Effects of bison grazing, fire, and topography on floristic diversity in tallgrass prairie
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Authors: D. C. Hartnett, K. R. Hickman, and L. E. Walter
Date: 1996
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 49
Number: 5
Pages: 413-420
Summary of Methods: Hartnett et al. studied the effects of bison grazing in Kansas tallgrass prairie on plant species composition and diversity components in sites of contrasting fire frequency. Cover and frequency of cool-season graminoids and some forbs were consistently higher in sites grazed by bison than in ungrazed exclosures, whereas the dominant warm-season grasses and other forbs decreased in response to bison. Increased heterogeneity and mean species richness in grazed prairie to ungrazed prairie were likely a result of greater microsite diversity generated by bison, whereas preferential grazing of the dominant grasses and increases in subordinate species resulted in an increase in equitability of species abundances. Bison had a greater influence on species richness and heterogeneity of annually burned sites, which they have been observed using more than areas burned every 4 years. Results of this study indicate that bison grazing increases various components of floristic and spatial diversity in tallgrass prairie. Effects of native and domestic ungulate grazers on components of grassland biodiversity have important potential implications for grassland ecosystems and range management.
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: biodiversity, plant communities, species diversity, grazing, tallgrass prairie
Annotation: Fifty bison were stocked in a 469-ha portion of Konza Prairie in 1987 at 9 ha/AU. The stocking rate gradually increased to 5 ha/AU by 1992. The area grazed by bison was expanded to include an additional 480 ha in May 1992. Grazing intensity is defined as "ungrazed" and "grazed".
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