Vegetational Traits of Patch-grazed Rangeland in West-Central Kansas

Abstract

Indices of vegetation abundance, composition, and grazing were monitored for the grazing seasons of 1980-81 at Hays, Kans., in 2 pastures. One pasture was moderately grazed with yearling steers season-long, while the other was triple-stocked for only the first half of the season. Some areas were grazed repeatedly throughout the grazing seasons, resulting in overgrazed patches, which increased in number as seasons progressed. By the end of each grazing period, more than 70% of each pasture was grazed, but only 23-56% of the areas consisted of overgrazed patches depending on the year and treatment. Grazing treatment also influenced whether the locations of patches remained the same from year to year. Species composition of overgrazed patches was different from the surrounding vegetation, but soil properties were not.