Steinauer and Collins examined the influence of one and two applications of simulated bovine urine on vegetation structure on tallgrass prairie either every 2 or 4 years at Konza Prairie Research Natural Area (KRPNA), Kansas, and unburned sandhills prairie at the Niobrara Valley Preserve, Nebraska. Plant abundance in general, increased on urine patches but the response appeared dependent on litter accumulation. C4 grasses increased at the annual burn and Niobrara sites where litter levels were low. C3 forbs increased at the 2- and 4-year burn sites where litter levels were high. Alpha-diversity decreased on urine patches at the annual and 4-year burn sites but increased on urine patches at the Niobrara site. Beta-diversity increased on urine patches at the annual burn and Niobrara site but decreased on urine patches at the 4-year burn site. The authors note that the increased likelihood of grazing on urine patches and the areas surrounding them spreads the impact beyond the urine patch boundary and has more profound effects on small-scale patch dynamics in grasslands than do urine patches alone.
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