Long-term impacts of livestock grazing and browsing in the Succulent Karoo: a 20-year study of vegetation change under different grazing regimes in Namaqualand§

This study used a fence-line contrast approach to investigate the long-term impact of high grazing pressure on the vegetation at a site in Namaqualand, South Africa. Forty pairs of permanently marked plots were surveyed in 1996, 2006 and 2016. The main objective was to investigate changes in the vegetation structure and species composition between the near-continuously grazed communal rangelands and the relatively lightly grazed commercial rangelands over the 20-year period. The results showed a decline in total vegetation cover in both commercial and communal rangelands in 2016 relative to the two earlier sampling periods. This can be attributed to the low rainfall in 2016 and was due largely to a reduction in annual plant cover, especially on the communal rangeland. Perennial shrub species provide a fodder bank that can be utilised by livestock in times of drought and can buffer short-term deficits in forage supply. However, the annuals that dominate the vegetation of the communal rangeland do not form such fodder banks and consequently do not have the same multi-year buffering capacity as perennial shrubs. This provides the mechanism whereby long-term continuous grazing decreases resilience to rainfall fluctuations and increases livestock variability, thereby promoting non-equilibrium-type dynamics in the system.     

An Assessment of Nonequilibrium Dynamics in Rangelands of the Aru Basin,Northwest Tibet,China

An assessment of nonequilibrium rangeland dynamics was conducted in the Aru basin, a semiarid site located in the very dry northwest part of the Chang Tang Nature Reserve, Tibet, China. A grazing gradient approach was used to examine the effects of different livestock grazing intensities on vegetation, providing data to determine if plant–herbivore interaction has been a major structuring force of the plant community and thus to indicate what type of dynamic might apply in the study area. No significant differences were found between a highly grazed site and a lightly grazed site in vegetation cover, standing biomass, and Shannon–Wiener species diversity index of total, graminoid, forb, and tomtza (Oxytropis glacialis Benth. ex Bunge) functional groups, with the exception that tomtza coverage was significantly higher at the highly grazed (1.04%) than at the lightly grazed site (0.02%). Grazing intensity alone did not explain a significant amount of variation in the plant species data. These results indicate that a dominance of nonequilibrium dynamics appears to be the case in the basin, probably one of the least-arid sites in the northwest Chang Tang region of the Tibetan Plateau. Thus, opportunistic livestock management strategies adapted to variable vegetation production from year to year, rather than the setting of a rigid stocking rate that assumes a stable carrying capacity, is probably the most plausible approach for managing livestock and its relationship to biodiversity values in this region.     

Plant Interspaces Resulting From Contrasting Grazing Management in Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie: Implications for Ecosystem Function

We assessed plant interspaces in July 2007 using continuous line intercepts in twice-replicated pastures of northern mixed-grass prairie with contrasting grazing treatments: 1) long-term (25 yr) heavily grazed, dominated by the bunchgrass blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), and 2) ungrazed, dominated by the rhizomatous grass western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii). The number of plant interspaces was 26% higher in pastures heavily grazed, but the amount of soil surface occupied by plant interspaces was 27% greater without grazing. Plant interspaces were larger without grazing (14.8 ±  cm, mean ± 1 SE) than heavily grazed (8.9 ±  cm). Plant interspaces represented 87% and 68% of the total soil surface in the ungrazed and heavily grazed communities, respectively. The percentage of soil surface covered by plant interspaces < 20 cm was higher for the heavily grazed (94%) compared to the ungrazed (79%). Litter cover in the plant interspaces was higher without grazing (80 ± 1%) compared to the heavily grazed (57 ± 3%). Grazing-induced structural changes from a rhizomatous- to a bunchgrass-dominated vegetation community were manifest in the size and distribution of plant interspaces. Ecological consequences for erosion from raindrop impacts in larger plant interspaces in the ungrazed community are likely offset by greater litter cover in these communities; conversely, lower litter cover in heavily grazed pastures may increase erosion potential despite occurrence of smaller plant interspaces and less proportion of the soil surface covered by interspaces. Management practices that increase the cover of litter in plant interspaces should reduce the potential of erosion from water and wind in this semiarid rangeland.     

Impact of Prosopis (mesquite) invasion and clearing on vegetation species composition and diversity in semi-arid Nama-Karoo rangeland,South Africa

The Nama-Karoo biome occupies 28% of South Africa’s land area. Alien leguminous trees of the genus Prosopis have invaded large tracts of Nama-Karoo rangeland. We evaluated the impact of Prosopis invasion and clearing on vegetation species composition and diversity (alien and indigenous species richness and cover) in Nama-Karoo rangeland on two sheep farms in the Beaufort West district of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Our results suggest that Prosopis invasion and clearing can significantly change Nama-Karoo rangeland species composition. Invasion and clearing appear to have no effect on alien species richness. Invasion, however, increases alien species cover, while clearing restores it to pre-invasion levels. In contrast, invasion reduces indigenous species richness while clearing restores it to pre-invasion levels. Invasion appears to have no effect on indigenous species cover. This lack of effect appears to be the serendipitous result of a site-specific trade-off between a decline in cover of grasses that are negatively affected by Prosopis invasion and a concomitant increase in the cover of positively affected grasses. Clearing increases indigenous species cover to above pre-invasion levels. The higher than usual indigenous species cover after clearing could be a transient legacy of Prosopis soil nutrient enrichment.     

Effect of management on rangeland phytomass,cover and condition in two biomes in South Africa

In rangelands, grazing management is a main driver of rangeland condition. Due to masking effects of seasonal climate fluctuations, little is known about (dis)similarity of management effects on rangeland condition and forage provision across major dryland biomes. Taking a macro-ecological perspective, we analysed if management effects differed between South Africa’s central grassland and Kalahari savanna biomes. We recorded proxies of forage provision (phytomass, vegetation cover and their ratio) over five seasons, annual rainfall to account for seasonal climate fluctuations, and rangeland condition (through relative abundances of increaser and decreaser species). Regarding forage provision, we found effects of management for the savanna, where, irrespective of rainfall, rotational grazing management resulted in higher phytomass and phytomass–cover ratios than management with continuous grazing. In the grassland, however, this difference was only discernible for phytomass–cover ratio in two years with above-average antecedent rainfall. This suggests that management effects are biome-dependent and that modulating effects of annual rainfall are stronger in the grassland. In either biome, management effects on the dominance of increaser and decreaser species were negligible, i.e. rangeland condition did not differ across management types in either biome. We conclude that investigations on management effects should account for interactions with biome and rainfall.     

Influence of Grazing Management on Plant Diversity of Highland Sourveld Grassland,KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

Commercial livestock production offers one of the main opportunities for mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation in the grassland biome of South Africa. Grazing management is expected to influence success. With the uses of three long-term grazing trials, effects of stocking rate and cattle-to-sheep ratio on the plant composition and diversity of Highland Sourveld grassland in KwaZulu-Natal were examined. Plant diversity was sampled with the use of modified Whittaker plots. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to test the effects of treatments on compositional variation, and general linear models were used to test individual species’ responses. In a biennial rotation, burned/grazed plots supported lower species richness of forbs and all plants than unburned/ungrazed plots, attributed to the impact of grazing during the season of occupation. A high stocking rate resulted in a long-term decrease of forb richness in one experiment, but an increase in another. An increasing proportion of sheep to cattle resulted in a long-term decrease of the richness of forbs and of total species richness. The three trials identified nongrass species that behaved as increasers or decreasers in response to an increase in stocking rate, and a set of species that behaved as decreasers in response to an increasing proportion of sheep to cattle. Constraints on using long-term trials for identifying the effects of livestock management on plant diversity include lack of baseline data, limited replication, pre-experimental impacts on the study site, and the difficulty of assessing uncommon species.     

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.     

Patterns of seed production and shrub association in two palatable Karoo shrub species under contrasting land use intensities

Seed production and shrub association patterns of the two palatable shrubs. Tripteris sinuatum and Tetragoma froticosa were investigated on heavily grazed communal and lightly grazed commercial rangeland in the succulent karoo, Namaqualand. Seed production in both these species was substantially reduced on the communal rangeland relative to the commercial rangeland. Seed production in T. sinuatum was most severely affected, with seed production on the communal rangeland two orders of magnitude lower than on the commercial rangeland. The proportion of T. sinuatum and T. froticosa shrubs growing unassociated with other shrubs on the communal rangeland was reduced by approximately 50%. Lycium ferocissimum was most effective as a refuge plant for T. sinuatum in terms of the mean seed production per plant. Ruschia robusta was however most important in terms of the overall amount of seed produced by T. sinuatum and T. froticosa on the communal rangeland, due to the large number of times this association occurred. Refuge plants did not appear to be particularly important for T. froticosa in terms of seed production, but were important in terms of providing safe sites for recruitment. The results of this study suggest that unpalatable or thorny species such as L. ferocissimum play an important role in providing refuge sites for palatable species that might otherwise become entirely lost from overgrazed rangelands.     

土大黄的分布与云南省滇西北高山草地植物物种多样性的关系

2009年9月,用点样法调查了云南省滇西北贡山县迪麻村色娃龙巴高山牧场的4种不同土大黄(Rumexnepalensis)覆盖率群落的空间垂直分布,并采用Shannon’s多样性指数(H)和平均数(EH)对物种和群落多样性进行了分析。结果表明,调查的草地群落里共有25种牧草资源;土大黄覆盖率与毛囊苔草(Carexinanis)和银叶委陵菜(Potentillaleuconota)覆盖率呈负相关,与拉拉藤(Galiumaparine var.echino-spermu)和中华水芹(Oenanthe sinense)覆盖率呈正相关(P0.05);中等和中上等的土大黄覆盖率群落里具有最高的物种丰富度(19、17)、物种多样性指数(2.40、2.32)和物种均衡性(0.82、0.82),其次是高等的土大黄覆盖率群落,低等的土大黄覆盖率群落里则具有最低的物种丰富度(15)和物种多样性指数(1.98)。然而,低等的土大黄覆盖率群落里具有最高的总物种密度(15.65)。这些结果表明,土大黄对高山草地植物物种多样性的影响并不明显,造成物种多样性变化的主要原因是家畜的放牧强度和频率。     

Diverse Management Strategies Produce Similar Ecological Outcomes on Ranches in Western Great Plains: Social-Ecological Assessment

Experiments investigating grazing systems have often excluded ranch-scale decision making, which has limited our understanding of the processes and consequences of adaptive management. We conducted interviews and vegetation monitoring on 17 ranches in eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming to investigate rancher decision-making processes and the associated ecological consequences. Management variables investigated were grazing strategy, grazing intensity, planning style, and operation type. Ecological attributes included the relative abundance of plant functional groups and categories of ground cover. We examined the environmental and management correlates of plant species and functional group composition using nonmetric multidimensional scaling and linear mixed models. After accounting for environmental variation across the study region, species composition did not differ between grazing management strategy and planning style. Operation type was significantly correlated with plant community composition. Integrated cow-calf plus yearling operations had greater annual and less key perennial cool-season grass species cover relative to cow-calf − only operations. Integrated cow-calf plus yearling ranches were able to more rapidly restock following drought compared with cow-calf operations. Differences in types of livestock operations contributed to variability in plant species composition across the landscape that may support diverse native faunal species in these rangeland ecosystems. Three broad themes emerged from the interviews: 1) long-term goals, 2) flexibility, and 3) adaptive learning. Stocking-rate decisions appear to be slow, path-dependent choices that are shaped by broader social, economic, and political dynamics. Ranchers described having greater flexibility in altering grazing strategies than ranch-level, long-term, annual stocking rates. These results reflect the complexity of the social-ecological systems ranchers navigate in their adaptive decision-making processes. Ranch decision-making process diversity within these environments precludes development of a single “best” strategy to manage livestock grazing.     

Impacts of non-selective grazing on cover,composition, and productivity of Nama-karoo grassy shrubland

The non-selective rotational grazing system has undergone a long and controversial development. The merits of this grazing system, where relatively large numbers of livestock are herded into numerous small paddocks for short timespans with long rests between grazings, have not been formally evaluated in a long-term monitoring experiment in the Karoo. In this study we used exclosures (controls) on a 7 000 ha farm in the Central Lower Karoo, camped into approximately 50-ha paddocks, to evaluate the impact of this grazing system on certain vegetation parameters. We report on the first four years of monitoring, after each of four replicate paddocks had received four treatments (one treatment = 40 - 60 Large Stock Unit grazing days per hectare over a period of 2 - 16 days). Concentrated defoliation with concomitant trampling, dunging, and urinating did not influence the perennial species composition, and cover of this grassy, semi-arid shrubland. Changes over time in plant composition, and cover are explained by annual, and short-term (e.g. quarterly) rainfall rather than by grazing impacts. Ephemerals were not favoured by this grazing system, but litter was more abundant in the treatment than the control areas. The dominant grass, Eragrostis lebmanniana, and shrub, Pentzia incana, are resilient to this defoliation regime, and show signs of compensatory growth. As yet there is no evidence that non-selective grazing increases diversity, but the severe defoliation and trampling may enhance the biomass turnover rate, resulting in more vigorous, and productive plants in the grazed areas. Diversity is unlkely to change rapidly in response to grazing, largely because of the persistence of grazing-tolerant perennials. Concentrating mixed herds of livestock onto small areas with lengthy rests can be a useful tool for 'kick-starting' moribund karoo veld into greater productivity. Several of the impacts hold potential for restoring the rangeland quality of degraded areas, but this needs to be tested.     

基于物种周转揭示放牧对荒漠草原植物多样性的影响

放牧引起草原生态系统物种更替,进而调控群落植物多样性。然而,放牧过程中物种更替与植物多样性改变间具有怎样的联系,目前缺乏系统的研究。本试验在内蒙古荒漠草原放牧实验平台进行,对群落植物多样性进行了调查。研究发现：随放牧强度的增加,群落物种总数下降了28%～52%且物种组成发生了明显的分异;随放牧强度的增加,群落科的数目和多年生杂类草的物种数逐渐减少,一年生植物的物种数增加,同时群落Simpson指数和Shannon-Weiner指数等显著降低(P<0.05);随放牧强度的增加,物种损失率和周转率显著提高(P<0.05),但物种获得率无显著变化;放牧荒漠草原物种损失率和周转率与植物多样性指数间呈显著负相关关系(P<0.05)。本研究从物种周转的角度揭示了放牧荒漠草原植物多样性降低的驱动机制,为优化荒漠草原管理和利用提供科学支撑。     

Postfire Succession in Big Sagebrush Steppe With Livestock Grazing

Prescribed fire in rangeland ecosystems is applied for a variety of management objectives, including enhancing productivity of forage species for domestic livestock. In the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) steppe of the western United States, fire has been a natural and prescribed disturbance, temporarily shifting vegetation from shrub–grass codominance to grass dominance. There is limited information on the impacts of grazing to community dynamics following fire in big sagebrush steppe. This study evaluated cattle grazing impacts over four growing seasons after prescribed fire on Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. Wyomingensis [Beetle & Young] Welsh) steppe in eastern Oregon. Treatments included no grazing on burned and unburned sagebrush steppe, two summer-grazing applications after fire, and two spring-grazing applications after fire. Treatment plots were burned in fall 2002. Grazing trials were applied from 2003 to 2005. Vegetation dynamics in the treatments were evaluated by quantifying herbaceous canopy cover, density, annual yield, and perennial grass seed yield. Seed production was greater in the ungrazed burn treatments than in all burn–grazed treatments; however, these differences did not affect community recovery after fire. Other herbaceous response variables (cover, density, composition, and annual yield), bare ground, and soil surface litter did not differ among grazed and ungrazed burn treatments. All burn treatments (grazed and ungrazed) had greater herbaceous cover, herbaceous standing crop, herbaceous annual yield, and grass seed production than the unburned treatment by the second or third year after fire. The results demonstrated that properly applied livestock grazing after low-severity, prescribed fire will not hinder the recovery of herbaceous plant communities in Wyoming big sagebrush steppe.     

Monitoring Geomorphic and Traditional Post-Mine Reclamation using Digital Imagery: Vegetative Heterogeneity and Sampling Efficiency

Geomorphic reclamation creates variable topography and surface architecture, including rolling hillslopes and drainages. In contrast, traditional methods of reclamation result in landscapes susceptible to erosion due to steep, linear gradients. Geomorphic approaches to surface mine reclamation are relatively new, and hypotheses suggest the use of geomorphic principles in reclamation will improve vegetation outcomes relative to traditional methods. Topographic variability created by geomorphic reclamation likely results in more environmental heterogeneity, which should correlate with greater plant diversity. We examined revegetation outcomes of traditional and geomorphic reclamation on two reclaimed surface mines in Wyoming using nadir image sampling. Functional group diversity and measures of cover were compared between reclamation methods and undisturbed rangeland. Geomorphic reclamation supported greater total richness and greater native functional group richness relative to traditional reclamation. Native species cover on geomorphic reclamation, particularly for native perennial grasses, was either similar to undisturbed rangeland or greater than undisturbed rangeland and traditional reclamation. Reclamation shrub cover differed significantly from undisturbed sites, but was greater in geomorphic treatments. Results of nadir image analysis are compared to line-point intercept data from the same locations and outcomes are discussed in light of different reclamation techniques and sampling methods. Significant differences in cover categories were observed between nadir image and line-point intercept methods, however both methods revealed similar patterns between study sites.     

Effect of Prosopis (mesquite) invasion and clearing on vegetation cover in semi-arid Nama Karoo rangeland,South Africa

The Nama-Karoo is the largest of the three biomes that comprise the semi-arid Karoo-Namib ecoregion of southern Africa. Large tracts of Nama-Karoo rangeland have been invaded by alien leguminous trees of the genus Prosopis. We assessed the impact of Prosopis invasion and clearing on vegetation cover in heavily grazed Nama-Karoo rangeland on two sheep farms in the Beaufort West district of the Western Cape province of South Africa. Our results suggest that, below critical threshold cover levels, Prosopis trees do not affect indigenous vegetation and add to overall rangeland vegetation cover. However, once Prosopis cover exceeds critical thresholds, the trees begin to negatively impact on indigenous vegetation (especially grasses) and overall vegetation cover. In addition, our data suggest that vegetation cover recovers after Prosopis clearing, being temporarily higher than pre-invasion levels possibly as a result of enhanced post-invasion soil fertility. Lastly, our results suggest that Prosopis trees reduce rangeland erosion potential at low cover and increase it after they exceed critical threshold cover. Information about thresholds of Prosopis impact can be used to direct clearing efforts for maximum benefit when resources are limited.     

Abundance and guild structure of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) in communally grazed and protected savanna

This study was conducted to determine how savanna grass sward modifications caused by heavy grazing pressure influenced the abundance and guild structure of grasshoppers. Heavily grazed communal land was compared with a lightly grazed area and a mowed airstrip, in adjacent protected land, in the Mpumalanga lowveld, South Africa. Plant species composition, height, aerial cover and greenness of grass in the herbaceous stratum were measured in representative sites. Total grasshopper abundance and relative abundance of grasshopper species were also assessed in each site. Grasshoppers were assigned to feeding and habitat functional groups for comparison among the three areas. The heavily grazed area, characterised by short vegetation and low aerial cover, high greenness of grass, and high frequency of forbs, was inhabited by grasshopper species associated with bare ground or short and/or sparse grass, that were non-graminivorous or soft grass feeders. The lightly grazed area, characterised by tall vegetation and high aerial cover, low greenness of grass, and low frequency of forbs, was inhabited by grasshopper species associated with long and/or thick grass, that were mixed feeders or tough grass feeders. The mowed area, characterised by short vegetation and low aerial cover, low greenness of grass, and low frequency of forbs, exhibited lower grasshopper abundance, species richness, and diversity than either of the grazed areas.     

珍珠草原对不同模拟放牧强度的响应

草与畜的关系是放牧生态学研究的重点。以阿拉善荒漠草原典型植物珍珠(Salsola passerina)为研究对象,人工设置不同的处理模拟不同放牧强度对珍珠生长的影响,为荒漠草原的合理利用提供依据。研究结果表明,轻度、中度及重度放牧条件下,珍珠种群密度随处理强度的增加而增加。不同处理下植株的冠幅变化不明显,植株的高度在中度干扰下最大,轻度放牧次之,重度放牧最低。3种处理对珍珠生物量都有很大影响,轻度及中度放牧有利于珍珠的生长,而重度放牧则使生物量下降。计算补偿生长指数发现珍珠秋季的补偿生长旺盛,春季中度放牧有利于珍珠的补偿性生长,夏季补偿性生长表现不明显。因此,适度放牧有利于珍珠草原的恢复与健康发展,珍珠这种荒漠草原特有的植物在秋季具有极好的耐牧性。     

Grazing History Affects Willow Communities in a Montane Riparian Ecosystem

This study was conducted to compare data from 12 grazed and ungrazed areas and to examine the impacts of grazing treatments on a montane willow community during an 11-year period. Data were collected on willow canopy cover, species diversity, height, and stem density in a montane riparian ecosystem between 1988 and 1999 from 4 grazing treatments: long-term grazing (since the early 1900s), long-term grazing exclusion (exclosures built in the 1950s), recent grazing (sections of exclosures opened in 1988), and recent grazing exclusion (exclosures built in 1988). Willow canopy cover increased significantly for all treatments through time, with the recent grazing exclusion treatment becoming similar to that of the long-term exclusion treatment within 5 years. Species diversity was greatest in the long-term grazed treatment. Willow height averaged over treatments increased from 1988 to 1997 (P = 0.0001), but did not increase significantly after that. Height in the long-term exclosure averaged over time from 1988 to 1997 was 1.5 times greater than in the long-term grazing treatment. Stem density of willows was significantly greater in the recent exclosure than in the long-term exclosure (P = 0.008, 180%) and recent grazing treatments (P = 0.02, 120%). Recent grazing exclusion resulted in the greatest increase in canopy cover, height growth, and stem density during the 11 years of study, indicating that these variables respond positively to removal of livestock grazing. Results suggest that continued long-term grazing exclusion may lead to a closed canopy, lower willow species diversity, reduction in new stem height growth, and reduced stem recruitment. Information on the dynamics of willow growth under different grazing treatments should help resource managers determine appropriate livestock utilization levels in similar riparian areas, and develop management plans for these important ecosystems.     

Plant and sward response to patch grazing in the Highland Sourveld

Abstract

Selective grazing by livestock inevitably results in patch grazing. This study was initiated to determine the effects of patch grazing on (1) the vigour of a single grass species, Themeda triandra, and of the sward, and (2) sward species composition. The generally held idea that a full season's rest followed by an early spring burn would prevent preferential grazing of patch grazed areas which had developed in the seasons before the rest was also tested. The vigour of 71 triandra was estimated from etiolated growth of marked tufts while sward vigour was indexed by above‐ground herbage production (AGHP). Etiolated growth of T. triandra and AGHP of the sward within patches were negatively affected by three seasons of grazing, but a full season's rest appeared sufficient to restore both the etiolated growth of T. triandra and the AGHP of the sward to a level similar to that in the non‐patches. A full season's rest followed by spring burning did not, however, prevent preferential grazing of grazed patches which had developed in the seasons prior to the rest. Species composition within patches (characterised by Increaser II species) differed significantly from the species composition of non‐patches (characterised by Increaser I species). Patch grazing may therefore initiate the rangeland degradation process in Highland Sourveld and patch grazing may be the focus from which rangeland degradation proceeds.     

Long-Term Vegetation Trends on Grazed and Ungrazed Chihuahuan Desert Rangelands

Long-term information on the effects of managed grazing versus excluded grazing effects on vegetation composition of desert rangelands is limited. Our study objectives were to evaluate changes in frequency of vegetation components and ecological condition scores under managed livestock grazing and excluded livestock grazing over a 38-yr period at various locations in the Chihuahuan Desert of southwestern New Mexico. Sampling occurred in 1962, 1981, 1992, 1998, 1999, and 2000. Range sites of loamy (1), gravelly (2), sandy (2), and shallow sandy (2) soils were used as replications. Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda Torr.) was the primary vegetation component at the seven locations. Dyksterhuis quantitative climax procedures were used to determine trends in plant frequency based on a 1.91-cm loop and rangeland ecological condition scores. Frequency measures of total perennial grass, black grama, tobosa (Hilaria mutica Buckley), total shrubs, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.), and other vegetation components were similar on both grazed and ungrazed treatments (P > 0.1) at the beginning and end of the study. The amount of change in rangeland ecological condition scores was the same positive increase (14%) for both grazed and ungrazed treatments. Major changes (P < 0.1) occurred within this 38-yr study period in ecological condition scores and frequency of total perennial grasses and black grama in response to annual fluctuations in precipitation. Based on this research, managed livestock grazing and excluded livestock grazing had the same long-term effects on change in plant frequency and rangeland ecological condition; thus, it appears that managed livestock grazing is sustainable on Chihuahuan desert rangelands receiving over 25 cm annual precipitation.