Sedgwick and Knopf examined the effects of late-autumn cattle grazing on plant biomass, in a western Great Plains cottonwood riparian zone prone, exposed to catastrophic flooding every 5-8 years. Sedgwick and Knopf concluded, after their 3-year study, that prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) and willows (Salix exigua and Salix interior) were the only species that differed significantly between the grazed versus the ungrazed plots. Late fall grazing, under a moderate stocking rate, increased prairie cordgrass biomass, while negatively impacting the biomass of the two willow species. Overall, species composition did not change during the 3 years, however, the authors suggest that prolonged and repeated late-fall grazing may result in herbaceous community changes.
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