Soil properties are resilient despite grass invasion, fire, and grazing

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.; hereafter referred to as bluegrass) is an invasive perennial grass that has become naturalized throughout the entire United States. This species effective competitor and produces abundant litter, which in turn creates a thick thatch layer. In northern Great Plains, fire grazing are management tools for reducing layer, promoting expression of native grasses forbs, improving forage quality. The overall objective this research was examine belowground characteristics under accumulated response with grazing. Soil samples were collected from plots dominated by one year after season-long Additionally, understand immediate in-season effects on soil properties, we sampled immediately before at increasing time steps spring fires exposure All soils analyzed carbon nitrogen pools, microbial abundance community structure, decomposition rates. general, pools carbon, nitrogen, communities stable despite vegetation treatments. However, prescribed burning caused brief decline labile rates shallow soil, but both properties returned prefire levels within burning. Our observations indicate combination minimal effect removing bluegrass.