Assessing Impacts of Roads: Application of a Standard Assessment Protocol

Adaptive management of road networks depends on timely data that accurately reflect the impacts those systems are having on ecosystem processes and associated services. In the absence of reliable data, land managers are left with little more than observations and perceptions to support management decisions of road-associated disturbances. Roads can negatively impact the soil, hydrologic, plant, and animal processes on which virtually all ecosystem services depend. The Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH) protocol is a qualitative method that has been demonstrated to be effective in characterizing impacts of roads. The goal of this study were to develop, describe, and test an approach for using IIRH to systematically evaluate road impacts across large, diverse arid and semiarid landscapes. We developed a stratified random sampling approach to plot selection based on ecological potential, road inventory data, and image interpretation of road impacts. The test application on a semiarid landscape in southern New Mexico, United States, demonstrates that the approach developed is sensitive to road impacts across a broad range of ecological sites but that not all the types of stratification were useful. Ecological site and road inventory strata accounted for significant variability in the functioning of ecological processes but stratification based on apparent impact did not. Analysis of the repeatability of IIRH applied to road plots indicates that the method is repeatable but consensus evaluations based on multiple observers should be used to minimize risk of bias. Landscape-scale analysis of impacts by roads of contrasting designs (maintained dirt or gravel roads vs. non- or infrequently maintained roads) suggests that future travel management plans for the study area should consider concentrating traffic on fewer roads that are well designed and maintained. Application of the approach by land managers will likely provide important insights into minimizing impacts of road networks on key ecosystem services.     

Monitoring of Livestock Grazing Effects on Bureau of Land Management Land

Public land management agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are charged with managing rangelands throughout the western United States for multiple uses, such as livestock grazing and conservation of sensitive species and their habitats. Monitoring of condition and trends of these rangelands, particularly with respect to effects of livestock grazing, provides critical information for effective management of these multiuse landscapes. We therefore investigated the availability of livestock grazing-related quantitative monitoring data and qualitative region-specific Land Health Standards (LHS) data across BLM grazing allotments in the western United States. We then queried university and federal rangeland science experts about how best to prioritize rangeland monitoring activities. We found that the most commonly available monitoring data were permittee-reported livestock numbers and season-of-use data (71% of allotments) followed by repeat photo points (58%), estimates of forage utilization (52%), and, finally, quantitative vegetation measurements (37%). Of the 57% of allotments in which LHS had been evaluated as of 2007, the BLM indicated 15% had failed to meet LHS due to livestock grazing. A full complement of all types of monitoring data, however, existed for only 27% of those 15%. Our data inspections, as well as conversations with rangeland experts, indicated a need for greater emphasis on collection of grazing-related monitoring data, particularly ground cover. Prioritization of where monitoring activities should be focused, along with creation of regional monitoring teams, may help improve monitoring. Overall, increased emphasis on monitoring of BLM rangelands will require commitment at multiple institutional levels.     

不同干扰方式下温性草甸草原土壤碳氮磷化学计量特征及其储量研究

为阐明不同干扰方式对呼伦贝尔温性草甸草原土壤碳氮磷化学计量特征及储量分布的影响,本研究于2021年8月末在多年围封、刈割和放牧草地进行样品采集与分析测试。结果表明：地上生物量和凋落物生物量均以围封草地最高,放牧草地最低;3种干扰方式下,土壤容重均随土层深度的增加而增大,土壤含水率均随土层深度的增加而减小,在相同土层,放牧干扰下土壤容重最大,土壤含水率最低;3种干扰方式下,土壤碳氮磷含量均随土层深度的增加而降低,放牧干扰草地中三者含量最低;围封和刈割干扰草地土壤C/N高于放牧干扰草地,而C/P和N/P均以放牧干扰草地最高;放牧干扰草地碳氮磷储量在0~30cm土层的分布占比最高,呈现表层聚集;干扰方式和土层深度及其交互作用均能显著影响土壤理化性质及计量特征。综上,适度干扰更有利于温性草甸草原的可持续发展。     

Effects of Long-Term Livestock Grazing on Fuel Characteristics in Rangelands: An Example From the Sagebrush Steppe

Livestock grazing potentially has substantial influence on fuel characteristics in rangelands around the globe. However, information quantifying the impacts of grazing on rangeland fuel characteristics is limited, and the effects of grazing on fuels are important because fuel characteristics are one of the primary factors determining risk, severity, continuity, and size of wildfires. We investigated the effects of long-term (70+ yr) livestock grazing exclusion (nongrazed) and moderate levels of livestock grazing (grazed) on fuel accumulations, continuity, gaps, and heights in shrub-grassland rangelands. Livestock used the grazed treatment through 2008 and sampling occurred in mid- to late summer in 2009. Nongrazed rangelands had over twofold more herbaceous standing crop than grazed rangelands (P < 0.01). Fuel accumulations on perennial bunchgrasses were approximately threefold greater in nongrazed than grazed treatments. Continuity of fuels in nongrazed compared to grazed treatments was also greater (P < 0.05). The heights of perennial grass current year’s and previous years’ growth were 1.3-fold and 2.2-fold taller in nongrazed compared to grazed treatments (P < 0.01). The results of this study suggest that moderate livestock grazing decreases the risk of wildfires in sagebrush steppe plant communities and potentially other semi-arid and arid rangelands. These results also suggest wildfires in moderately grazed sagebrush rangelands have decreased severity, continuity, and size of the burn compared to long-term nongrazed sagebrush rangelands. Because of the impacts fuels have on fire characteristics, moderate levels of grazing probably increase the efficiency of fire suppression activities. Because of the large difference between fuel characteristics in grazed and nongrazed sagebrush rangelands, we suggest that additional management impacts on fuels and subsequently fires need to be investigated in nonforested rangelands to protect native plant communities and prioritize management needs.     

Hysteretic Responses to Grazing in a Semiarid Rangeland

Ecological systems comprise a complex array of interacting processes that manifest across multiple scales. Effective management of natural ecosystems has to be underpinned by an understanding of how the scaling of these processes influences system integrity and stability. This is particularly true in semiarid rangelands, which display strong relationships between pattern and process that are fundamental to maintaining ecosystem function. Grazing can disrupt the scaling of these relationships and the mechanistic coupling between pattern and process, undermining the health of grazed semiarid rangelands. This is due to possible hysteretic responses in key system components to increases and decreases in grazing disturbance. We used data from a semiarid rangeland in northern Australia to test for hysteretic responses in system components after the removal of cattle grazing. We found an uncoupling of spatial linkages between vegetation and soil moisture in a severely degraded plot that was not evident in less intensively grazed or recovering plots. Recovering plots protected from grazing for 20 yr showed a scale of spatial linkage between vegetation and soil moisture, and soil organic matter and mineralization flush, of a scale much coarser than that of degrading plots. These findings provide evidence for hysteretic recovery from grazing and demonstrate that comparison of the spatial patterns of vegetation and soil properties is essential for capturing the true state of ecological functionality in this system. This has important implications for assessing ecological function in systems typified by strong natural environmental variation or in which data for pristine conditions are lacking.     

Long-Term Effects of Weed Control With Picloram Along a Gradient of Spotted Knapweed Invasion

Broadleaf herbicides are commonly used in rangelands to suppress exotic weeds and release native communities from negative impacts of invasion. However, few studies have comprehensively evaluated treatment effects on differing community components across a gradient of initial invasion levels. We conducted a 6-yr experiment within grasslands of western Montana to measure local-scale effects of a broadcast application of picloram on 1) cover of the target invader, spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L.), 2) prevalence of native functional groups, and 3) the secondary invader cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) at differing initial levels of knapweed invasion. Treatment effectively suppressed knapweed, with cover in treated vs. control plots reduced by >60% in the sixth posttreatment year. Treatment also appeared to alleviate knapweed’s impacts on native perennial grasses, but only at the highest initial level of invasion, where cover of this group increased by >30% in treated vs. control plots to equal levels associated with noninvaded plots. In some cases, treatment appeared to exacerbate knapweed’s impacts on native forbs. At the no-invasion level, perennial forb cover declined by >20% in treated vs. control plots to match values associated with moderate or high levels of invasion, but these treatment effects were minimal at the latter invasion levels. Across initial invasion levels, species richness of perennial and/or annual forbs declined by >20% in treated vs. control plots. Treatment also promoted increases in cheatgrass cover, although differences between treated and control plots were relatively small by the sixth posttreatment year. Overall, effects of picloram application depended on initial levels of knapweed invasion, largely due to the varying strength of release effects. Selective treatment of invaded patches vs. broadcast applications would reduce side effects of broadleaf herbicide application and increase compatibility with other management measures designed to improve rangeland conditions and restore grassland communities.     

Departures of Rangeland Fractional Component Cover and Land Cover from Landsat-Based Ecological Potential in Wyoming,USA

Monitoring rangelands by identifying the departure of contemporary conditions from long-term ecological potential allows for the disentanglement of natural biophysical gradients driving change from changes associated with land uses and other disturbance types. We developed maps of ecological potential (EP) for shrub, sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), perennial herbaceous, litter, and bare ground fractional cover in Wyoming, USA. EP maps correspond to the potential natural vegetation cover expected by environmental conditions in the absence of anthropogenic and natural disturbance as represented by the greenest and least disturbed period of the Landsat archive. EP was predicted using regression tree models with inputs of soil maps and spectral data associated with the 75th percentile of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index in the Landsat archive. We trained our EP models with 2015 component cover maps on ecologically intact sites with relatively lower bare ground than expected. We generated departure of vegetation cover by comparing the EP and 2015 fractional cover. The departures represent land cover change from potential land cover and/or within-state changes in 2015. Next, we converted EP and 2015 fractional cover maps into thematic land cover and evaluated departure to determine if it was great enough to result in land cover change. The 2015 conditions showed reduced shrub, sagebrush, litter, and perennial herbaceous cover and increased bare ground relative to EP. Known disturbances, such as energy development, fires, and vegetation treatments, are clearly visible on the departure maps, but not on EP component maps. The most frequent departure from EP land cover was shrubland conversion to grassland. Land cover departures can be explained only in small part by known disturbance, and instead are ostensibly related to climate and land management practices. These drivers result in land cover departures that broadened the ecotone between shrubland and grassland relative to EP.     

Fire Risk in Revegetated Bunchgrass Communities Infested with Bromus tectorum

In rangeland ecosystems, invasive annual grass replacement of native perennials is associated with higher fire risk. Large bunchgrasses are often seeded to reduce cover of annuals such as Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass), but there is limited information about how revegetation reduces fire risk over the long term. We assessed how revegetated community composition influences fire risk at three sites in Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Grant County, Washington that were revegetated with large bunchgrasses 8 ? 18 years before the study. At each site, five replicates of 10 plots (10 × 10 m) were established. Fire risk was determined as the probability that a plot would completely burn following ignition at a randomly located point in each plot (i.e., if 8 of 10 plots burned, then fire risk was 80%). Preignition, cover of bunchgrasses, cheatgrass, forbs, and surface characteristics were determined for each plot. Fire risk was < 100%. However, fire risk was still relatively high around 73% and did not differ significantly among sites despite differences in cheatgrass and bunchgrass cover, which may have been attributable to other characteristics, such as high total fuels cover (> 80% at all sites) and unvegetated gap cover (soil and soil cryptogams, < 17%). This information can provide guidance for future studies with larger ranges of cover characteristics to develop robust fire risk models, which ultimately will be used to aid rangeland managers who need to specify reduction of fire risk after reestablishing large bunchgrasses in rangelands infested with cheatgrass.     

Is Pile Seeding Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis) an Effective Alternative to Broadcast Seeding?

Sagebrush plays an important role in the ecological functions of sagebrush steppe plant communities and is a necessary component of habitat for a variety of wildlife including greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). At lower elevations, increased fire frequency associated with exotic annual grass invasion has heightened the need for effective sagebrush restoration strategies, but existing techniques have been largely ineffective. Our objective was to evaluate “pile seeding” (placing mature seed heads on the ground) of Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis) as an alternative to broadcast seeding. We used a randomized block design (n = 5) replicated in 2 yr at two contrasting ecological sites in southeastern Oregon. Treatments applied to 100 × 1.5 m plots included 1) pile seeding (four mature seed heads · pile^--1 × 10 piles · plot^-1), 2) broadcast seeding (0.5 kg pure live seed [PLS] · ha^-1), and 3) natural recovery (i.e., nonseeded). Planting occurred in fall 2008 and 2009, and plots were monitored for seedling establishment for three or two growing seasons postplanting. Seedling density was estimated at the plot scale within a 50-cm radius of each seed head pile (“island scale”). In the year following planting, sagebrush seedling density at the plot scale was up to 60-fold higher (P ≤ 0.05) in pile-seeded plots compared to natural recovery and broadcast plots. Seedling mortality was high (up to 98% reduction in density) for pile-seeded plots between the first and second growing seasons postplanting and differences between broadcast and pile-seeded plots dissipated by 2–3 yr postplanting. Although pile-seeding had higher initial density than broadcast seeding, neither technique had sufficient multiyear survival to suggest restoration efficacy at the plot scale. Seedling density at the island scale suggests that pile-seeding may be useful for establishing sagebrush islands, depending on year conditions. Research is needed to determine strategies capable of increasing long-term sagebrush seedling survival.     

Microchannels Affect Runoff and Sediment Yield From a Shortgrass Prairie

Runoff and sediment yield from rangelands are extremely important variables that affect productivity, but are difficult to quantify. Studies have been conducted to assess erosion on rangelands, but very little has been done to determine if microchannels (rills) affect runoff and sediment yield. Rainfall simulations were used to quantify the effects of microchannels on runoff and sediment loss on a shortgrass prairie with two types of range conditions (good and fair). Natural flow paths within plots in the two range conditions were defined and then enhanced with an ellipse-shaped hoe to create microchannels. Soil from plots was removed at two rates (11.2 t· ha⁻¹ and 22.4 t· ha⁻¹) to create three soil surface configurations. Soil was removed by vacuuming to create either a single microchannel or multiple microchannels down the plot, and the third treatment was uniform soil removal over the entire plot (sheet). Results showed significantly greater total runoff from both single and multiple microchannel treatments compared with sheet soil removal. The microchannels resulted in significantly less sediment yield per unit of runoff compared with the sheet soil removal treatment. Both runoff and sediment yield were affected by range condition. Plots that were in fair range condition, dominated by buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides [Nutt.] Engleman), had a greater amount of total runoff (double) but less sediment yield (75%) than plots in good range condition that were dominated by blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis [H.B.K.] Lag. ex Stued.). The dense buffalo grass sod protected the soil surface from erosion, but water flowed freely across the sod. This study has provided a greater understanding of how microchannels affect runoff and sediment yield under different rangeland conditions, and has illustrated how plant species composition and soil surface features relate to several hydrologic functions.     

Influence of 90 Years of Protection From Grazing on Plant and Soil Processes in the Subalpine of the Wasatch Plateau,USA

Human communities in the Intermountain West depend heavily on subalpine rangelands because of their importance in providing water for irrigation and forage for wildlife and livestock. In addition, many constituencies are looking to managed ecosystems to sequester carbon in plant biomass and soil C to reduce the impact of anthropogenic CO₂ on climate. This work builds on a 90-year-old grazing experiment in mountain meadows on the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of 90 years of protection from grazing on processes controlling the input, output, and storage of C in subalpine rangelands. Long-term grazing significantly reduced maximum biomass in all years compared with plots within grazing exclosures. For grazed plots, interannual variability in aboveground biomass was correlated with July precipitation and temperature (R² = 0.51), while there was a weak correlation between July precipitation and biomass in ungrazed plots (R² = 0.24). Livestock grazing had no statistically significant impacts on total soil C or particulate organic matter (POM), although grazing did increase active soil C and decrease soil moisture. Grazing significantly increased the proportion of total soil C pools that were potentially mineralizable in the laboratory, with soils from grazed plots evolving 4.6% of total soil C in 1 year while ungrazed plots lost 3.3% of total soil C. Volumetric soil moisture was consistently higher in ungrazed plots than grazed plots. The changes in soil C chemistry may have implications for how these ecosystems will respond to forecast climate change. Because grazing has resulted in an accumulation of easily decomposable organic material, if temperatures warm and summer precipitation increases as is anticipated, these soils may become net sources of CO₂ to the atmosphere creating a positive feedback between climate change and atmospheric CO₂.     

基于遥感和无人机数据的草地NDVI影响因子多尺度分析

为探索不同尺度草地植被的影响因子,本研究基于Landsat遥感影像和无人机多光谱影像等,在村落和地块2个尺度分析西藏草地归一化植被指数（Normalized Difference Vegetation Index,NDVI）的影响因子。结果表明：村落尺度的海拔、坡度、坡向、地表起伏度皆对NDVI有显著的非线性影响,解释比例为37.20%;方差分析表明,地形等因子相近的同类土地利用内部NDVI差异仍较大;运用无人机影像细分同种土地利用类型内部异质性,发现遥感影像中无法辨别的点状、线状地物（石堆、水渠、田间路等）对草地NDVI有一定影响;缓冲区分析表明,非硬化水渠和道路对NDVI的负面影响在1~3 m,硬化水渠和路面对草地的负面影响超过4 m。无人机获取高分辨率多光谱影像的便捷性可以推进更小尺度下人类活动强度以及景观破碎化对植被和生态系统功能影响研究的深入。     

高原鼠兔干扰对青海湖流域高山嵩草草甸植物多样性及地上生物量的影响

采用堵洞法设置高原鼠兔干扰区和非干扰区,然后在干扰区和非干扰区内利用样方法研究了高原鼠兔干扰对青海湖流域高山嵩草草甸植物多样性和地上生物量的影响。结果表明,植物物种多样性和不同植物功能群多样性对高原鼠兔干扰的响应并不一致,其中干扰增加了杂类草功能群丰富度指数与物种丰富度指数,降低了物种均匀度指数、莎草科功能群丰富度指数和禾草科功能群均匀度指数(P<0.05)。干扰区内物种均匀度指数、物种丰富度指数和杂类草功能群丰富度指数随干扰强度增加而呈增加趋势,但禾草科功能群均匀度指数却呈显著降低趋势。虽然高原鼠兔干扰显著降低了植物群落总生物量,莎草科、禾草科和豆科功能群生物量(P<0.05),但显著增加了杂类草功能群生物量(P<0.05)。干扰区随干扰程度增加,莎草科功能群和豆科功能群生物量逐渐降低,杂类草功能群生物量逐渐增加,而禾草科功能群生物量则先增加后降低。鉴于高山嵩草草甸植物群落物种多样性和功能多样性对高原鼠兔干扰的响应不一致,植物物种多样性和功能群多样性之间不能互相替代。     

那曲地区草地植被时空格局与变化及其人文因素影响研究

那曲草地作为西藏自治区畜牧业发展的重要基地,草地植被年际变化是自然因素和人类活动交互影响的结果。为了解决当地复杂的资源环境问题,需要深刻认清各种人文因素对草地影响的程度和机制。本研究利用2000-2009年的MODIS NDVI时间序列影像及相关统计资料,对那曲草地植被的空间和年际变化进行动态监测,并采用定性与定量相结合方式系统分析各个人文因素与草地植被格局和变化的关系。结果表明,1) 那曲地区不同区域植被在2000-2009年表现出不同的年际变化趋势,在高大山脉高海拔的稀疏植被或冰雪覆盖周边区域,由于全球变暖且受人类活动影响较小而出现植被变好的状况,在人类活动强度较大的纯牧业县(那曲县、聂荣县和安多县)草地植被退化情况较为严重; 2) 分析那曲地区植被空间格局、年际变化分布图与道路网、居民点分布密度图在空间上具有较好的相关性,这也表明该研究区人类活动将直接影响目前良好的地表覆盖区域植被正常生长和繁育; 3) 以中心城镇那曲镇和109国道为代表,利用缓冲区分析方法研究发现距离人类活动越近的地区植被退化越严重,而统计资料显示那曲地区的人口、放牧强度、道路工程建设份额等指标都呈直线上升,将对草地植被生长构成严重的威胁,从而进一步影响那曲地区草地的理论承载力和经济可持续发展; 4) 此外,调查发现旅游和放牧的车辆碾压、矿产开采、采挖草药、安居工程建设、鼠患等因素对那曲草地都有一定程度的破坏。     

Livestock as Ecosystem Engineers for Grassland Bird Habitat in the Western Great Plains of North America

Domestic livestock have the potential to function as ecosystem engineers in semiarid rangelands, but prevailing management practices largely emphasize livestock production and uniform use of vegetation. As a result, variation in vegetation structure might not occur at appropriate spatial and temporal scales to achieve some contemporary conservation objectives. Here, we introduce the utility of livestock as ecosystem engineers and address potential benefits and consequences associated with heterogeneity-based management practices for conservation grazing in the semiarid rangelands of the western North American Great Plains. To illustrate the potential value of this approach, we provide specific examples where engineering effects of livestock could alter vegetation heterogeneity at within-pasture (< 100 ha) and among-pasture (～100 ha to thousands of hectares) scales to improve habitat for declining native grassland birds. Experimental evaluations of the efficacy of livestock to achieve desired modifications to vegetation structure are needed, along with the economic aspects associated with implementing heterogeneity-based management practices. Using livestock as ecosystem engineers to alter vegetation structure for grassland bird habitat is feasible in terms of application by land managers within the context of current livestock operations, and provides land managers important tools to achieve desired contemporary objectives and outcomes in semiarid rangelands of the western North American Great Plains.     

A Technique for Estimating Rangeland Canopy-Gap Size Distributions From High-Resolution Digital Imagery

The amount and distribution of gaps in vegetation canopy is a useful indicator of multiple ecosystem processes and functions. In this paper, we describe a semiautomated approach for estimating canopy-gap size distributions in rangelands from high-resolution (HR) digital images using image interpretation by observers and statistical image classification techniques. We considered two different classification methods (maximum-likelihood classification and logistic regression) and both pixel-based and object-based approaches to estimate canopy-gap size distributions from 2- to 3-cm resolution UltraCamX color infrared aerial photographs for arid and semiarid shrub sites in Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico. We compare our image-based estimates to field-based measurements for the study sites. Generally, percent of input points correctly classified and kappa coefficients of agreement for plot image classifications was very high. Plots with low kappa values yielded canopy gap estimates that were very different from field-based estimates. We found a strong relationship (R² > 0.9 for all four methods evaluated) between image- and field-based estimates of the total percent of the plot in canopy gaps greater than 50 cm for plots with a classification kappa of greater than 0.5. Performance of the remote sensing techniques varied for small canopy gaps (25 to 50 cm) but were very similar for moderate (50 to 200 cm) and large (> 200 cm) canopy gaps. Our results demonstrate that canopy-gap size distributions can be reliably estimated from HR imagery in a variety of plant community types. Additionally, we suggest that classification goodness-of-fit measures are a potentially useful tool for identifying and screening out plots where precision of estimates from imagery may be low. We conclude that classification of HR imagery based on observer-interpreted training points and image classification is a viable technique for estimating canopy gap size distributions. Our results are consistent with other research that has looked at the ability to derive monitoring indicators from HR imagery.     

Fungal Facilitation in Rangelands: Do Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Mediate Resilience and Resistance in Sagebrush Steppe?

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may exert profound influences on ecosystem resilience and invasion resistance in rangelands. Maintenance of plant community structure through ecological feedback mechanisms such as facilitation of nutrient cycling and uptake by host plants, physical and chemical contributions to soil structural stability, and mediation of plant competition suggest AMF may be important facilitators in stressful arid environments. Plant-AMF interactions could influence succession by increasing native plant community resilience to drought, grazing, and fire and resistance to exotic plant invasion. However, invasive exotic plants may benefit from associations with, as well as alter, native AMF communities. Furthermore, questions remain on the role of AMF in stressful environments, specifically the mycorrhizal dependency of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe plant species. Here, we review scientific literature relevant to AMF in rangelands, with specific focus on impacts of land management, disturbance, and invasion on AMF communities in sagebrush steppe. We highlight the nature of AMF ecology as it relates to rangelands and discuss the methods used to measure mycorrhizal responsiveness. Our review found compelling evidence that AMF mediation of resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion varies with plant and fungal community composition, including plant mycorrhizal host status, plant functional guild, and physiological adaptations to disturbance in both plants and fungi. We conclude by outlining a framework to advance knowledge of AMF in rangeland invasion ecology. Understanding the role of AMF in semiarid sagebrush steppe ecosystems will likely require multiple study approaches due to the highly variable nature of plant-AMF interactions, the complex mechanisms of resilience conference, and the unknown thresholds for responses to environmental stressors. This may require shifting away from the plant biomass paradigm of assessing mycorrhizal benefits in order to obtain a more holistic view of plant dependency on AMF, or lack thereof, in sagebrush steppe and other semiarid ecosystems.     

山西4类主要天然草地的生物量空间分布特征

通过对山西省暖性草丛类、暖性灌草丛类、温性草原类、温性山地草甸类4类主要天然草地的70个大样地进行调查,测定草地地上、地下生物量,分析4个海拔梯度,6个纬度梯度和5个经度梯度的生物量变化规律,旨在掌握山西天然草地生物量的空间分布特征,为充分了解山西草地生态系统及合理利用奠定基础。结果表明,山西省主要类型天然草地生物量随海拔的升高呈现出先升高后降低的趋势,海拔1 200-1 600 m的地下生物量和总生物量最高,分别为1 412.86和2 037.87g·m~(-2);而地上活体生物量和凋落物生物量则是在800m的海拔处最高,分别为301.5和105.97g·m~(-2)。随纬度从南向北地下生物量和总生物量呈先增加后降低的趋势,且南边略高于北边(P0.05)。随经度从西向东地下生物量和总生物量呈先增加后降低再增加的趋势。不同草地类型地上生物量存在较大差异,暖性草丛类草地的地上活体生物量显著高于其余3类草地类型(P0.05)。暖性草丛类和温性山地草甸类草地的凋落物生物量显著高于暖性灌草丛类和温性草原类草地(P0.05)。     

Managing High-Elevation Sagebrush Steppe: Do Conifer Encroachment and Prescribed Fire Affect Habitat for Pygmy Rabbits?

Both fire and conifer encroachment can markedly alter big sagebrush communities and thus habitat quality and quantity for wildlife. We investigated how conifer encroachment and spring prescribed burning affected forage and cover resources for a sagebrush specialist, the pygmy rabbit. We studied these dynamics at spring prescribed burns in southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho during the summer of 2011. Within each spring prescribed burn, we established plots that described the habitat conditions for pygmy rabbits (forage plant biomass and habitat components that influence predation risk) in areas that were burned, adjacent areas of conifer encroachment, and areas that were neither burned nor encroached. We analyzed the data for significant differences in habitat conditions between the paired reference and encroachment plots and modeled when the burned areas would approximate the conditions on the paired reference plots. Biomass of forage plants and habitat components that reduce predation risk differed between undisturbed reference plots and areas that were either burned or encroached with > 30% conifer canopy. Our models estimated that 13–27 yr were required for a spring prescribed burn to provide levels of cover and forage resources similar to sagebrush steppe reference plots. We documented that vegetation composition was associated with the plot designations (burn, reference, or conifer encroachment), but not with other abiotic factors, such as soil texture, aspect, or study site; this suggested that the documented differences in habitat were related to the treatments, rather than being site-specific characteristics. The information from this study can contribute to habitat management plans for high-elevation mountain big sagebrush sites where conifer encroachment is altering habitat for sagebrush-dependent wildlife species.     

Broad-Scale Assessment of Rangeland Health,Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument,USA

Over a 3-yr period, the qualitative assessment protocol “Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health” was used to evaluate the status of three ecosystem attributes (soil/site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity) at over 500 locations in and adjacent to Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument (Utah). Objectives were to provide data and interpretations to support the development of site-specific management strategies and to investigate broad-scale patterns in the status of different rangeland ecological sites. Quantitative data on ground cover, plant community composition, and soil stability were collected to aid the evaluation of qualitative attributes and improve consistency of the assessment process. Ecological sites with potential vegetation dominated by varieties of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nuttall) had the highest frequencies (46.7%–75.0%) of assessments with low ratings (moderate or greater departure from expected reference conditions) for all three ecosystem attributes. In contrast, sites with potential vegetation characterized by Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma [Torrey] Little) and/or Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis Engelmann) had low frequencies (0.0%–7.8%) of assessments with low ratings for all attributes. Several interacting factors likely contributed to the development of patterns among ecological sites, including 1) potential primary production and thus long-term exposure to production-oriented land uses such as livestock grazing; 2) the presence of unpalatable woody plants capable of increasing and becoming persistent site dominants due to selective herbivory, absence of fire, or succession; 3) soil texture through effects on hydrologic responses to livestock grazing, trampling, and other disturbances; and 4) past management that resulted in high livestock use of ecological sites with sensitive fine-loamy soils following treatments designed to increase forage availability. This case study illustrates an extensive application of an assessment technique that is receiving increasing use worldwide, and results contribute to an understanding of factors contributing to patterns and processes of rangeland degradation.