Collins conducted a field study to address the roles of fire, cattle grazing, and the interaction of these two disturbances on plant species abundance and community structure in a tallgrass prairie. Cover of the matrix-forming species Andropogon gerardii was significantly greater, while cover of the nonmatrix species Bromus tectorum was significantly lower, on the burned treatments than on the unburned treatments. Species richness increased with increasing disturbance intensity. Diversity, however, was lowest on the ungrazed + burned treatment and highest on the grazed + burned treatment. Burning significantly reduced species diversity on ungrazed treatments, and grazing significantly increased diversity on the burned treatment. The results emphasize the important role of interaction among disturbances on plant community structure in grasslands.
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