Modulation of diversity by grazing and mowing in native tallgrass prairie
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Authors: S. L. Collins, A. K. Knapp, J. M. Briggs, J. M. Blair, and E. M. Steinauer
Date: 1998
Journal: Science
Volume: 280
Number: 5364
Pages: 745-747
Summary of Methods: Two long-term field experiments were performed in native tallgrass prairie grassland to assess the effects of fire, nitrogen addition, and grazing or mowing on plant species diversity. In the absence of grazing by bison (Bison bison), or through simulated herbivory in the form of clipping, burning increased the dominance of warm season grasses and reduced plant species diversity. After 9 years of treatment, plots burned annually or burned and fertilized with nitrogen, no longer included any cool season grasses or woody species. With the addition of mowing, burned and fertilized plots retained the same richness as the control and burned plots retained a lower number of cool season grasses. As with the grazing simulation, when grazed by bison, richness of both warm and cool season species increased in burned watersheds.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: bison, bison bison, species diversity, tallgrass prairie, habitat fragmentation, mowing, burning, fertilizer
Annotation: Grazing intensity is not specified.
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