1. Patch‐burn grazing (PBG) can promote terrestrial heterogeneity and biodiversity, but can temporarily increase stream nutrients and ecosystem metabolism, and alter macroinvertebrate assemblages. The impacts of grazing on stream channel morphology and post‐PBG recovery patterns are unclear.
2. We assessed the influence of grazing in PBG managed grassland streams in Missouri, USA, and subsequent recovery when grazing ceased for 2 years. We hypothesized that grazing would degrade water quality, stream biotic integrity and channel morphology, but that riparian fencing would mitigate these effects. We predicted that biological and chemical variables in unfenced streams would return to pre‐PBG levels within 2 years after grazing ceased, but channel morphology would not.
3. Six small headwater streams (two in ungrazed control watersheds, two in PBG watersheds with 10 m fenced riparian zones and two in PBG unfenced) were sampled over 7 years; 2 years before PBG, 3 years during PBG and 2 years post‐PBG. We sampled macroinvertebrates and water chemistry monthly when water was present and surveyed channel morphology at least once each study period.
4. During grazing, unfenced watersheds showed the greatest changes in channel width, depth and area. During the post‐PBG period, one of the two unfenced watersheds showed partial recovery of channel morphology. Although grazing increased concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll‐a, concentrations returned to pre‐PBG conditions after grazing ceased, indicating recovery. Very fine organic sediments increased in the unfenced watersheds compared to the control during grazing but recovered afterwards. Contributions of Chironomidae to total invertebrate abundance increased in the unfenced watersheds during grazing, and then decreased during the post‐PBG period.
5. Riparian fencing mostly mitigated effects of grazing on the streams. Unfenced streams were resilient to effects of grazing in a PBG managed grassland, with most metrics recovering within 2 years after grazing ceased, except for channel morphology.
6. Synthesis and applications. Grazing in a patch‐burn grazed managed grassland coupled with riparian fencing could be an effective conservation tool for land managers of prairies, with relatively modest influences on stream water quality and biotic integrity. Persistent changes in stream channel morphology and effects of longer periods of grazing deserve further research.

中文翻译：

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高草草原溪流对斑块放牧的响应和复原力

1. 斑块放牧（PBG）可以促进陆地异质性和生物多样性，但可以暂时增加河流养分和生态系统新陈代谢，并改变大型无脊椎动物的组成。放牧对河流通道形态和PBG后恢复模式的影响尚不清楚。
2. 我们评估了放牧对美国密苏里州PBG管理的草地溪流的影响，以及放牧停止2年后的恢复情况。我们假设放牧会降低水质，影响生物的完整性和河道形态，但是河岸围栏会减轻这些影响。我们预测放牧停止后2年内，未防御流中的生物和化学变量将恢复到PBG之前的水平，但通道形态不会改变。
3. 在7年中，对6条小型上游水流进行了采样（其中2条在未磨砂的控制流域，2条在PBG流域和10m围栏河岸带，另2条在PBG无围堰）。PBG之前2年，PBG期间3年和PBG之后2年。当存在水时，我们每月对大型无脊椎动物和水化学进行采样，并在每个研究期间至少一次调查通道形态。
4. 在放牧期间，未围栏的流域在河道宽度，深度和面积上显示出最大的变化。在PBG后时期，两个未围堰的流域之一显示出部分通道形态恢复。尽管放牧增加了养分和叶绿素a的浓度，但放牧停止后浓度又恢复到PBG之前的状态，表明已恢复。与放牧相比，未围栏流域的细微有机沉积物增加了，但之后恢复了。在放牧过程中，无围栏流域猫科对无脊椎动物总丰度的贡献增加，然后在PBG后时期减少。
5. 河岸围栏在很大程度上减轻了放牧对溪流的影响。未经保护的溪流对PBG管理的草地的放牧效果具有弹性，除通道形态外，大多数指标在放牧停止后两年内恢复。
6. 综合与应用。对于大草原土地管理者而言，在斑块燃烧的放牧管理的草原上放牧并结合河岸围栏可能是一种有效的养护工具，对溪流水质和生物完整性的影响相对较小。持续变化的河道形态和长期放牧的影响值得进一步研究。