Life Sciences Commons^™

A Synthesis Of The Effects Of Cheatgrass Invasion On Us Great Basin Carbon Storage, R. Chelsea Nagy, Emily J. Fusco, Jennifer K. Balch, John T. Finn, Adam Mahood, Jenica M. Allen, Bethany A. Bradley

Articles

1. Non-native, invasive Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is pervasive in sagebrush ecosystems in the Great Basin ecoregion of the western United States, competing with native plants and promoting more frequent fires. As a result, cheatgrass invasion likely alters carbon (C) storage in the region. Many studies have measured C pools in one or more common vegetation types: native sagebrush, invaded sagebrush and cheatgrass-dominated (often burned) sites, but these results have yet to be synthesized.
2. We performed a literature review to identify studies assessing the consequences of invasion on C storage in above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground biomass (BGB), litter, organic soil and total …

Woodland Expansion's Influence On Belowground Carbon And Nitrogen In The Great Basin U.S., Benjamin M. Rau, Dale W. Johnson, Robert R. Blank, Robin J. Tausch, Bruce A. Roundy, Richard F. Miller, Todd G. Caldwell, Annmarie Lucchesi

Articles

Vegetation changes associated with climate shifts and anthropogenic disturbance can have major impacts on biogeochemical cycling and soils. Much of the Great Basin, U.S. is currently dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia tridentate (Rydb.) Boivin) ecosystems. Sagebrush ecosystems are increasingly influenced by pinyon (Pinus monophylla Torr. & Frém and Pinus edulis Engelm.) and juniper (Juniperus osteosperma Torr. and Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) expansion. Some scientists and policy makers believe that increasing woodland cover in the intermountain western U.S. offers the possibility of increased organic carbon (OC) storage on the landscape; however, little is currently known about the distribution of OC …

Revisiting Soil C And N Sampling: Quantitative Pits Vs. Rotary Cores, Benjamin M. Rau, April M. Melvin, Dale W. Johnson, Christine L. Goodale, Robert R. Blank, Guinevere Fredriksen, Watkins W. Miller, James D. Murphy, Donald E. Todd Jr., Roger F. Walker

Articles

Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and its feedbacks with global climate have sparked renewed interest in quantifying ecosystem carbon (C) budgets, including quantifying belowground pools. Belowground nutrient budgets require accurate estimates of soil mass, coarse fragment content, and nutrient concentrations. It has long been thought that the most accurate measurement of soil mass and coarse fragment content has come from excavating quantitative soil pits. However, this methodology is labor intensive and time consuming. We propose that diamond-tipped rotary cores are an acceptable if not superior alternative to quantitative soil pits for the measurement of soil mass, coarse fragment content, C and …