Subterranean Gophers Engage in Subterranean Cultivation of Roots
Pocket gophers, solitary burrowing rodents inhabiting North and Central American grasslands, are showing evidence of "farming" behaviors, a team of scientists claims, adding a surprise twist to the traditional concept of agriculture.
These tiny critters have long been known for their underground lives, feeding primarily on various plant roots that make up 20 to 60% of their energy supply. In a study published in Current Biology, researchers suggest these gophers might be farmers, not because they plant seeds, but because they create conditions favorable for root growth.
The scientists argue that these furry hermits cultivate roots in their extensive tunnel systems, ideal conditions being the spread of their waste as fertilizer before they harvest or crop such roots. While this farming technique does not resemble the industrial agriculture we typically imagine, the researchers still believe that the rodents have stumbled upon a rudimentary food production system.
"Farming depends on how it's defined," co-author F. E. "Jack" Putz, from the University of Florida, Gainesville, contends. If farming necessitates planting crops, gophers don't qualify; however, with a broader perspective, viewing crops as carefully managed rather than planted, gophers could indeed be seen as farmers.
Whether pocket gophers meet the criteria for being farmers, the researchers acknowledge that they cultivate roots within their burrows, a phenomenon worth investigating further. They suggest future studies may reveal whether the gophers consume fungi or analyze seasonal variations in root energy levels and their relation to the rodents' activity cycles. At this point, it remains unclear how the underground cultivation of roots by the gophers affects surface vegetation.
If accepted as farmers, pocket gophers would be the first non-human mammals to engage in such behavior. Their tunnels act as "crop rows," according to Putz, who suggests that gophers' burrowing also contributes to soil aeration and nutrient cycling. As a result, they can have both positive and negative impacts on surface vegetation while living relatively undisturbed by human activities.
- The study published in Current Biology proposes that pocket gophers, through their cultivation of roots in their extensive tunnel systems, might be engaging in a rudimentary form of farming, as their waste spread as fertilizer creates conditions favorable for root growth.
- If pocket gophers are considered to be farming, they would be the first non-human mammals to engage in such behavior, and their burrowing activities could have both positive and negative impacts on surface vegetation, contributing to soil aeration and nutrient cycling.
