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�1.2 cm, mean�1 SE) than heavily grazed (8.9�0.4 cm). Plant interspaces represented 87% and 68% of the total soil surface in the ungrazed...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Rangeland Ecology & Management, fetches, gap intercept, grassland structure, hydrologic function, All tags... indicator, monitoring, rangeland health, site integrity, vegetation heterogeneity, Fewer tags