Odinoshoyev (1978) "Influence of marmots on soil cover of the eastern Pamirs" on the digging capacity of red marmots showed that they could move almost 28 cubic meter (that´s almost the load of a medium-sized truck) of earth per hectare (100 x 100 meter) in a single year. This suggests that on local scale marmots and relatives can play a role as geomorphologic factor.

Bibliography:

BUTLER, D.R. (2009) Zoogeomorphology - Animals as Geomorphic Agents. Cambridge University Press: 239

GOUDIE, A.S. (ed) (2001): Encyclopedia of Geomorphology Volume 1 A-I. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London - New York: 1156

My name is David Bressan and I'm a freelance geologist working mainly in the Austroalpine crystalline rocks and the South Alpine Palaeozoic and Mesozoic cover-sediments in the Eastern Alps. I graduated with a project on Rock Glaciers dynamics and hydrology, this phase left a special interest for quaternary deposits and modern glacial environments. During my research on glaciers, studying old maps, photography and reports on the former extent of these features, I became interested in history, especially the development of geomorphologic and geological concepts by naturalists and geologists. Living in one of the key area for the history of geology, I combine field trips with the historic research done in these regions, accompanied by historic maps and depictions. I discuss broadly also general geological concepts, especially in glaciology, seismology, volcanology, palaeontology and the relationship of society and geology.

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