Prescribed Summer Fire and Seeding Applied to Restore Juniper-Encroached and Exotic Annual Grass-Invaded Sagebrush Steppe

Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) encroachment and exotic annual grass (medusahead [Taeniatherum caput-medusae L. Nevski] and cheatgrass [Bromus tectorum L.]) invasion of sagebrush (Artemisia L.) communities decrease ecosystem services and degrade ecosystem function. Traditionally, these compositional changes were largely confined to separate areas, but more sagebrush communities are now simultaneously being altered by juniper and exotic annual grasses. Few efforts have evaluated attempts to restore these sagebrush communities. The Crooked River National Grassland initiated a project to restore juniper-encroached and annual grass-invaded sagebrush steppe using summer (mid-July) applied prescribed fires and postfire seeding. Treatments were unburned, burned, burned and seeded with a native seed mix, and burned and seeded with an introduced seed mix. Prescribed burning removed all juniper and initially reduced medusahead cover but did not influence cheatgrass cover. Neither the native nor introduced seed mix were successful at increasing large bunchgrass cover, and 6 yr post fire, medusahead cover was greater in burned treatments compared with the unburned treatment. Large bunchgrass cover and biological soil crusts were less in treatments that included burning. Exotic forbs and bulbous bluegrass (Poa bulbosa L.), an exotic grass, were greater in burned treatments compared with the unburned treatment. Sagebrush communities that are both juniper encroached and exotic annual grass invaded will need specific management of both juniper and annual grasses. We suggest that additional treatments, such as pre-emergent herbicide control of annuals and possibly multiple seeding events, are necessary to restore these communities. We recommend an adaptive management approach in which additional treatments are applied on the basis of monitoring data.     

Effects of Sagebrush Restoration and Conifer Encroachment on Small Mammal Diversity in Sagebrush Ecosystem

Conifer encroachment in sagebrush ecosystems reduces habitat heterogeneity, niche space, and resource availability, all of which negatively affect many wildlife populations. Sagebrush restoration is recommended as a management action to mitigate conifer encroachment and restore wildlife across millions of hectares in the Great Basin. Despite this recommendation, the effects of conifer encroachment and sagebrush restoration are unknown for most wildlife species. Small nonvolant mammal communities include keystone species, consumers and prey; facilitate energy flow and ecological function; and provide important ecological goods and services. We assessed causal relationships between conifer encroachment and sagebrush restoration (conifer removal and seeding native plants) on small mammal communities over 11 yr using a Before-After-Control–Impact design. Sagebrush habitat supported an additional small mammal species, twice the biomass, and nearly three times higher densities than conifer-encroached habitat. Sagebrush restoration increased shrub cover, decreased tree cover, and density but failed to increase native herbaceous plant density. Restoration caused a large increase in the non-native, invasive annual cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.). Counter to prediction, small mammal diversity did not increase in response to sagebrush restoration, but restoration maintained small mammal density in the face of ongoing conifer encroachment. Piñon mice (Peromyscus truei), woodland specialists with highest densities in conifer-encroached habitat, were negatively affected by sagebrush restoration. Increasing cheatgrass due to sagebrush restoration may not negatively impact small mammal diversity, provided cheatgrass density and cover do not progress to a monoculture and native vegetation is maintained. The consequences of conifer encroachment, a long-term, slow-acting impact, far outweigh the impacts of sagebrush restoration, a short-term, high-intensity impact, on small mammal diversity. Given the ecological importance of small mammals, maintenance of small mammal density is a desirable outcome for sagebrush restoration.     

Using Behavioral Change Models to Understand Private Landowner Perceptions of Prescribed Fire in North Dakota

In the northern Great Plains of North America, Kentucky bluegrass has become a conservation concern on many remaining rangelands. Reintroduction of fire may be one of the best ways to combat bluegrass invasion in the northern Great Plains, but perceptions of risk and other societal constraints currently limit its use. We mailed a self-administered questionnaire to 460 landowners in North Dakota to identify landowner attitudes and perceptions toward prescribed fire and understand major factors that limit the use of fire in rangeland management of this area. We draw from the theory of planned behavior and the transtheoretical model of behavior change, two widely used behavioral models, to better understand differences in motivations between ranchers and nonranchers and then formulate engagement actions conducive to a change in fire application behavior. Our results indicate that 55% of nonranchers and 38% of ranchers saw prescribed fire as a beneficial tool, with 25% of nonranchers and 9% of ranchers having performed a prescribed fire on their land. We therefore deduced these two groups were in different behavioral stages. Increasing understanding of the benefits of prescribed fire to forage quality and increasing overall acceptance of fire in North Dakota may be effective for ranchers, whereas approaches that address the lack of labor and equipment would be more applicable to nonranchers. Results also show that once respondents have decided to include the periodic use of prescribed fire as part of their management plans, there is a strong likelihood that they will perform a prescribed fire. On the basis of these findings, we propose that focusing on sociological factors influencing behavior of landowners can inform targeted strategies for increasing prescribed fire perceptions and application in the study area.     

Point Sampling to Stratify Biomass Variability in Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation

Cover and yield are two of the most commonly monitored plant attributes in rangeland vegetation surveys. These variables are usually highly correlated and many previous authors have suggested point-intercept estimates of plant cover could be used as a surrogate for more expensive and destructive methods of estimating plant biomass. When measurement variables are highly correlated, double sampling can be used to prestratify variability in the measurement that is more difficult or costly to obtain, thus improving sampling efficiency. The objective of this study was to examine the cost effectiveness of using point-intercept data to prestratify variability in subsequent clipped-biomass sampling on a sagebrush–bunchgrass rangeland site in southern Idaho. Point-intercept and biomass data were obtained for shrub, grass, and forb vegetation in 90 1-m² plots. These data were used to develop a synthetic population of 10 000 simulated plots for conducting sensitivity analysis on alternative double-sampling scenarios. Monte Carlo simulation techniques were used to determine the effect of sampling design on cost and variability of biomass estimates as a function of point-intercept sample size (i), number of point-intercept sample strata (s), and number of biomass samples per stratum (m). Minimization of variability in biomass estimates were always obtained from double-sampling scenarios in which a single median biomass estimate was obtained for a given stratum in the point-intercept data. Double-sampling strategies in which half of the point-intercept plots were also measured for biomass yielded a cost savings of 39% with a reduction in biomass-sample precision of 18% ± 4 SD. The relative loss of precision in biomass estimates (62% ± 12 SD) became equal to the relative cost savings of double sampling for scenarios in which the ratio of point-intercept/biomass samples exceeded a value of five.     

Seasonal Timing of Fire Alters Biomass and Species Composition of Northern Mixed Prairie

Fire plays a central role in influencing ecosystem patterns and processes. However, documentation of fire seasonality and plant community response is limited in semiarid grasslands. We evaluated aboveground biomass, cover, and frequency response to summer, fall, and spring fires and no fire on silty and clayey sites in semiarid, C₃-dominated grassland. The magnitude of change in biomass between years was greater than any differences among fire treatments. Still, differences existed among seasons of fire. Summer fire reduced non-native annual forb frequency (3% vs. 10% ± 2%) and Hesperostipa comata, reduced native annual forbs the first year, increased Poa secunda and bare ground, and increased Vulpia octoflora the second year. Fall fire increased grass biomass (1224 vs. 1058 ± 56 kg ? ha^? 1), but fall fire effects were generally similar to those of summer fire. Spring fire effects tended to be intermediate between no fire and summer and fall fire with the exception that spring fire was most detrimental to H. comata the first growing season and did not increase bare ground. All seasons of fire reduced litter, forb biomass, and frequency of Bromus japonicus and Artemisia spp., and they reduced H. comata, V. octoflora, and native annual forbs the first year, but increased basal cover of C₃ perennial grasses (2.2% vs. 0.6% ± 0.4%). Fire during any season increased dominance of native species compared with no fire (6.6% vs. 2.0% ± 1.0% basal cover) and maintained productivity. Seasonal timing of fire manipulated species composition, but increased C₃ perennial grass cover and native species dominance with fire during any season indicated that using fire was more important than the season in which it occurred. In addition, fire effects on the vegetation components tended to be counter to previously observed effects of grazing, suggesting fire and grazing may be complementary.     

Vegetation,Hydrologic, and Erosion Responses of Sagebrush Steppe 9 Yr Following Mechanical Tree Removal

Land managers across the western United States are faced with selecting and applying tree-removal treatments on pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodland-encroached sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) rangelands, but current understanding of long-term vegetation and hydrological responses of sagebrush sites to tree removal is inadequate for guiding management. This study applied a suite of vegetation and soil measures (0.5 ? 990 m²), small-plot rainfall simulations (0.5 m²), and overland flow experiments (9 m²) to quantify the effects of mechanical tree removal (tree cutting and mastication) on vegetation, runoff, and erosion at two mid- to late-succession woodland-encroached sagebrush sites in the Great Basin, United States, 9 yr after treatment. Low amounts of hillslope-scale shrub (3 ? 15%) and grass (7 ? 12%) canopy cover and extensive intercanopy (area between tree canopies) bare ground (69 ? 88% bare, 75% of area) in untreated areas at both sites facilitated high levels of runoff and sediment from high-intensity (102 mm ? h^? 1, 45 min) rainfall simulations in interspaces (~ 45 mm runoff, 59 ? 381 g ? m^? 2 sediment) between trees and shrubs and from concentrated overland flow experiments (15, 30, and 45 L ? min^? 1, 8 min each) in the intercanopy (371 ? 501 L runoff, 2 342 ? 3 015 g sediment). Tree cutting increased hillslope-scale density of sagebrush by 5% and perennial grass cover by twofold at one site while tree cutting and mastication increased hillslope-scale sagebrush density by 36% and 16%, respectively, and perennial grass cover by threefold at a second more-degraded (initially more sparsely vegetated) site over nine growing seasons. Cover of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) was < 1% at the sites pretreatment and 1 ? 7% 9 yr after treatment. Bare ground remained high across both sites 9 yr after tree removal and was reduced by treatments solely at the more degraded site. Increases in hillslope-scale vegetation following tree removal had limited impact on runoff and erosion for rainfall simulations and concentrated flow experiments at both sites due to persistent high bare ground. The one exception was reduced runoff and erosion within the cut treatments for intercanopy plots with cut-downed-trees. The cut-downed-trees provided ample litter cover and tree debris at the ground surface to reduce the amount and erosive energy of concentrated overland flow. Trends in hillslope-scale vegetation responses to tree removal in this study demonstrate the effectiveness of mechanical treatments to reestablish sagebrush steppe vegetation without increasing cheatgrass for mid- to late-succession woodland-encroached sites along the warm-dry to cool-moist soil temperature ? moisture threshold in the Great Basin. Our results indicate improved hydrologic function through sagebrush steppe vegetation recruitment after mechanical tree removal on mid- to late-succession woodlands can require more than 9 yr. We anticipate intercanopy runoff and erosion rates will decrease over time at both sites as shrub and grass cover continue to increase, but follow-up tree removal will be needed to prevent pinyon and juniper recolonization. The low intercanopy runoff and erosion measured underneath isolated cut-downed-trees in this study clearly demonstrate that tree debris following mechanical treatments can effectively limit microsite-scale runoff and erosion over time where tree debris settles in good contact with the soil surface.     

Response of Conifer-Encroached Shrublands in the Great Basin to Prescribed Fire and Mechanical Treatments

In response to the recent expansion of piñon and juniper woodlands into sagebrush-steppe communities in the northern Great Basin region, numerous conifer-removal projects have been implemented, primarily to release understory vegetation at sites having a wide range of environmental conditions. Responses to these treatments have varied from successful restoration of native plant communities to complete conversion to nonnative invasive species. To evaluate the general response of understory vegetation to tree canopy removal in conifer-encroached shrublands, we set up a region-wide study that measured treatment-induced changes in understory cover and density. Eleven study sites located across four states in the Great Basin were established as statistical replicate blocks, each containing fire, mechanical, and control treatments. Different cover groups were measured prior to and during the first 3 yr following treatment. There was a general pattern of response across the wide range of site conditions. There was an immediate increase in bare ground and decrease in tall perennial grasses following the fire treatment, but both recovered by the second or third growing season after treatment. Tall perennial grass cover increased in the mechanical treatment in the second and third year, and in the fire treatment cover was higher than the control by year 3. Nonnative grass and forb cover did not increase in the fire and mechanical treatments in the first year but increased in the second and third years. Perennial forb cover increased in both the fire and mechanical treatments. The recovery of herbaceous cover groups was from increased growth of residual vegetation, not density. Sagebrush declined in the fire treatment, but seedling density increased in both treatments. Biological soil crust declined in the fire treatment, with no indications of recovery. Differences in plant response that occurred between mechanical and fire treatments should be considered when selecting management options.     

温带典型草原土壤理化性质及微生物量对放牧强度的响应

为了研究不同放牧强度对草地土壤理化性质及微生物量的影响,本文以内蒙古温带典型草原为研究对象,设置了4个放牧梯度：对照（围封）、28只羊每月放牧3天（轻度）、6天（中牧）、12天（重牧）,采用控制实验分析了不同放牧处理下草原土壤理化性质和土壤微生物量之间的相关关系。结果表明：放牧强度和土壤深度均对土壤pH值、硝态氮和速效磷含量产生极显著影响（P<0.01）,土壤总氮和总有机碳含量受放牧强度极显著影响（P<0.01）,轻牧处理含量显著高于其他处理样地。土壤微生物量碳、磷含量受放牧强度影响显著（P<0.05）。因子分析及相关分析结果表明,土壤MBP含量与土壤因子F1（TN,AN,NO₃^--N,TOC,AP,NH₄⁺-N）极显著正相关（P<0.01）,土壤MBN含量与土壤因子F1显著正相关（P<0.05）,说明MBN和MBP与土壤理化指标之间具有统一性,微生物量氮、磷可以灵敏地反映出放牧强度变化下的土壤理化性质和微生物生物量的变化。     

Fire as a Land Management Tool: Rural Sector Perceptions of Burn-off Practice in New Zealand

Fire has long been used as a tool to remove pests and disease, regenerate land, and remove unwanted vegetation buildup. Although traditionally used as a widespread land management tool in the past, its continued use could be under threat due to public perceptions pertaining to risks from burns getting out of control, as well as the impacts of smoke pollution and ecological damage. To determine the attitudes of rural practitioners and residents toward use of fire as a land management tool, this paper reports the results, analysis, and interpretation to a survey question: “Do you feel fire is a good option for managing rural land?”, along with an analysis of key attitudes toward the use of fire as a land management tool. The survey was undertaken with 696 respondents consisting of (rural land managers, rural populace, and rural fire personnel) within New Zealand. The survey identified differing perceptions about the suitability of prescribed fire use by land-based sectors. Five constructs explained the attitudes toward use of fire as a land management tool: benefits of fire use, the tradition of fire as a tool, regulations and liabilities, smoke impacts from fire, and the risks from knowledge loss and changing land use. Results showed that a person’s high agreement with the construct concerning negative smoke impacts resulted in less agreement that fire was a good option for use in rural land management in New Zealand. Main demographics influencing a positive attitude toward the use of fire included gender (male), their current use of fire, and larger land area managed. For prescribed fire to continue to be a useful tool, an improved understanding of current management practices and clear guidelines around best practice in using fire in New Zealand to manage land are required, with particular emphasis on limiting smoke impacts.     

家畜践踏对环县草原地下生物量的影响

在甘肃环县典型草原6年的轮牧试验表明:不同践踏强度下各样地0~20 cm层地下生物量占0~30 cm层的90%以上,随着放牧践踏强度的增加,0~10 cm土层中的根量先增长后降低,其中以中度践踏(80次羊践踏/m².期)最高,约为对照(0次羊践踏/m².期)和轻度践踏(40次羊践踏/m².期)的1.7倍,10~20 cm土层以轻度践踏(40次羊践踏/m².期)最高,20~30 cm土层地下生物量与践踏强度相关不显著,相关系数仅为0.12;以地下生物量最大化为准则,对0~10 cm、10~20 cm土层地下生物量与践踏强度的回归模型进行解析和寻优分析,确定出环县典型草原适宜的放牧强度是3.5~5羊单位/hm²。     

Grazing History Effects on Rangeland Biomass,Cover and Diversity Responses to Fire and Grazing Utilization

Exclusion of large grazers from rangelands that evolved with significant grazing pressure can alter natural processes and may have legacy effects by changing magnitude or direction of community responses to subsequent disturbance. Three moderately grazed pastures were paired with 12-ha areas with 15 yr of livestock exclusion. Six treatments were assigned to each in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of fire (fall fire or no fire) and grazing utilization (0%, 50%, or 75% biomass removal) to determine grazing history effects on rangeland response to subsequent disturbance. Livestock exclusion increased C₃ perennial grass (1 232 vs. 980 ± 50 kg ? ha^-1) and forbs (173 vs. 62 ± 19 kg ? ha^-1) and reduced C₄ perennial grass (36 vs. 180 ± 25 kg ? ha^-1) with no effect on total current-year biomass. Diversity was greater in pastures than exclosures (H’ = 1.5400 vs. 1.3823 ± 0.0431). Every biomass, cover, and diversity measure, except subshrub biomass, was affected by fire, grazing utilization, or both. Contrary to expectations, grazing history only interacted with fire effects for old standing dead material and interactions with grazing utilization were limited to old dead, bare ground, richness and dominance. Fire by grazing utilization interaction was limited to bare ground. Fire reduced annual grass (64 vs. 137 ± 29 kg ? ha^-1), forbs (84 vs. 133 ± 29 kg ? ha^-1), and diversity (H’ = 1.3260 vs. 1.5005 ± 0.0537) with no difference in total current-year biomass (1 557 vs. 1 594 ± 66 kg ? ha^-1). Grazing to 75% utilization reduced total current-year biomass (1 467 vs. 1 656 ± 66 kg ? ha^-1) and dominance (0.4824 vs. 0.5584 ± 0.0279). Grazing history affected starting points for most variables, but changes caused by grazing utilization or fire were similar between pastures and exclosures, indicating management decisions can be made based on independent knowledge of grazing or fire effects.     

Short-Term Response of Sage-Grouse Nesting to Conifer Removal in the Northern Great Basin

Conifer woodlands expanding into sage-steppe (Artemisia spp.) are a threat to sagebrush obligate species including the imperiled greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Conifer removal is accelerating rapidly despite a lack of empirical evidence to assess outcomes to grouse. Using a before-after-control-impact design, we evaluated short-term effects of conifer removal on nesting habitat use by monitoring 262 sage-grouse nests in the northern Great Basin during 2010–2014. Tree removal made available for nesting an additional 28% of the treatment landscape by expanding habitat an estimated 9603 ha (3201 ha [± 480 SE] annually). Relative probability of nesting in newly restored sites increased by 22% annually, and females were 43% more likely to nest within 1000 m of treatments. From 2011 (pretreatment) to 2014 (3 yr after treatments began), 29% of the marked population (9.5% [± 1.2 SE] annually) had shifted its nesting activities into mountain big sagebrush habitats that were cleared of encroaching conifer. Grouping treatments likely contributed to beneficial outcomes for grouse as individual removal projects averaged just 87 ha in size but cumulatively covered a fifth of the study area. Collaboratively identifying future priority watersheds and implementing treatments across public and private ownerships is vital to effectively restore the sage-steppe ecosystem for nesting sage-grouse.     

Restoring Perennial Grasses in Medusahead Habitat: Role of Tilling,Fire, Herbicides,and Seeding Rate

Restoring arid regions degraded by invasive annual grasses to native perennial grasses is a critical conservation goal. Targeting site availability, species availability, and species performance is a key strategy for reducing invasive annual grass cover while simultaneously increasing the abundance of seeded native perennial grasses. However, the potential for establishing successful seedings is still highly variable in rangeland ecosystems, likely because of variable year-to-year weather. In this study, we evaluated the independent and combined inputs of tilling, burning, applying imazapic herbicide, and varying seeding rates on existing species and seeded native perennial grass performance from 2008 to 2012 in a southwestern Idaho rangeland ecosystem. We found that combining tilling, fire, and herbicides produced the lowest annual grass cover. The combination of fire and herbicides yielded the highest seeded species density in the hydrologic year (HY) (October ? September) 2010, especially at higher than minimum recommended seeding rates. Although the independent and combined effects of fire and herbicides directly affected the growth of resident species, they failed to affect seeded species cover except in HY 2010, when weather was favorable for seedling growth. Specifically, low winter temperature variability (few freeze-thaw cycles) followed by high growing season precipitation in HY 2010 yielded 14 × more seeded perennial grasses than any other seeding year, even though total annual precipitation amounts did not greatly vary between 2009 and 2012. Collectively, these findings suggest that tilling, applying prescribed fire, and herbicides before seeding at least 5 × the minimum recommended seeding rate should directly reduce resident annual grass abundance and likely yield high densities of seeded species in annual grass ? dominated ecosystems, but only during years of stable winter conditions followed by wet springs.     

贝加尔针茅草原土壤酶活性及微生物量碳氮对养分添加的响应

通过草地养分添加控制试验,研究了贝加尔针茅(Stipa Baicalensis)草原在CK,K,P,N,PK,NK,NP,NPK不同养分添加方式下土壤酶活性、土壤微生物量碳氮的变化以及他们与土壤养分间的相互关系。结果表明:土壤蔗糖酶在含磷养分添加条件(NP,NPK,P,PK)下活性显著高于CK,脲酶活性在氮磷组合添加条件下(NP,NPK)下有显著提高,碱性磷酸酶活性在NP,NPK和NK处理下有显著的提高,过氧化氢酶在不同养分添加条件下活性与CK无显著差异;NP,NPK,N和PK处理下微生物量碳显著高于其他处理,NP处理下微生物量氮显著高于CK;过氧化氢酶、蔗糖酶活性与速效磷含量呈显著正相关,微生物量碳与脲酶和碱性磷酸酶活性呈显著正相关,与蔗糖酶活性呈极显著正相关,微生物量氮与速效磷、过氧化氢酶、蔗糖酶和脲酶活性呈显著正相关。综合分析表明,氮磷养分组合添加可以提高贝加尔针茅草原土壤酶活性和微生物量碳氮含量,有利于土壤肥力状况改良。     

典型草原植物养分对生长季不同放牧强度的动态响应

为阐明典型草原生长季放牧过程中植物养分的动态变化,本研究在2017年生长季的不同放牧阶段(放牧早期、放牧中期和休牧后)对不同放牧强度影响下内蒙古典型草原主要物种克氏针茅(Stipa krylovii)、羊草(Leymus chinensis)和糙隐子草(Cleistogenes squarrosa)的碳(Carbon,...     

荒漠草原短花针茅表型性状对模拟绵羊采食的可塑性响应

为探讨短花针茅(Stipa breviflora)表型性状对模拟绵羊采食的可塑性响应,本研究设置对照(CK)、刈割(C)、模拟绵羊采食(CS)三个处理,测定短花针茅叶长、叶宽、单叶面积等11个表型性状,分析其不同处理下的差异性及可塑性。结果表明：与对照相比,刈割显著增加了短花针茅的比叶面积(P<0.05),模拟绵羊采食显著增加了短花针茅的单叶面积、比叶面积和株丛茎,显著降低了单叶质量、比叶质量和地上生物量(P <0.05);地上生物量、单叶质量和比叶质量是对刈割和模拟绵羊采食响应的敏感性状;单叶面积、平均叶长,株高及株丛径是对刈割和模拟绵羊采食响应的惰性性状;短花针茅地上生物量与分蘖数、单叶质量、比叶质量及株丛径呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),与株高呈显著正相关(P <0.05)。由此可见,短花针茅在模拟绵羊采食下产生的可塑性是其生存繁殖的重要反应机制之一。     

克氏针茅(Stipa krylovii)草原土壤与优势植物碳氮含量对放牧强度的响应

为探究不同放牧强度对土壤和植物的影响,本文以内蒙古阿巴嘎旗克氏针茅（Stipa krylovii）草原为研究区,通过野外采样和室内试验分析了禁牧（UG）、轻牧（LG）、中牧（MG）、重牧（HG）下土壤及优势植物克氏针茅、羊草（Leymus chinensis）和糙隐子草（Cleistogenes squarrosa）中有机碳、全氮含量和碳氮比及其相关性。结果表明：轻牧草场土壤有机碳和全氮含量显著高于其他放牧草场（P<0.05）,而各放牧强度对土壤碳氮比均无显著影响;与禁牧相比,放牧降低了克氏针茅和羊草有机碳含量,却增加了它们的全氮含量;糙隐子草的有机碳和全氮含量均显著增加（P<0.05）;土壤与植物的碳氮含量均无显著相关性。因此,从提高土壤与植物碳氮含量方面考虑,轻度放牧是克氏针茅草原适宜的放牧强度,禁牧并非合理的利用方式,但应避免重度放牧。     

Coastal Prairie Recovery in Response to Shrub Removal Method and Degree of Shrub Encroachment

Shrub encroachment into grasslands is a worldwide phenomenon with no signs of abating and numerous ecological consequences. In South Texas, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) and huisache (Vachellia farnesiana [L.] Wight & Arn.) are two shrubs encroaching into coastal prairies, reducing cover of the dominant native grass, gulf cordgrass (Spartina spartinae [Trin.] Merr. ex Hitchc.), and decreasing habitat for the endangered Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis), which requires grasslands or savannas for survival. To determine the best management approach for deterring shrub encroachment and restoring native grasslands, the US Fish and Wildlife Service used several shrub removal techniques within coastal prairies of the Bahía Grande Wetland Complex of the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, a core site for Aplomado Falcon reintroductions. Here, we assess native grass recovery over a 2-yr period in response to these shrub removal methods (mechanical plus prescribed fire and/or herbicide treatments) and degree of shrub encroachment before treatment. In general, areas with high levels of shrub encroachment before treatment had the highest amount of bare ground and lowest grass cover immediately following an initial mechanical treatment; this legacy effect persisted throughout the study irrespective of shrub removal treatment. Regardless of degree of shrub encroachment before treatment, grasses in areas treated with either mechanical or mechanical followed by herbicide methods recovered the slowest, likely due to residual woody material that hindered seed germination. Herbicide treatment following mechanical removal or mechanical removal plus fire effectively hindered shrub regrowth. Overall, mechanical treatment followed by prescribed fire and then herbicide application most effectively promoted grass recovery while hindering shrub regrowth. These findings suggest that grassland recovery following shrub encroachment into South Texas coastal prairies may be promoted through the application of shrub removal methods that combine mechanical, fire, and herbicide treatments.     

贝加尔针茅草原植物多样性与地上生物量及其关系对刈割的响应

本研究以呼伦贝尔贝加尔针茅割草地为研究对象,探讨刈割干扰对植物群落多样性和地上生物量及其关系的影响。结果表明：刈割时间对植物的优势度和均匀度指数有显著影响,留茬高度对植物多样性影响不显著。随着留茬高度的增加,地上生物量显著下降;刈割时间对群落地上生物量影响不明显。植物多样性和地上生物量呈显著正相关关系。