Response of a semidesert grassland to 16 years of rest from grazing
Issue Date
1989-07-01Keywords
recoveryecosystems
pastures
grazing intensity
plant communities
semiarid zones
botanical composition
grazing
Arizona
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Brady, W. W., Stromberg, M. R., Aldon, E. F., Bonham, C. D., & Henry, S. H. (1989). Response of a semidesert grassland to 16 years of rest from grazing. Journal of Range Management, 42(4), 284-288.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
Journal of Range ManagementDOI
10.2307/3899495Additional Links
https://rangelands.org/Abstract
Grazing was eliminated from the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch Sanctuary, located in south-central Arizona, in 1968. Long-term changes in canopy cover of vegetation were evaluated between 1969 and 1984, and comparisons were made between ungrazed and grazed plant communities in 1969. Long-term changes included both increases in species richness (diversity) and significant increases in canopy cover for midgrass, shortgrass, shrub, and forb species groups. Total vegetation cover was not significantly different on the grazed and ungrazed areas, but cover of midgrasses was significantly different. Increased cover of plains lovegrass (Eragrostis intermedia Hitchc.) on the ungrazed pasture was largely responsible for this difference. No differences in cover existed for the shortgrass, shrub, or forb species groups. Observations suggest that long-term (perhaps cyclical) changes in vegetation are occurring in addition to short-term influences of herbivory. Data do not support the hypothesis that continued animal impact is necessary to prevent ecosystem deterioration.Type
textArticle
Language
enISSN
0022-409Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2307/3899495