The Great Plains region plays an important role in providing water and land resources and habitat for wildlife and livestock, crops, energy production, and other critical ecosystem services to support rural livelihoods. The semiarid conditions of the region and tight coupling of livelihood enterprises with ecosystem services creates a situation of increased sensitivity to climate changes and enhanced

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) evolved in grasslands with a diet composed of highly nutritious forbs. However, pronghorn habitat throughout North America has been lost to fragmentation and degradation. Additionally, the effects different cattle grazing regimes have on forb biomass, protein, and energy production for pronghorn are not well known in West Texas. We sampled forbs during the growing

Conservation practices can maintain or enhance the quantity of ecosystem services realized by both private individuals and society. However, implementing these practices generally has costs that may exceed the benefit received by a private economic agent, particularly if costs are immediate and benefits accrue in the future. This study presents a framework to evaluate ranch-level financial incentives

Woodland expansion is a global challenge documented under varying degrees of disturbance, climate, and land ownership patterns. In North American rangelands, mechanical and chemical brush management practices and prescribed fire are frequently promoted by agencies and used by private landowners to reduce woody plant cover. We assess the distribution of agency-supported cost sharing of brush management

Adaptive management of natural resources explicitly incorporates learning into a process of science-based decision making. First proposed in the late 1970s, over time, adaptive management has become an increasingly common approach to management of complex social-ecological systems characterized by high uncertainty and conflict. Rangelands used for livestock production are one such system. Management

Irrigation of farmlands in xeric areas can increase soil salinity, reducing their suitability for food and fiber crops. One way to repurpose these lands is to convert them for use in grazing. To choose the best forage species, it is important to understand the impact of soil salinity on the growth and nutritional quality of potential forage grasses. Here, we grew four perennial C4 grasses: blue grama

Non-native plants alter conditions and can reduce the effectiveness of restoration tools. Under these conditions, adding native, locally adapted seeds to favor establishment of native plant communities may provide a potential restoration strategy. We explored the efficacy of soil disturbance and the addition of native seed to restore native plant and arthropod communities in landscapes dominated by

Collaborative adaptive management is a means to achieve social and ecological goals in complex natural resource management settings. Evaluation of collaborative management outcomes, however, is difficult at the scale of large landscapes. We developed an approach for such evaluations using long-term, spatio-temporal gridded or county-level datasets alongside local information on changes in ranch ownership

Water is an important nutrient, and its continuous provision is a critical welfare issue for cattle grazing arid and semiarid rangelands. Time and labor are needed to monitor water availability, and automated monitoring systems are a costly input on expansive rangeland pastures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of detecting water system failures using Global Positioning System

Exotic annual grass invasion and dominance of rangelands is a concern across western North America and other semiarid and arid ecosystems around the world. Postfire invasion and dominance by exotic annual grasses in sagebrush communities is especially problematic as there are no cost-effective control strategies available for the vast acreages already invaded. However, fall-winter grazing by cattle

Dairy and livestock grazing operations can introduce pollutants such as fecal coliform to surface waters, posing risk to human health and ecological conditions. Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) that increase control of manure, runoff, and animal access to waterways can reduce deposition of microbial pollution into streams. Between 2000 and 2013, we monitored water quality (fecal indicator

Livestock obtain forage by grazing on rangeland. In California annual rangelands, residual dry matter is commonly used to determine proper grazing levels. Rangeland forage biomass and quality can degrade dramatically during the dormant summer period. We examined 25 sites across an annual rainfall gradient (183–492 mm) over 3 contrasting rainfall yr (2015–2017) that varied from 57% to 152% of average

Widespread invasive annual grasses, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and Japanese brome (Bromus japonicus Thunb.), fluctuate greatly in abundance and compete with native species. Fire and herbicide have each provided various levels of short-term control. We tested the individual and combined effects of fall fire and the herbicide aminopyralid on annual brome to determine whether combined treatment increased

Invasive annual grasses such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) outcompete native grasses, increase fire frequency, and impact the functionality and productivity of rangeland ecosystems. Preemergent herbicide treatments are often used to control annual grasses but may limit timely restoration options due to negative effects on concurrently planted desired seeded species. We tested the efficacy of activated

Herbivores regulate nutrient cycling of terrestrial ecosystems through trampling topsoil and vegetation, selective foraging, and excretion of feces and urine. However, the role of trampling in the soil-plant interaction is still unclear, partly due to the lack of empirical studies examining soil and plant stoichiometric responses to trampling. We conducted a 2-consecutive-yr field trial to explore

The growing invasion of ecosystems by invasive alien plants (IAPs) has substantially affected biodiversity worldwide, compromising provision of ecosystem services. In this study, we present evidence of the impacts of an IAP, Robinia pseudoacacia L., on native plant diversity in montane rangelands of South Africa and its threats to grazing, an ecosystem service. We assessed stand characteristics, understory

Severe drought and insect outbreaks have caused widespread mortality and dieback of trees in semiarid woodlands. Despite the extent and severity of these dieback events, little is known about how the woodland understory vegetation responds to severe drought and whether that response is mediated by changes to the tree layer. We sampled understory vegetation of 98 plots in 25 pinyon-juniper woodland

Invasive grasses reduce habitat quality for multiple taxa and can negatively impact forage quality for livestock. Large-scale experimental studies are needed to inform more effective grassland restoration that is grounded in practice. To this end, we studied the control of a common but highly invasive cool-season grass using a landscape-scale experiment, employing an adaptive management framework.

Indicators of vegetation cover and structure are widely available for monitoring and managing rangeland wind erosion. Identifying which indicators are most appropriate for managers could improve wind erosion mitigation and restoration efforts. Vegetation cover directly protects the soil surface from erosive winds and reduces wind erosivity by extracting momentum from the air. The portion of the soil

Bison serve as keystone species in prairie ecosystems of North America, yet few studies have evaluated the effects of bison carcasses on other animals. To determine which species forage on bison carcasses and whether such carcasses catalyze intraspecific and interspecific interactions, we used wildlife cameras to observe scavenger visits and activity over a 6-wk period following the death of an adult

Net primary production (NPP) is a critical ecosystem property that researchers and land managers attempt to quantify across ecosystems globally. Although the belowground NPP (BNPP) component of total NPP often contributes 50% or more to total NPP, it is infrequently measured due to the amount of labor involved. Here, I present a rapid method to estimate BNPP or fine root production in rangelands using

Approximately one third of California is grazed by livestock, with most forage produced on annual rangelands, the common term for rangelands with a significant annual herbaceous component. Given the state's interest in mitigating climate change and growing public attention on grazing systems that enhance carbon sequestration, we investigate the impact of grazing management on soil carbon cycling on

Seed germination during unhospitable environmental conditions can be a major barrier to direct seeding efforts in dryland systems. In the sagebrush steppe, Wyoming big sagebrush and low sagebrush are important shrub species used in restoration; however, seeding success is highly sporadic due to interannual and intraseasonal weather variability. It may be possible to improve restoration success by expanding

Rangeland scientists have long relied on thermocouples for measuring temperature, especially in agris—in the field, under the extreme conditions of wildland fire. But the electronics required to sense and record thermocouple data remain expensive to both purchase and protect from exposure to heat and flames. Open-source, do-it-yourself (DIY) electronics platforms such as Arduino are increasingly popular

Sagebrush is a vital habitat component for many endangered grassland species. As the need for sagebrush habitat restoration increases, models that enable restoration practitioners to calculate seeding or planting densities required to obtain desired sagebrush cover within specific time frames are essential. We measured cover and density of naturally occurring silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana) stands

Quantifying rangeland vegetation amounts with remotely sensed satellite data is a proliferating field of study. Yet the resulting datasets are rarely related to use-based monitoring indicators (i.e., utilization or residual biomass), which are critical for adaptive management and to inform the subsequent year's grazing plans. To better assess our ability to use remotely sensed data products for grazing

Prairie dogs can reduce the carrying capacity on rangelands by up to 50% through direct consumption of vegetation and by clipping plants. Studies have shown that forage quality and digestibility are greater on prairie dog towns than off town; however, research is lacking that quantifies rates of forage and nutrition intake by cattle. In 2012−2016, a study was conducted in South Dakota to evaluate livestock

Reevaluating assumptions about the ecology and management of sagebrush and salt desert shrub systems in the Great Basin and Intermountain West is a proper role for science. These are complex rangeland ecosystems, and our management applications need to account for this complexity. Understanding and reckoning this complexity is vital to the future existence of these rangeland systems and their ability

Maintaining healthy rangeland ecosystems requires adaptive co-management at the landscape scale. Because the majority of western rangelands are publicly owned, it is critical that federal land management agencies work together in generating and sharing information. Promotion and communication of rangeland management innovations among agencies is one means of sharing information. Two rangeland management

Throughout the Rolling Plains and Cross Timbers ecoregions of Texas, native grassland plant communities have been converted into low-diversity plant communities by long-term, intensive overgrazing by cattle and fire suppression. Much of the historical plant community has become dominated by annuals, Texas wintergrass (Nassella leucotricha), and honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa). This degradation

This paper calls attention to the factors that contribute to predicting behavioral intention to cultivate medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) in farmlands, as social-psychological and microeconomic features of the adopter and nonadopter farmers are compared. Against the previous studies that have established inductive-based hypotheses, this research, in turn, benefitted from a deductive-based approach

Tall fescue (Schedonurus arundinaceus), an exotic invasive grass in North America, can associate with a fungal endophyte that causes livestock toxicity. Native prairies are frequently managed with interactive fire and grazing, yet little is known regarding tall fescue's endophytic and toxicological responses. From 2012 to 2014, we applied patch-burn grazing (PBG—burning a different third annually)

Precipitation pulses and interpulse dry periods are major drivers of dryland ecosystem function globally, yet how the patterning and timing of precipitation inputs and dry periods influence seedling recruitment in these systems is poorly understood. We conducted two experiments to understand how limited and variable patterns of precipitation inputs may influence recruitment of bluebunch wheatgrass

Ecologists have built numerous models to project how climate change will impact rangeland vegetation, but these projections of future changes are difficult to validate, making their utility for land management planning unclear. In the absence of direct validation, researchers can ask whether projections from different models are consistent. High consistency across models, especially those based on

Livestock distribution in extensive rangelands of North America can present management challenges to land managers. Understanding the role of topography on livestock distribution, within and across diverse rangeland ecosystems, could provide land managers valuable information for adaptive management of livestock to address both conservation and production goals from these ecosystems. Here, we examine

Watersheds are distinct hydrologic units that comprise a range of terrestrial upland and riparian complex ecological sites. Since the hydrologic function of the entirety of the watershed is linked, other ecological functions and processes are also likely linked. No single assessment tool is available to describe the ecological status of both terrestrial upland sites and riparian complexes in a single

Rangeland vegetation in the Great Basin, United States, is frequently disturbed by natural- and human-caused wildfires that facilitate the establishment and dominance of introduced annual weeds such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead wildrye (Taeniatherum caput-medusae [L.] Nevski). Ecological resilience and resistance of native and seeded-non-native plant communities in this region, however

The potential drivers of grassland rent-in across the ecosystem types in Inner Mongolia are poorly understood. This study employed a methodology that integrates socioeconomic characteristics, ecological factors, and risk perception of herders into a framework to assess the influencing factors of the area of grassland rent-in by households. Also, we examine how the size of rented grassland influences

Restoring degraded plant communities is a global challenge and a major priority for land managers and conservationists. Degraded Wyoming big sagebrush communities (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis [Beetle & A. Young] S.L. Welsh) have high sagebrush cover with a depleted perennial herbaceous understory. They are widespread in western North America and are a priority for restoration because they

The rugged Himalayan landscape results in large variations in site conditions that regulate plant response to warming. There is lack of deeper understanding on plant response to warming under differing site characteristics in the mountainous terrain. A 2-yr experiment was conducted in the high mountains of Bhutan. The objective was to investigate the effects of short-term artificial warming on high-altitude

Ventenata (Ventenata dubia L.) is an invasive annual grass that has rapidly expanded its range across temperate grassland and shrub-steppe ecosystems in western North America. However, there is little published regarding its ecology, especially its relationship with fire on rangelands. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fire on ventenata invasion in the Pacific Northwest Bunchgrass

Rangelands provide ecosystem services that are economically and ecologically critical for humans. Globally, invasion of exotic grasses drives loss of biodiversity and resilience of rangelands. In South Texas, buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris syn. Pennisetum ciliare [L.] Link), a C4 perennial grass, was brought from Africa for range improvement as early as the 1930s. Buffelgrass generally increases forage

Concern about the impacts of two invasive annual brome grasses (cheatgrass and Japanese brome, Bromus tectorum L. and B. japonicus Thunb. ex Murray) on the mixed-grass prairie of North America's northern Great Plains (NGP) is growing. Cheatgrass is well known west of the NGP, where replacement of fire-intolerant, native sagebrush steppe by fire-prone, exotic annual grasslands is widespread. Consequently

Dissolved solids can negatively impact livestock drinking water. To characterize dissolved solid concentrations in the northern Great Plains, we studied 45 water sources over 11 yr. Ca, F, Mg, Na, and total solids sometimes exceeded recommended levels but rarely reached levels empirically shown to negatively impact livestock. Fe often attained concentrations that reduce water consumption, which can

Shrub cover in alpine meadows around the world has experienced significant changes during the past 20 yr. An increase in shrub cover has often been associated with large influences in ecosystem functions. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the impact of shrub cover on herbaceous forage quality and yak grazing efficiency on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Forty-eight yak steers

Collaborative adaptive management (CAM) is hypothesized to benefit management of rangeland ecosystems, but the presumed benefits have seldom been quantified, and never in a multipaddock rotational grazing system. Here, we evaluated average daily weight gain (ADG) of livestock (kg steer−1 d−1) in four grazing management treatments during the summers of 2016−2018 in a semiarid shortgrass steppe. These

We compared cow-calf contacts, as well as movement, activity, and pasture use patterns of heritage Raramuri Criollo (RC) and desert-adapted commercial Angus Hereford crossbred (AH) beef cattle grazing Chihuahuan Desert pastures during 4 wk in the summers of 2016 and 2017. Within each herd of 11 cow-calf pairs, a group of 7−9 randomly selected cows were fitted with Global Positioning System collars

Drought contingency planning is an increasingly common tool in the ranchers’ climate adaptation toolboxes, but its effect on drought response has not yet been evaluated. We use cognitive models of protective action decision making and planning to explore the effects of having a drought plan on the use of drought early warning information and drought response (and timing). Results of a cross-sectional

Social networks of stakeholders, especially those of adaptive comanagement, entailing a variety of collaboration and trustful relationships, have widely drawn the attention of researchers studying natural resource management. The structural pattern of relations of a social network has significant implications for how actors manage complex environmental challenges. This study aimed to specify whether

Invasive plants can have significant negative effects on human and ecological communities, including reduced productivity and biodiversity and increased fire risk. Effective mitigation of invasive species likely requires action by heterogeneous actors who span jurisdictions, sectors, and levels of governance. While there has been significant research to develop targeted mitigation techniques that slow

Wildfire is increasing in frequency and size in the western United States with climate change and invasive species such as cheatgrass. This increase is also causing an increase in the need for restoration techniques, especially in low-elevation, arid shrublands. Sagebrush shrublands are home to the threatened Gunnison sage-grouse and can take decades, if not longer, to recover after fire. We investigated

The objective of this paper is to identify prospects for stakeholder cooperation for effective implementation of enhanced rangeland restoration techniques under different land tenure status in Tataouine Governorate of southern Tunisia, through the rest technique locally called “Gdel.” This technique consists of leaving a given rangeland at rest to reconstitute the plant cover. A stakeholder analysis

Grazing by livestock, particularly cattle (Bos spp.), is the dominant land use across North American rangelands and often co-occurs in habitats used by wildlife. Deer (Odocoileus spp.) are an ecologically and economically important native wildlife species in North America. Sustainable management and profitable economic returns require an understanding of the factors driving cattle-deer compatibility

Free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus) occur throughout arid and semiarid regions of the western United States, where they can decrease plant biomass and diversity, impair water quality, and reduce forage available to native wildlife and domestic livestock. Management of free-roaming horses on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service lands is determined by protections and population

Multipurpose trees and shrubs are vital components of arid and semiarid ecosystems. They offer both regulatory and production services, yet there is inadequate information on their actual use and factors affecting utilization of these plant resources. A study was carried out in three agroecological zones (counties) of southeastern Kenya: Machakos (subhumid zone), Kajiado (semiarid zone), and Kitui

The objective was to determine if 3-axis accelerometers could be used to predict daily activity for cattle grazing rangeland. There were 48 Hereford × Angus 2-yr-old low- or high-residual feed intake (LRFI or HRFI) cows used in this 2-yr trial. Cattle grazed in 4 pasture treatments consisting of continuously grazed, control (CCON); continuously grazed, supplemented (CTRT); rotationally grazed, control

We compared animal and vegetation responses of a 13 600-ha area under holistic grazing management (HGM) with a similar area under continuous grazing (CGM) in a Patagonian station. Limitations were a dry 2012−2016 experimental period, poorer soils, and grazing of native guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in the HGM area. Forage standing crop in this area before the experience was lower and remained so during

Woodland managers in northern Chile require efficient means of estimating fruit production to improve their ability to sustainably manage mesquite tree ecosystem. We assessed the accuracy of the indirect visual count (VC) method for quantifying fruit production of two endangered mesquite trees, tamarugo (Prosopis tamarugo) and algarrobo (Prosopis alba), by comparing it with the fruit trap (FT) method

Both preconditioning and genetic selection can improve intake of redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii Sudw.). Preconditioning an acceptance of juniper has relied on feeding juniper to sheep or goats for 14 d at weaning. Successful genetic selection for juniper consumption by goats has relied on selection of both sires and dams for juniper intake. This study compared redberry juniper intake by kid

Coal surface mining in the northern Great Plains of the United States often produces mining spoils with physical and chemical barriers to successful revegetation, and this has resulted in experiments on reclamation with salvaged soil materials. There is a need to determine changes in soil properties and plant community and productivity decades after reclamation. Experiments were initiated in the mid-1970s