Question: Is the facilitative effect of nurse shrubs on early recruitment of trees mediated by a ‘canopy effect’ (microclimate amelioration and protection from herbivores), a ‘soil effect’ (modification of soil properties), or both? Location: Two successional montane shrublands at the Sierra Nevada Protected Area, SE Spain. Method: Seedlings of Quercus and Pinus species were planted in four exp...

Climate change is facilitating rapid changes in the composition and distribution of vegetation at northern latitudes, raising questions about the responses of wildlife that rely on arctic ecosystems. One widely observed change occurring in arctic tundra ecosystems is an increasing dominance of deciduous shrub vegetation. Our goals were to examine the tolerance of arctic-nesting bird species to ...

Extensive livestock production has been Mongolia’s major industry for centuries and traditional nomadic herding lifestyle and Mongolia’s expansive rangelands sustain this industry. After the democratic election and economic liberalization in 1992, formerly state-owned collectives were disbanded and Mongolia’s livestock population was privatized. There was no longer a state institution to formal...

Seeding rangeland following wildfire is a central tool managers use to stabilize soils and inhibit the spread of invasive plants. Rates of successful seeding on arid rangeland, however, are low. The objective of this study was to determine the degree to which water availability, invasive plant abundance, and seeding technology influence postfire seedling establishment. Across four fire complexe...

Oklahoma is blessed with an abundance of excellent forage resources. Many Oklahoma producers enjoy the benefits of operating livestock production systems on both rangeland and introduced-forage pastures. However, some producers may not be aware of the need for different management strategies for the two ecosystems. Improper management generally results in decreased profitability of the livestoc...

The effects of feeding in different quality rangelands on meat and fatty acids composition Angora goat kids bucks were determined. Twenty male selected from each farm that produces goats the area. There are three separate with previously determined classes (good, medium, low-quality). In farm, among these animals grazed completely rangeland, 7 heads 4-month-old 7-month-old slaughtered. Longissi...

In water-limited regions, rainfall interception is influenced by rainfall properties and crown characteristics. Rainfall properties, aside from gross rainfall amount and duration (GR and RD), maximum rainfall intensity and rainless gap (RG), within rain events may heavily affect throughfall and interception by plants. From 2004 to 2014 (except for 2007), individual shrubs of Caragana korshinski...

Understory plants are important components of forest ecosystem productivity and diversity. Compared to biomass models of overstory canopy trees, few are available for understory saplings and shrubs and therefore their roles in estimation of forest carbon pools are often ignored. In this study, we harvested 24 understory species including 4 saplings, 9 tree-like shrubs and 11 typical shrubs in c...