SPW01 Spatial and physical characteristics of bison wallows on Konza Prairie since 2011

The objective of this study was to characterize spatial and physical attributes of bison wallows at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas. We used aerial imagery from two different years (2011 and 2019) to assess the abundance and spatial distribution of wallows in relation to fire frequency, elevation, and slope. We also recorded physical characteristics for a randomly selected subset of wallows (n = 966) and analyzed these data in relation to the same landscape features. Results indicate that wallows are more abundant on areas characterized by combinations of more frequent burning, higher elevations, and little or no slope. Wallows were smaller in areas burned more often and shallower at higher elevations, particularly when located on grazing lawns. Terrestrial plants were found in approximately 72.1% of the wallows sampled, and their prevalence increased with increasing slope. We found some quantity of aquatic plants in approximately 7.1% of the sampled wallows. The probability of finding aquatic vegetation in wallows was higher on grazing lawns and in areas burned less frequently, particularly every 20 years.