Fluxes of CO2 From Grazed and Ungrazed Tallgrass Prairie

Interannual variability in carbon dioxide fluxes and flux–climate relationships on grazed and ungrazed northern mixed-grass prairie

The annual carbon (C) budget of grasslands is highly dynamic, dependent on grazing history and on effects of interannual variability (IAV) in climate on carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes. Variability in climatic drivers may directly affect fluxes, but also may indirectly affect fluxes by altering the response of the biota to the environment, an effect termed ‘functional change’. We measured net ecosy...

Diversity of Coprophagous Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera) in Grazed Versus Ungrazed Sandhills Prairie in Western Nebraska

Tallgrass Prairie: Remnants and Relicts

The tallgrass prairie once was continuous throughout the eastern Great Plains. Now, scattered remnants remain. The distribution of some of the most interesting and socially valuable remnants occur along the base of the Rocky Mountains as relicts from a past era. When the species composition of these Colorado grasslands is compared with that of the eastern tallgrass prairie by an index of simila...

Long-term Effects of Annual Burning at Dif- ferent Dates in Ungrazed Kansas Tallgrass Prairie - GENE TOWNE AND CLENTON OWENSBY

Ungrazed tallgrass prairie plots in the Kansas Flint Hills have been burned annually at 4 different dates since 1928. Time of burning markedly altered the physiognomy and was the crucial factor effecting vegetation change. Late-spring burning, coinciding with emergence of the warm-season perennial grasses, increased grass production and favored Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans. Burnin...

The ecological significance of tallgrass prairie arthropods.

Tallgrass prairie (TGP) arthropods are diverse and abundant, yet they remain poorly documented and there is still much to be learned regarding their ecological roles. Fire and grazing interact in complex ways in TGP, resulting in a shifting mosaic of resource quantity and quality for primary consumers. Accordingly, the impacts of arthropod herbivores and detritivores are expected to vary spatia...