Rangeland Ecology & Management最新文献

{"title":"Where Do We Go From Here With Sagebrush Conservation: A Long-Term Perspective?","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During our careers with State Wildlife Agencies and involvement with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, we have watched and participated as state and federal agency perspectives about, and actions toward sagebrush (<em>Artemisia</em> spp.) have evolved. This change from sagebrush removal efforts to encourage forage production to conservation and restoration had several causes, but the largest factor was the long-term decline in greater sage-grouse (<em>Centrocercus urophasianus</em>) populations and potential for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Potential for listing accelerated planning and implementation activity by the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, states, nongovernmental organizations, and private landowners that continues to this day. The tremendous investment we have all made in collaborative science has set us up for success in conserving sagebrush and sagebrush obligate species. We offer insights organized around five themes and specific recommendations for moving sagebrush conservation forward. Despite over three decades of unprecedented conservation efforts, we are still losing sagebrush at a rate of 0.53 million hectares (1.3 million acres) per year, which means we must both increase our capacity for sagebrush conservation and become more strategic in our investments. Shifting the emphasis of conservation from sage-grouse to sagebrush will reduce conflicts, increase participation, and broaden benefits. Increasing capacity, both fiscal and human from biome to local scales will require effectively communicating the value of, and threats to, the sagebrush biome. Recent science products, including this issue, offer a new ability and create a responsibility to strategically target sagebrush dollars where we can be successful. This strategic approach should be adaptive, with explicit conservation goals and monitoring to evaluate progress. This will require unprecedented collaboration to establish priority areas and goals, which will necessitate a collaborative governance structure to coordinate. Toward this end, we offer 9 specific implementation recommendations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecological Stoichiometry of Multiple Nutrients in Leymus chinensis and Soils Subjected to Long-Term Saline-Sodic Stress in Western Jilin Province, China","authors":"Xingyi Wang, Jingfa Zhong, Yuefen Li","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.013","url":null,"abstract":"is considered an important plant for saline-sodic soil restoration. Ecological stoichiometry of multiple nutrient elements in and soils subjected to long-term saline-sodic stress remains unclear, which hinders our understanding of the mechanisms regulating nutrient cycling in the plant-soil environment. We examined nutrient element levels in saline-sodic soil and in western Jilin Province. Soil analysis revealed medium to high levels of available N, K, P, Mo, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn. The Mn/Fe and N/P ratios exceeded the national soil average of China, while those of Fe/Cu, Fe/Zn, and P/K were comparatively lower. Furthermore, exhibited deficiencies in the Mn, Zn, and P. Mo/Mn, Mo/Zn, and Fe/Zn ratios, which were significantly higher compared to healthy plants, while Mn/Fe and P/K showed the opposite trend. Soil pH had the most significant effect on element stoichiometry in both the soil and in . Particularly, the soil available Mn, Zn, K, along with Mn, Fe, Cu, and P levels exhibited sensitivity to pH fluctuations. Additionally, we observed significant synergistic or antagonistic effects between the soil available element concentration and stoichiometry ratios. Among these, only Mn, Fe, Fe/Zn, Mo/Zn, N/K, and Mo/Fe in were significantly modeled ( < 0.05). The Mo/Fe homeostasis index was the lowest at 0.97, followed by Fe (1.16), N/K (2.28), Mo/Zn (2.59), Fe/Zn (3.38), and Mn (4.92), while other elements and their stoichiometric ratios remained stable. Overall, , as the dominant species in saline-sodic soil, demonstrated high homeostasis.","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142224907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"No Field Evidence of Grass Fuel Structure effects on Postfire Tree Mortality in Juniperus virginiana","authors":"Xiulin Gao, Dylan W. Schwilk, Robin Verble","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.012","url":null,"abstract":"Prescribed fires are an important management tool for containing woody plant encroachment in rangeland ecosystems. Grasses are the dominant fuel type in rangelands. Past work has shown that grass canopy architecture, which varies among grass species, can influence flammability. Whether variation in grass fuel structure can influence postfire plant responses has not yet been tested. To bridge this gap, we set up field burning experiments with different fuel treatments and examined postfire mortality of L. in a tallgrass prairie in southwestern Missouri. We sampled 60 trees and measured tree height and diameter at breast height before the fire. Fuels surrounding each tree were manipulated to vary independently in both fuel load and fuel structure. Flame temperatures were measured during the fire, and both stem and canopy injuries were evaluated 1 d after the fire. We surveyed tree mortality 7 mo after the fire. We found no effects of either fuel load or fuel structure on postfire mortality or on canopy injury in . Canopy injury was a critical fire severity measurement determining postfire mortality in , and taller trees are more fire resilient. Despite laboratory-observed fuel structure effects on flammability, this study finds no evidence for the importance of grass fuel load and canopy architecture in influencing postfire tree response. This result might arise from the low crown depth and low canopy water content of , which can promote canopy fire and result in a high mortality rate across fuel treatments. Notwithstanding the negative results, testing laboratory-based findings in field settings is important for further examining laboratory observations and upscaling individual-level processes to ecosystems to help identify the key ecological processes determining population dynamics and community assembly. Our study also suggests that prescribed fire is an effective tool to remove encroaching in tallgrass prairies at an early stage.","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142224909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial Board/Journal Info","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1550-7424(24)00144-1","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1550-7424(24)00144-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550742424001441/pdfft?md5=0268c3d64e0f21d55e2f06ccedddb46e&pid=1-s2.0-S1550742424001441-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142011738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Strategies for Land Managers on Northwest US Rangelands","authors":"Anna T. Maher, Holly R. Prendeville, Jessica E. Halofsky, Mary M. Rowland, Kirk W. Davies, Chad S. Boyd","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.04.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2024.04.012","url":null,"abstract":"Rangelands around the globe are experiencing management challenges associated with existing and emerging stressors, including more frequent and severe fires, woody species expansion, annual grass invasion, heavy, repeated growing season grazing, and climate change. Disturbance is an essential part of rangeland systems. Yet climate change is likely to affect rangelands most directly by increasing the likelihood, severity, and extent of long term, negative impacts from disturbance. We conducted a synthesis of key vulnerabilities to climate change for Northwest US rangelands. These rangelands are projected to become warmer and drier this century, with episodes of more extreme droughts and higher likelihood of more severe fires affecting larger areas. Many of the vulnerabilities identified in our synthesis, such as increased frequency of fire and invasive grass proliferation, can have lasting effects, leading to “undesirable transformations” (substantial and persistent changes in vegetation composition and reductions in ecosystem services). For example, larger, more severe fires have led to the rapid loss of critical Greater sage-grouse habitat and diminished forage production capacity for livestock in some areas, lowering provisioning of ecosystem services, increasing fire management costs, and impacting rural livelihoods. Rangeland managers need guidance connecting climate change projections to on-the-ground management actions. We conclude from our synthesis of climate change vulnerabilities that supporting rangeland recovery is an important climate adaptation approach on Northwest rangelands. Proactive climate adaptation strategies (e.g., supporting soil health and vegetation) and example practices (e.g., establishing climate-adapted perennial plant species) are presented according to key action areas: prepare for, respond to, and recover from disturbance. Identifying specific adaptation needs at more local scales, like the management unit level, may be further refined through proactive planning and experimentation in collaborative settings that allow for resource pooling and foster learning.","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142192453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Postwildfire Mechanical Seeding on Soil Properties in Wyoming Big Sagebrush Communities","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Reduction of vegetation following wildfire in rangelands of the western United States can result in invasion of exotic annual grasses and elevated soil loss to wind erosion. In response to these threats, various mechanical seeding methods (such as drill seeding and mechanical mixing of broadcast seeds) are commonly employed by restoration practitioners. Despite their common use, little information exists about how additional disturbance from mechanical seeding (following wildfire disturbance) may further contribute to soil loss from wind erosion. Here, we compared the effects of mechanical seeding techniques on soil properties following two wildfires occurring in similar climates with contrasting soil textures (silty loam and gravelly loam soils). Using either a rangeland or minimum-till drill to create furrows or mix broadcasted seeds into soils, we quantified wind erosion risk for unburned sites, burned nonseeded sites, and seeded sites according to soil aggregate stability, horizontal sediment flux, surface microtopography, and soil compaction. Effects of mechanical seeding were small relative to those created by wildfire. For burned areas, differences in site stability were greatest between sites. Following wildfire, the largest decrease in site stability occurred in fine-textured soils, where horizontal sediment transport was increased by nearly five orders of magnitude relative to unburned areas. Despite these initial differences, site stability in fine-textured soils may have improved to a greater degree than stability at the coarse-textured site. Furthermore, we found minimal differences between drill types on site stability but, instead, observed that the largest differences in soil properties were created by furrow versus broadcast seeding. The different outcomes of rehabilitation on site stability found here, paired with the spatial extent to which wildfire affects landscapes, highlights the importance of postfire monitoring of site stability in more locations that vary by soil, plant, landscape, and climatic variables.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142011309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of Climatic Refuges of Mouflon Under Future Climate in Central Iranian Protected Areas","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Habitat destruction is one of the biggest threats to wildlife populations. Climate change may exacerbate the impacts of habitat destruction and alter the distribution of species. We projected the impact of climate change on the distribution of mouflon (<em>Ovis gmelini</em>) in central Iran in 2055 and 2085, evaluated the efficiency of protected areas for protecting this species, and identified potential climatic refugia for this species. We analyzed presence data of mouflon according to climate and topographic factors and generated an ensemble model of habitat suitability based on nine species distribution models. In the modeling process, the most important uncorrelated variables were chosen. Using circuit theory, potential connectivity between habitat patches was estimated. To assess the impact of climate change on the study area in 2055 and 2085, two shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), SSP 2.6 and SSP 8.5, were used based on the global circulation models. Based on the climatic suitability model, approximately 34.11% of protected areas were recognized as suitable habitats for mouflon. In the forecasted climate conditions, approximately 3.30% of suitable habitats would become unsuitable and approximately 9.36% of the current protected areas will lose their efficiency in supporting this species. In addition, climate change may reduce habitat connectivity for mouflon in the future. We conclude that the development of the network of protected areas and attention to habitat connectivity are necessary for the future migration and survival of this species; therefore, conservation planning should consider the future potential of protected/unprotected areas in supporting mouflon populations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142011310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Grazing Intensity Controls the Seasonal Utilization of Functionally Diverse Patches by Mediating Herbivore Selectivity","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Understanding the mechanistic link between plant functional traits and foraging patterns across seasons and grazing intensities is crucial for implementing sustainable grazing systems and predicting ecological successions. We assessed the interaction effects of grazing intensity, season, and leaf functional traits on herbivore grazing patterns in a native grassland composed of functionally diverse patches in four 10–14 ha paddocks managed under lenient or moderate grazing intensities. Seasonal botanical composition was estimated in permanent 20 × 20 cm patches. Defoliation events of species in patches were recorded every 7–10 d, four times during summer-autumn, and five times during winter and spring. Leaf dry matter content, specific area, tensile strength, and width of dominant grass species were measured seasonally, and species were allocated to functional groups. The proportion of total defoliation events occurring in each functional group and their selectivity index were estimated for each period and season. We tested the relationship between trait community weighted mean in the pasture and that grazed by cattle for each quadrant and period within seasons. Cows focused grazing on resource-acquisitive strategy species with wider and more tender leaves during summer-autumn under both grazing intensities. As herbage mass and accumulation decreased during winter, cows shifted their foraging strategy toward shorter patches and previously rejected, tougher-thinner leaves and resource-conservative strategy species stockpiled from summer-autumn, not overgrazing the resource-acquisitive species. However, this general pattern was modulated by grazing intensity; cows grazed taller patches and more tender and wider-leaved species under lenient than moderate grazing intensity. Thus, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of desired and rejected stockpiled patches of different functional groups was managed by integrating seasonality, grazing intensity, and leaf functional traits. Therefore, the general principle of foraging selectivity toward desired species can be altered by management practices and inherent species attributes, maintaining communities of species of different ecosystem functions in equilibrium.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142011308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using Fine Resolution Remotely Sensed Data-Derived Land Cover to Inform Dryland State and Transition Models","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>State and transition models (STMs) are widely used for organizing, understanding, and communicating complex information regarding ecological change. One foundational component of STMs is the representation of the current state of ecological sites (ecosites) delineated by topoedaphic features. Field inventory and assessment techniques used to characterize ecosites are labor-intensive and based on limited sampling in time and space. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System technologies increasingly offer opportunities to generate synoptic, high-resolution characterizations of ecosites in heterogeneous and remote rangelands. Here, we show how advanced remotely-sensed hyperspectral data acquired by the National Ecological Observatory Network can be combined with uncrewed aerial vehicle data within a GIS framework to quantify land cover at scales that inform STMs in Sonoran Desert landscapes in southern Arizona. Using 1 m airborne hyperspectral reflectance data, spectral vegetation and moisture indices (derived from hyperspectral bands and rendered together with the hyperspectral stack), and aerial imagery for ground-truthing, we were able to 1) produce a classification product quantifying some, but not all, plant and soil categories used in STMs and 2) delineate the spatial pattern and areal extent of ecological states on several ecological sites. Our remote sensing-based assessments were then compared to vegetation state maps based on traditional field surveys. We found that with the exception of native vs. nonnative grass ground cover, remote sensing picked up contributions of key ecostate classification variables. Remote sensing products thus have value for planning and prioritizing field surveys and pinpointing areas of concern or novelty. Furthermore, remote sensing approaches more thoroughly encompass greater spatial extents and are ostensibly more cost-effective than traditional field surveys when viewed through the lens of the time-series analyses needed to document whether the ecological states in STMs are stable or in the process or transitioning.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S155074242400085X/pdfft?md5=0b38678fbf7a2f405a90b218a9c4b4e6&pid=1-s2.0-S155074242400085X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142011307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Land Use Land Cover Changes in Response to Land Surface Temperature With Satellite Indices and Remote Sensing Data","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2024.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Land use and land cover (LULC) changes are known as the main factors causing soil degradation, which presents considerable obstacles to maintaining soil quality and the resilience of ecosystems. Human activities substantially impact LULC changes, particularly in areas experiencing rapid development. The objective of this study is to assess the changes in LULC, land surface temperature (LST), Normalized Differentiate Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Normalized Differentiate Built-up Index (NDBI) in Kasur District from 1991 to 2021. The study analyzed five major LULC classes: Water bodies, Urban areas, barren land, forest Cover, and vegetated areas. Our analysis revealed that the Urban area of Kasur expanded by around 16.27%. The vegetation cover experienced a slight decline of just 1%, while water bodies declined by 0.26%. Forest cover experienced a decrease of about 0.54%, and bare land decreased significantly by 14.4%. The imagery classification achieved an overall accuracy of 88% to 92%. The highest NDVI value was observed in 1991 (+0.89), while the lowest was in 2021 (+0.56). Similarly, the highest NDBI recorded was +0.83 in 2021, while the lowest was +0.65 in 1991. The linear regression analysis revealed a strong negative association between the NDVI and NDBI. LST results exhibited a 0.55°C increase between the years 1991 and 2021. The study's findings align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG-15, which aims to protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt land degradation and biodiversity loss.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141933674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}