Human activities have dramatically altered the distribution and density of large herbivores worldwide, particularly on islands. For example, thousands of goats were abandoned to the mountains on Majorca Island, Spain, during the tourism boom in the 1960s. Though this mammal is common throughout the Majorcan mountain range, the impact of goats on the main mountain plant communities has not yet been

In the absence of technology-driven monitoring platforms, US rangeland policies, management practices, and outcome assessments have been primarily informed by the extrapolation of local information from national-scale rangeland inventories. A persistent monitoring gap between plot-level inventories and the scale at which rangeland assessments are conducted has required decision makers to fill data

Revegetation of exotic annual grass−invaded rangelands is a primary objective of land managers following wildfires. Controlling invasive annual grasses is essential to increasing revegetation success; however, preemergent herbicides used to control annual grasses prohibit immediate seeding due to nontarget herbicide damage. Thus, seeding is often delayed 1 yr following herbicide application. This delay

Roper (2020) conducted a critique of the Larson et al. (2019) study of the accuracy and confidence of data collected using systematic and random sampling designs. Roper (2020) did not provide a data set but speculated that the Larson et al. (2019) conclusions likely reflected differences in the number of plants evaluated at each plot and the low number of independent observers rather than the sample

Exotic winter annual grasses (Bromus spp.) are a problem in North American rangelands. Defoliation, litter, and mosses are thought to regulate invasive annual Bromus species. We conducted a field experiment that tested effects of mechanical mowing and fungicide applications on Bromus arvensis, other and total graminoids, forbs, litter, and moss. Treatments caused litter biomass and moss cover to vary

Larsen et al. (2019) found stubble heights measured at a systematic interval resulted in higher variability and lower stubble heights than samples collected at random. As the authors do not suggest an environmental mechanism for these outcomes, their conclusions likely reflect differences in the number of plants evaluated at each plot and the low number of independent observers rather than the sample

The current degradation crisis in arid and semiarid lands is creating severe economic and social difficulties, aggravating the food situation and greatly affecting the least developed countries and small farmers around the world. However, little attention has been given to the wealth of knowledge held by rural livestock farmers on this phenomenon, particularly those linked to environmental indicators

Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) may maintain apical dominance after a treatment that causes partial top-kill (PTK) and leaves canopies with “stem flagging.” In contrast, top-killing treatments stimulate multistemmed regrowth (i.e., basal sprouting; BSP). Because this difference may impact competition with grasses, a better understanding of physiology associated with PTK and BSP canopies

Agricultural practices have historically dominated disturbance on North American grasslands. Disturbances from oil and gas have become increasingly common and problematic for grassland conservation. With growing demand for oil and gas, industry is actively implementing minimal disturbance techniques during construction to reduce impacts on grasslands. This study aimed to determine impacts of a large-diameter

The feral pig is an exotic species in the Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and is considered harmful to the woodlands and tropical deciduous forest because of its foraging habits. To determine the taxonomic, nutrient, and energy content of the feral pig diet in this area, stomach contents of forty feral pigs were analyzed during the dry and rainy seasons in the woodlands

Geomorphic reclamation creates variable topography and surface architecture, including rolling hillslopes and drainages. In contrast, traditional methods of reclamation result in landscapes susceptible to erosion due to steep, linear gradients. Geomorphic approaches to surface mine reclamation are relatively new, and hypotheses suggest the use of geomorphic principles in reclamation will improve vegetation

Empirical studies of risk-induced overgrazing have been rarely reported in northern China grasslands, thus, the risk indicators that act as proximate drivers of herders stocking rate (SR) are poorly understood. This paper investigates the impact of the Chinese Grassland Eco-compensation Reward and Subsidy Policy implementation (2011–2015) in Inner Mongolia on overgrazing as a consequence of SR. We

Summer droughts in North America's northern Great Plains are expected to increase in frequency and duration as precipitation shifts toward spring and fall. Two rangeland experimental stations in North Dakota experienced drought in 2017 relative to 25-year averages. The southwest location had a 170-mm deficit from the 360-mm normal rainfall and was grazed by cattle (Bos taurus L.) and sheep (Ovis aries

The ability of large herbivores to increase primary production in many grassland ecosystems has been linked to their stimulation of plant available soil nitrogen (N) and enrichment in shoot N content. However, herbivores have additional effects on the structure of grassland vegetation that may also impact the efficiency that plants use shoot N to produce biomass per unit time (i. e., nitrogen production

Management of livestock grazing in riparian areas is an important aspect of rangeland management. Willows (Salix spp.) are a common riparian plant serving as an ecosystem stabilizer, as well as providing important habitat, but browsing or trampling by cattle can decrease willow canopy volume. Canopy volume can be measured on the ground with hours of meticulous data collection. However, canopy volume

Medusahead is an aggressive, winter annual that is of dire concern for the health and sustainability of western rangelands in the United States. Medusahead reduces plant diversity, alters ecosystem function, and reduces carrying capacities for both livestock and wildlife. The species has competitive advantages over cheatgrass and native grasses that causes an increased amount of fine fuels deposited

The rapid increase of Poa pratensis L. (Kentucky bluegrass) on North Dakota grasslands during the past 30 yr has negatively impacted ecological services. Kentucky bluegrass grows earlier in the spring than many native grasses, which provides an opportunity to use targeted grazing to reduce Kentucky bluegrass and increase native grasses. A 5 year replicated study used 10 cow-calf pairs or pregnant cows

Sub-Antarctic rangelands are characterized by weather seasonality and abundant winter snowfall. These climate factors determine most livestock management decisions. Nonetheless, data on these weather patterns are only available for some areas of the region, and management is entirely empirically-derived. The aim of this study was twofold: to compile spatial and temporal environmental information of

Energy is an integral part of society. The major US energy sources of fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas); biofuels (ethanol); and wind are concentrated in grassland ecosystems of the Great Plains. As energy demand continues to increase, mounting pressures will be placed on North American grassland systems. In this review, we present the ecological effects of energy development and production on

Managed grazing is the most extensive land use worldwide. Information about the spatio-temporal distribution of livestock is critical for grassland ecosystem management. However, no direct and cost-effective method exists to monitor livestock distribution under natural conditions. We proposed a practical method that uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and tested it at a typical household pasture

Restoration of non-sprouting shrubs after wildfire is increasingly becoming a management priority. In the western U.S., Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle & Young) restoration is a high priority, but sagebrush establishment from seed is sporadic. In contrast, planting seedlings often successfully restores sagebrush, but is expensive and time consuming. After

Long-term control of the invasive annual grass cheatgrass is predicated on its biological suppression. Perennial grasses vary in their suppressive ability. We compared the ability of a non-native grass (“Hycrest” crested wheatgrass) and two native grasses (Snake River wheatgrass and bluebunch wheatgrass) to suppress cheatgrass. In a greenhouse in separate tubs, 5 replicates of each perennial grass

The past decade has seen a rapid rise in beaver-related stream restoration (BRR) using beavers and beaver dams (real or artificial) as a tool. Potential benefits of this low-cost, nature-based restoration approach include restoring aquatic and riparian habitat and recovering of threatened species dependent on it, improving water availability and stream flow regulation, reducing erosion and stream incision

Grassland birds have experienced protracted population declines, primarily due to loss and degradation of native grasslands. Restoration of native grasses may benefit grassland birds, but such restoration within the eastern United States has been limited. Production uses of native grasses (e.g., hay, pasture, biofuel feedstock) provide market-based incentives that could lead to more extensive use of

Solarization (covering soil and vegetation with plastic) has long been used in agriculture to control undesirable plants, but solarization of invasive plants in rangelands has shown mixed and species-specific results. Yellow bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng var. songarica (Rupr. ex Fisch & C.A. Mey) Celarier & Harlan), an invasive perennial C4 grass, is common throughout the southern Great

The potential links between climate change and grassland fires have received considerable attention, but few studies have examined the potential effects of climate variability on burned grassland area within the extensive grassland steppes of Eurasia. We used a novel econometric approach, dynamic simulated autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modeling, to explore the relationship among average monthly

Monitoring rangelands by identifying the departure of contemporary conditions from long-term ecological potential allows for the disentanglement of natural biophysical gradients driving change from changes associated with land uses and other disturbance types. We developed maps of ecological potential (EP) for shrub, sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), perennial herbaceous, litter, and bare ground fractional

The conversion of oasis-desert ecotones for agricultural use is a recent and ongoing trend. To evaluate the impacts of different land-use types and disturbance intensities (distance from farmland) on ecotonal vegetation, we investigated the plant community structure and growth of dominant species in an oasis-desert ecotone in the southern Taklimakan Desert. We established six 100 × 100 m plots, each

The Great Plains of North America encompass approximately 1,300,000 km2 of land from Texas to Saskatchewan. The integrity of these lands is under continual assault by long-established and newly-arrived invasive plant species, which can threaten native species and diminish land values and ecological goods and services by degrading desired grassland resources. The Great Plains are a mixture of privately

Forage and grazing (FG) systems can store a substantial amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) under appropriate land use management and reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Increasing SOC levels along with many interlinked ecosystem services are essential for increased productivity and sustainability of FG lands (FGLs). Although adoption of improved management practices (MPs) that support SOC sequestration

Livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) are an effective tool for limiting livestock depredation by wild and feral predators. Unfortunately, LGDs have bitten hikers, joggers, and mountain bikers. Strategies are needed to mitigate LGD-human conflicts, especially in landscapes inhabited by large, aggressive predators where the threat of livestock depredation is greatest. One recommendation is to keep groups of

Grassland conversion into croplands in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States is a persistent hurdle toward mitigating climate change. Several carbon offset markets have been designed to reward landowners for keeping lands in their native state when incentives to convert are high. We explore the role of a critical determinant in such programs: the additionality threshold. This factor, if appropriately

In Great Britain, red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) breed in discrete populations along the west coast: on Islay and Colonsay, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland; on the Isle of Man; in Wales; and in Cornwall. Chough are dependent on pastures grazed by sheep or cattle, and their survival therefore depends on sympathetic management of grassland. The Scottish population is in decline, and all

A 2-yr study of livestock/wildlife tracking was conducted on four streams in eastern Oregon. Binomial sampling of tracks proved to be an effective statistical method for monitoring the proportion of samples containing tracks on stream greenlines and testing the observed value against an established standard. Study results indicate that tracks are related to variables outside of the control of livestock

Few studies have evaluated the response of ungulate populations to wind energy development. Recent demand for wind-generated electricity coupled with a tendency for wind-energy facilities to be sited within suitable pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) winter range make this a critical issue for conservation of this icon of western North America. We evaluated pronghorn response to wind energy development

The daily nutritional balance of free-ranging cattle is the net result of intake from available forage biomass and nutritive value weighed against the nutritional requirements of the animal. Plant phenology influences nutritive value. Plant phenology is dictated by time of year and an accumulation of photosynthetically active days. Growing degree day (GDD) is a concept that quantifies this relationship

Early relationships between young mammalian herbivores and social models (e.g., mothers or peers) have been proposed as playing a major role in the process of diet learning. Diet selection is an important factor influencing animal development and ecology, especially in natural and seminatural grasslands, with a large diversity of plant species. To explore the learning process of foraging behavior and

Understanding fall precipitation effects on rangelands could improve forage production forecasting and inform predictions of potential climate change effects. We used a rainout shelter and water addition to test effects of seasonal precipitation on soil water and annual net primary production of C3 perennial grass, C4 perennial grass, annual grasses, forbs, and all plants combined. Treatments were

Surface litter protects rangeland soils against wind and water erosion and provides food and nesting materials for wildlife and insects. However, the ability of grassland systems to provide these services depends on the little studied topic of seasonal surface litter decomposition. Seasonal and annual surface litter decomposition rates were determined between 2014 and 2015 in central and western South

Sagebrush ecosystems consist of different communities of species and subspecies of sagebrush marked by distinct ecotones along elevation gradients, yet few studies have quantified how ecosystem-scale carbon dioxide (net ecosystem exchange, NEE) and water fluxes (evapotranspiration, ET), as well as their environmental drivers, vary among communities dominated by different sub/species of sagebrush at

Plant functional traits can be used to predict ecosystem responses to climate gradients, yet precipitation explains very little variation for most traits. Soil water availability directly influences plant water uptake and thus may assist with the improvement of plant trait–water relationships. However, this promise remains poorly realized due to rare tests. Here, we provide the first study that attempts

Flood irrigation on western rangelands is important for diverse social and ecological reasons, providing forage for many agricultural operations and maintaining many critical wetlands across the region. However, recent debate over the efficiency of flood irrigation and resulting transition to other “more efficient” types of irrigation has put many of the working wet meadows sustained by flood irrigation

Sagebrush ecosystems of the western United States can transition from extended periods of relatively stable conditions to rapid ecological change if acute disturbances occur. Areas dominated by native sagebrush can transition from species-rich native systems to altered states where non-native annual grasses dominate, if resistance to annual grasses is low. The non-native annual grasses provide relatively

Remotely sensed data products depicting physical and ecological attributes of a landscape are becoming invaluable tools in wildlife and rangeland management. However, if such geospatial tools and data layers are to be used in management, their accuracy and appropriateness for such use needs to be vetted and validated. We assessed accuracy of two National Land Cover Database (NLCD) shrubland products

Indigenous rangeland management practices, forage quality and availability, and livestock production by pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in miombo woodlands were investigated in a study conducted in Kilosa district, Tanzania. The study methods comprised household interviews, key informant and focus group discussions, and forage laboratory analyses. Preferred forage species and indigenous rangeland

Since Euro-American settlement of the region, biological diversity of the northern Great Plains has been adversely affected, mainly by agricultural conversion. The role of invasive plants in degradation of remaining prairies has gained attention in recent years but remains poorly understood. Floristic composition of US Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) prairies is significantly altered, mainly by

Seeding is sometimes used in attempts to increase grass forage production in invaded rangelands, but insufficient long-term data prevent determining if seeded grasses are likely to become and remain productive enough to justify this expensive practice. We quantified long-term seeding outcomes in a widespread Rocky Mountain foothill habitat invaded by leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) and several exotic

Rangelands in the western United States exhibit extremely high temporal variability in seedbed microclimate, and this variability contributes to poor establishment of revegetation species that are typically planted in the fall. We conducted long-term simulations of cumulative germination as a function of planting date and identified alternative germination syndromes based on population-level responses

Rangeland managers need tools to control invasive annual grasses, particularly following wildfire. We assessed responses of native and invasive/exotic grasses to the MB906 soil amendment containing live cultures of a purportedly weed-suppressive strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (“WSB”). MB906 was applied alone and in combination with the pre-emergent herbicide imazapic on >3000 ha across

Throughout the Great Plains, aboveground annual net primary productivity (ANPP) is a critical ecosystem service supporting billions of dollars of commerce and countless stakeholders. Managers and producers struggle with high interannual change in ANPP, which often varies 40% between years due to fluctuating precipitation and drought. To quantify ANPP trends and evaluate interannual and spatial variation

Fire ecology has a long history of empirical investigation in rangelands. However, the science is inconclusive and incomplete, sparking increasing interest on how to advance the discipline. Here, we introduce a new framework for qualitatively and quantitatively understanding the ranges of variability in fire regimes typical of experimental investigations in rangeland fire science compared with the

The Great Plains is a mixture of cropland and grassland mainly used for agricultural purposes, with grasslands under continual threat of conversion to cropland. Agriculturists are advocating for the integration of crop-livestock systems (ICLS) to recouple nutrient cycles, improve biodiversity, and increase resilience of agricultural operations. We address the benefits of ICLS in the Great Plains, contending

We conducted two case studies testing effectiveness of a soil-borne bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain D7, in controlling Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) when mixed with native seeds sown after a fire and when sprayed on a native community with high abundances of B. tectorum. Each case study area (162 ha) compared treatments with D7 present and absent and was replicated four times (20.3 ha each)

Approaches and techniques for control of exotic annual grasses are a high priority in rangelands including sagebrush steppe. Strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens have been proposed to be selectively pathogenic to multiple species of exotic annual grasses (“Pf,” weed-suppressive bacteria, “WSB”). However, defensible tests of the target and nontarget effects of these WSB strains in the

Downy brome (Bromus tectorum) is one of the most problematic invasive plant species in the United States. Downy brome invasions are associated with reductions in diversity and an increase in fire intensity. Bioherbicides that are reported to effectively control downy brome have been developed. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain D7 is one such bioherbicide that is of significant interest to land managers

The exotic winter annual grass Bromus tectorum L. (downy brome or cheatgrass) infests millions of hectares of western rangelands. Weed-suppressive bacteria (ACK55 and D7 strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens Migula 1895) have been shown to reduce B. tectorum populations in eastern Washington. Unfortunately, outside of Washington, little is known about the efficacy of these or other weed-suppressive bacteria

Fauna of North America’s Great Plains evolved strategies to contend with the region’s extreme spatiotemporal variability in weather and low annual primary productivity. The capacity for large-scale movement (migration and/or nomadism) enables many species, from bison to lark buntings, to track pulses of productivity at broad spatial scales (> 1 000 km2). Furthermore, even sedentary species often rely

Ranchers and other land managers of central and northern Great Plains rangelands face recurrent droughts that negatively influence economic returns and environmental resources for ranching enterprises. Accurately estimating annual forage production and initiating drought decision-making actions proactively early in the growing season are both critical to minimize financial losses and degradation to

The Great Plains provide a major portion of US beef cattle production, and beef cattle represent the largest sector of the regional agricultural economy. Cattle producers regularly contend with climate variability, but the consequences of this variability are less well understood than for cropping systems. A retrospective analysis of US Department of Agriculture AgCensus data was conducted to assess

This publication is the result of concerns expressed regarding the definition and subsequent use of ground cover in rangeland monitoring. We reviewed 20 monitoring publications. All publications reviewed contained a definition of ground cover and/or direction on how to monitor ground cover. The majority of these publications also defined bare ground. In all cases, bare ground was defined as the opposite