Absence of a grass/fire cycle in a semiarid grassland: response to prescribed fire and grazing
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Authors: C. J. McDonald, and G. R. McPherson
Date: 2011
Journal: Rangeland Ecology & Management
Volume: 64
Number: 4
Pages: 384-393
Summary of Methods: The effects of prescribed fire and livestock grazing on a semi-arid grassland community dominated by the non-native invasive grass, Lehman lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees) were evaluated at the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SPER) 50 km south of Tucson, Arizona (31° 82' N; 110° 88' W). Prescribed fire and grazing were applied to half the plots in the summer of 2005 and the second half in the summer of 2006. Two grazing treatments (present of absent) were applied seven weeks after prescribed fire to a utilization rate of 80%. Plant species composition and cover was estimated every fall and spring using the point-intercept method while vegetation production was collected every fall.
Article Summary / Main Points: There was no significant reduction in Lehmann lovegrass cover when burned alone or when burning was combined with grazing. Native annual and perennial species cover increased following the prescribed burn treatments in 2005 and 2006. The combination treatment of burn-and-then-graze was detrimental to native species diversity and richness. Grazing alone showed no significant reduction in Lehman lovegrass cover. Timing and extent of precipitation had the most consistent and positive effect on Lehmann lovegrass cover and native species abundance.
Vegetation Types: Desert Grasslands Shortgrass Prairie
MLRA Ecoregions: 40 Sonoran Basin and Range 41 Southeastern Arizona Basin and Range
Agrovoc Control Words: Grazing Rangelands Prescribed burning
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: arizona, eragrostis lehmanniana, invasive grasses, lehmann lovegrass, livestock grazing, native plants, prescribed burning, species diversity, species richness
Annotation: The complexity of fire ecology coupled with grazing management in semiarid ecosystems is illustrated very well. The findings of this study have not considered implications of multiple stocking rates in addition to selective grazing pressure and prescribed fire timing (fall vs spring).
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