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Life Sciences Commons

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Other Plant Sciences

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Patch Burning: Integrating Fire And Grazing To Promote Heterogeneity, John R. Weir, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, David M. Engle, Terrence G. Bidwell, D. Chad Cummings, R. Dwayne Elmore, Ryan F. Limb, Brady W. Allred, J. Derek Scasta, Stephen L. Winter Jun 2013

Patch Burning: Integrating Fire And Grazing To Promote Heterogeneity, John R. Weir, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, David M. Engle, Terrence G. Bidwell, D. Chad Cummings, R. Dwayne Elmore, Ryan F. Limb, Brady W. Allred, J. Derek Scasta, Stephen L. Winter

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Heterogeneity refers to the differences in habitats across the landscape, and it is required for diverse plant and wildlife communities. Some heterogeneity is inherent, caused by differences in soils, while most heterogeneity is disturbance driven. Climate, fire, and grazing are the main three disturbance factors that have historically shaped the landscape. All three are still very important to the continued diversity and health of the plants and animals associated with our prairies, shrublands, and forestlands across the Great Plains. While we cannot control the climate, we can manage grazing by stocking rate, season of use, and kind and type of …


Influence Of Prairie Dogs On Vegetation In Kansas Shortgrass Prairie, Stephen L. Winter, Jack F. Cully Jr., Jeffrey S. Pontius Jan 1999

Influence Of Prairie Dogs On Vegetation In Kansas Shortgrass Prairie, Stephen L. Winter, Jack F. Cully Jr., Jeffrey S. Pontius

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

We quantified plant species richness, frequency, percent cover and percent bare ground on black-tailed prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas in southwest Kansas in 1996 and 1997. In 1996 field sampling occurred after 12 months of below-average precipitation, while field sampling in 1997 occurred after 10 months of above-average precipitation. In 1996 prairie dog colonies were characterized by lower percentages of grass cover and higher percentages of forb cover than non-colonized sites, but there was no difference in percent bare ground. In 1997 percent grass cover, forb cover and bare ground was similar for prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas. …