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Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Grasslands

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Full-Text Articles in Systems Biology

Grazing Intensity Effects On Northern Plains Mixed-Grass Prairie, Wendi M. Rogers, Donald R. Kirby, Paul E. Nyren, Bob D. Patton, Edward S. Dekeyser Jun 2005

Grazing Intensity Effects On Northern Plains Mixed-Grass Prairie, Wendi M. Rogers, Donald R. Kirby, Paul E. Nyren, Bob D. Patton, Edward S. Dekeyser

The Prairie Naturalist

We evaluated the effects of long-term (1988 to 2000) grazing on northern mixed-grass prairie at tI.e Central Grasslands Research Extension Center in south-central North Dakota. We did not detect a difference in herbaceous basal cover between grazing intensities following 12 consecutive years of season-long moderate (50% removal of annual above-ground standing crop) and heavy (80% removal of annual above-ground standing crop) grazing. However, both moderate and heavy grazing intensities reduced above-ground herbaceous standing crop, total root biomass, and soil organic carbon. Moderate grazing intensity maintained a greater amount of deep (10 to 20 cm) and total root biomass relative to …


Texture, Climate And Cultivation Effects On Soil Organic Matter Content In U.S. Grassland Soils, Ingrid C. Burke Dec 1988

Texture, Climate And Cultivation Effects On Soil Organic Matter Content In U.S. Grassland Soils, Ingrid C. Burke

Ingrid Burke

Soil organic C content, a major source of system stability in agroecosystems, is controlled by many factors that have complex interactions.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the major controls over soil organic carbon content, and to predict regional patterns of carbon in range and cultivated soils. We obtained pedon and climate data for 500 rangeland and 300 cultivated soils in the U.S. Central Plains Grasslands, and statistically analyzed relationships between C and soil texture and climate. Regression models of the regional soils database indicated that organic C increased with precipitation and clay content, and decreased with temperature. Analysis …