Courtois et al. measured the long term effects of grazing in Nevada shrub steppe pastures by comparing the present condition of 16 grazed rangelands with the condition inside exclosures, that were built at the sites in 1937. Percent cover, plant density, shrub cover, and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover were similar inside and outside exclosures at most sites, however, where differences did occur, cover was usually greater inside than outside exclosures. Grazing did not alter shrub or grass height, biomass production, or species diversity at most sites. Whereas species richness varied greatly by site, being higher inside the exclosure at 6 sites, outside the exclosure at 8 sites, and equal at 2 sites. In general, there were no large differences between areas that had been completely protected from grazing and those that have been moderately grazed for the last 65 years; indicating that both of these management strategies have similar potentials to maintain the plant community, and that grazing removal alone will not shift the plant community to a different successional state.
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