A 5-year study was conducted to determine the effects of soil disturbance on plant succession and the relationship between plant succession and mycorrhizal inoculum potential (MIP) in a big sagebrush-grassland vegetation type. Disturbed plots, consisting of 4 levels of soil disturbance, were established in 1976, 1977, and 1979 to evaluate environmental fluctuations. Perennial grass canopy cover and aboveground biomass production were positively correlated with MIP and negatively correlated with disturbance treatments. Annual forb canopy cover (primarily nonmycorrhizal species) and aboveground biomass were negatively correlated with MIP and positively correlated with level of soil disturbance. Weather fluctuations had a greater effect on annual plants than perennial plants after the perennial species were established. MIP values appeared to be a general indicator of the type and rate of plant succession that will evolve following soil disturbance. 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.