In this study, Valone measured the effects of fire and grazing, alone and in combination, in an arid Arizona plant community. The combination of grazing and burning enhanced annual plant species abundance, richness, and diversity. Plant response to burning alone was intermediate; while grazing alone had a minimal effect on plant response. Burning reduced shrub density and cover, which may have increased the response of annual plants in burned plant communities. The results of this study indicate that fire has greater effects on arid plant communities than grazing, but the author cautions that the low frequency of grazing probably limited plant community response in this study.
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