The effects of animal impact on soil chemical and physical properties as well as range condition were measured over a 5-year period to test the hypothesis that animal impact can improve the nutrient and water status of the soil and promote grassland succession. A seventeen-pasture short-duration grazing system was established in 1981 on 972 ha. The pastures were stocked on average with 278 cows with calves from 1982 to 1986, which was about twice to triple the recommended rate of 0.8 AUM/ha. Increased grazing pressure reduced range condition as reflected by a loss of desirable species such as rough fescue (Festuca scabrella Torr.). Soil moisture was always higher in soils of ungrazed exclosures. Soil bulk density increased while hydraulic conductivity decreased with grazing. Litter was not significantly incorporated into the soil with hoof action. Chitin-N, as a measure of fungal biomass, decreased significantly under the increased grazing pressure. The hypothesis that animal impact would improve range condition was rejected since impact, in the manner applied during the study, resulted in retrogression of the grasslands. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.