A study was conducted to determine foraging efficiency of cattle, mule deer, and elk in response to previous grazing by elk and cattle. Four enclosures, in previously logged mixed conifer (Abies grandis) rangelands were chosen, and within each enclosure, three 0.75 ha pastures were either: 1) ungrazed, 2) grazed by cattle, or 3) grazed by elk in mid-June and mid-July to remove approximately 40%...

Mycelial development of Phanerochaete velutina extending from wood inocula in 57 x 57 cm trays of non-sterile soil was characterized after adding: (1) collembola; (2) new wood resources; (3) both new wood resources and collembola; and (4) no new resources and no collembola. After 99 d, all systems had produced distinct mycelial cords, much of the diffuse mycelium and thinner cords that were pro...

Range management needs information on distribution of livestock. The better the distribution of the livestock, the more uniform the use of the rangeland. This study was conducted to record the path of the herd steering by the shepherd. A GPS was attached to a three year old ewe which was moving with the flock. The path of flock movement was recorded for three years on a monthly basis during the...

Shrub encroachment of grasslands is a transformative ecological process by which native woody species increase in cover and frequency and replace the herbaceous community. Mechanisms of encroachment are typically assessed using temporal data or experimental manipulations, with few large spatial assessments of shrub physiology. In a mesic grassland in North America, we measured inter- and intra-...

Grazing stimulates root and forage mass of perennial pastures, but few studies have addressed the effects grazing on annual pastures which are often grown in short periods within integrated crop–livestock systems (ICLS). In these N fertilization is a common practice to increase mass, its morphology unclear. field experiment, we evaluated how intensities (ungrazed, moderate, heavy grazing) rates...

Juniper encroachment into otherwise treeless shrub lands and grasslands is one of the most pronounced environmental changes observed in rangelands of western North America in recent decades. Most studies on juniper change are conducted over small areas, although encroachment is occurring throughout regions. Whether changes in juniper cover can be assessed over large areas with the use of long-t...

The potential of grazing lands to sequester carbon must be understood to develop effective soil conservation measures and sustain livestock production. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of grazing on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in Typical steppe and Desert steppe ecosystems, which are both important grassland resources for animal grazin...

Tallgrass prairies have been reduced to less than 5% of their former range, yet provide essential habitats for many native plants and animals such as pollinators. Land managers work to preserve the biodiversity within these tallgrass prairies by implementing management techniques such as burning, haying, and patch-burn-grazing (PBG). All treatments utilize burning, but haying removes abovegroun...