Rangeland Ecology & Management最新文献

{"title":"Adapting to Climatic Extremes: Do Grazing Management Strategies Matter?","authors":"Merilynn C. Schantz ,&nbsp;Douglas R. Smith ,&nbsp;Kabindra Adhikari ,&nbsp;Douglas J. Goodwin ,&nbsp;Douglas R. Tolleson ,&nbsp;Javier M. Osorio Leyton ,&nbsp;Kelly R. Thorp ,&nbsp;R. Daren Harmel","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Frequent and extreme weather events have increased the need for improved grazing land management strategies that can withstand these disturbances. Alternative grazing strategies of rotational and supplemental forage cover crop use have been suggested as producing greater environmental benefits than prevailing practices of continuous use with supplemental forage oat grazing in pasturelands. How plant and animal performance differs by these grazing strategies, especially during climactic extremes, however, is unknown as it requires long-term studies that occur across common land management (large) spatial scales. Dynamic precipitation patterns in central Texas provide a unique environment to test the differences in grazing management strategies by weather inputs. For this study, we sought to compare plant production and animal nutrition between alternative adaptive grazing land management strategies of rotationally grazed pastures and forage cover crops to prevailing methods of continuously grazed pastures and supplemental forage oats across a 10-yr period in central Texas. Our results suggest that alternative strategies of rotational grazing with supplemental cover crops resulted in greater plant production, especially in ungrazed regions during drought, compared to prevailing practices of continuous pasture grazing with supplemental forage oats. Animal nutrition was, alternatively, inconclusive as fecal crude protein in cattle was greater when animals grazed the prevailing treatment of forage oats and continuously grazed pastures, although the ratio of digestible organic matter to crude protein was greater when cattle grazed the alternative treatment of rotational and cover crop pastures. Collectively, these results suggest that alternative grazing strategies may be more resistant to climatic extremes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 117-127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144925726","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":"Mule Deer Response to Invasive Annual Grasses: Implications for Strategic Management in Sagebrush Priority Areas","authors":"Kurt T. Smith ,&nbsp;Brian A. Mealor ,&nbsp;Jerod A. Merkle","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Invasive annual grasses (IAG) are a widespread threat to the sagebrush steppe (<em>Artemisia</em> spp. L) rangelands and associated wildlife of the western United States. Multiple ungulate species including mule deer (<em>Odocoileus hemionus</em> Rafinesque) rely on sagebrush steppe seasonally. While substantial efforts have been made to conserve critical mule deer habitat, less attention has been given to mule deer habitat affected by IAGs and there is limited information about how mule deer respond to IAG invasions. We evaluated mule deer resource selection in a sagebrush grassland community impacted by IAGs in northeast Wyoming. We then used empirical model estimates to forecast how IAG management could impact mule deer habitat in the future following a strategic IAG framework focused on defending and growing sagebrush core areas most threatened by IAGs. We found that mule deer responded to IAGs in a nonlinear pattern across all seasons and strongly avoided areas once cover exceeded approximately 20%. When projecting results 20 yr into the future, we found that over half of the study area is expected to experience significant declines in mule deer habitat quality if IAGs continue to spread at the same rate observed over the past two decades. However, with targeted IAG treatments, we predicted widespread improvements in mule deer habitat, particularly in priority areas where ecological integrity can be restored with future IAG management. Our findings reinforce the emerging notion that ecosystem-based frameworks designed to defend and grow intact sagebrush steppe through strategic management efforts also have the potential to benefit species of conservation interest. As current conservation efforts to mitigate IAGs are not progressing fast enough to address the magnitude of the IAG problem in sagebrush across the west, strategic management efforts will be necessary to maintain important habitats for numerous sagebrush occurring wildlife.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 128-137"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144925569","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":"Remote Sensing of Forage Droughts in the Dry Chaco (Argentina)","authors":"Lisandro Blanco ,&nbsp;Walter Agüero ,&nbsp;Alicia Sancho ,&nbsp;Marcos Texeira","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Drought is widely recognized as one of the most complex natural hazards due to its gradual onset and long-lasting impacts. With climate change, droughts are becoming increasingly intense, frequent, and prolonged, particularly in arid and semiarid rangelands, posing a serious threat to the sustainability of livestock systems. The objective of this study was to develop, calibrate, and validate a methodology for detecting forage droughts and monitoring their spatial and temporal patterns using satellite-derived anomalies in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), hereafter NDVI anomalie (NDVIA).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Forage droughts are defined as temporary reductions in forage productivity in rangelands, grasslands, and pastures caused by rainfall falling below the long-term average. These reductions are so severe that even with adaptive forage management, the forage biomass accumulated during the growing season is insufficient to sustain livestock during the vegetative rest period (forage drought model). The study focuses on the dry Chaco region of Argentina. NDVIA values were correlated with forage biomass data collected in the field at 20 sites over a 10-yr period. Using a logistic regression model, the NDVIA threshold indicating the presence or absence of forage drought was determined.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results revealed a significant relationship (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) between NDVIA and forage drought presence/absence. During the study period (2001–2023), forage droughts in the region typically recurred every 5 ± 2 growing seasons. A cluster analysis identified two subzones with significant differences (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in the temporal dynamics of forage drought occurrence.</div></div><div><h3>Implications</h3><div>The combined application of the forage drought model and this NDVI-based monitoring system could serve as a “guidebook” for implementing forage management strategies at the farm scale (e.g., adaptive forage management) and shaping public policies at the regional scale (e.g., satellite index-based insurance). This methodological approach, first-of-its-kind in region, could be adapted to other arid and semiarid ecosystems globally, enhancing the early warning and management of forage droughts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 93-103"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144916993","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":"Compost and Native Seeding Interactively Increase Bulk Soil Carbon, but Compost Addition Favors Nonnative Plants","authors":"Justin C. Luong ,&nbsp;Jazmine Mejia-Muñoz ,&nbsp;Pam Krone","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rangelands are globally distributed habitats with high potential for supporting nature-based climate solutions. Yet, rangelands will be affected by human disturbances that result in severe habitat degradation and may need intervention to sufficiently recover. Compost addition can help improve soil carbon and water holding capacity, whereas native seeding can help bolster plant cover and richness; synergistically, they could have cascading effects on plant communities and forage quality. To better understand the utility of combining these range improvements, we treated a degraded working grassland (used to stage wildfire-fighting operations) in coastal California with compost broadcasting (1.48 kg · m⁻²) and native seeding (eight California species) treatments annually for 3 consecutive yr (2020–2022). We evaluated plant community composition, forage quality and toxicity, and soil biogeochemistry (soil inorganic carbon [SIC] and soil organic carbon [SOC] concentrations [%] and bulk soil carbon [T C · ha⁻¹]). Compost addition resulted in higher concentrations of soil organic matter (SOM) but did not increase SOC and SIC. Nonnative plant cover increased over time only in compost addition plots. Native cover and richness were unaffected by native seeding, but native cover was lower with compost addition. Compost resulted in higher relative cover of low-quality and less toxic forage, but also lower relative cover of high-quality forage. Bulk soil carbon was unaffected by independent compost addition or native seeding but increased significantly when treatments were combined. Our results demonstrate that compost application and native seeding have the potential to support soil recovery of SOM and bulk soil carbon in a degraded rangeland. The findings also suggest there are trade-offs in these practices, as compost addition could promote nonnative species and higher relative plant cover of low-quality forage. Low success from native seeding indicates that recommended seeding rates may be insufficient to establish plants in a degraded rangeland with compacted soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 104-112"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144919911","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":"Northern Bobwhite Response to Drought is Biome-Specific","authors":"Samantha M. Cady,&nbsp;Craig A. Davis,&nbsp;Samuel D. Fuhlendorf","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Weather extremes are increasing in frequency and magnitude, and this trend is projected to continue as anthropogenic climate change progresses. These extremes can include increases in severe drought as well as anomalously heavy rainfall. As birds continue to face novel climatic pressures, including precipitation extremes, the need to hone our understanding of their variable responses is becoming increasingly urgent. Though many studies have evaluated wildlife responses to precipitation variability, less is known about possible biome-specific responses within a single species. Using a half-century of systematically collected count data, we investigate northern bobwhite (<em>Colinus virginianus</em>) responses to drought and abnormally high rainfall in the Great Plains and Eastern Temperate Forest biomes of North America. Our study demonstrated that, though bobwhite underwent a significant response to declining precipitation throughout its range, the direction of effect was biome-dependent. Specifically, bobwhite relative abundance declined following 12-month droughts prior to the breeding season April in the Great Plains but had a weak, positive association with drought in the Eastern Temperate Forest. This study adds complexity to our understanding of how bobwhite respond to the same environmental pressure (i.e., drought) across its geographic range and highlights the importance of developing region-specific management strategies in the face of a changing climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 113-116"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144919907","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(25)00117-4","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1550-7424(25)00117-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"102 ","pages":"Page IFC"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907422","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":"Can Seminatural Grassland Vegetation in Abandoned Fields Support the Nutritional Requirements of Grazing Goats? A Study in Central Japan","authors":"Noriaki Nakajima ,&nbsp;Kazuya Doi ,&nbsp;Sae Tamiya ,&nbsp;Masato Yayota","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The nutritional value of wild plants varies greatly, and some species have nutritional values and digestibility comparable to those of commonly cultivated grass varieties. Thus, we hypothesized that foraging on seminatural grassland vegetation in abandoned fields could fulfill nutritional requirements for goat maintenance, and selective foraging could ensure greater availability of these nutrients, contributing to the maintenance of livestock and their growth. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional value of semi-natural grassland vegetation in abandoned fields with selective foraging by goats and to estimate whether the vegetation in abandoned fields can satisfy the nutritional requirements of goats through the seasons. We used 16 goats to conduct grazing trials throughout the seasons in two experimental areas of an abandoned field. The variations in the chemical components of each plant group were also evaluated for each season. The nutritional composition of the goat ingesta was estimated from the number of bites of the ingested plant species, chemical components, and bite mass. The goats grazed on 33–43 plant species across the seasons, and the plants that the goats foraged changed throughout the seasons. Goats shifted their foraging from forbs to multiple other plant categories (bamboo species and the Poaceae and Cyperaceae families), increasing their intake of crude protein (CP) and minerals. Grazing under seminatural grassland vegetation in such fields allowed goats to meet their nutritional requirements of CP, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, cobalt, manganese, zinc, and chlorine and support a daily gain (DG) of 100 g throughout the season. In contrast, grazing in seminatural grassland vegetation caused excess Fe intake and deficiencies in selenium and copper. However, this study suggests that goats grazing under seminatural grassland vegetation in abandoned Japanese fields could support the nutritional requirements for a DG of 100 g in terms of CP and several minerals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 83-92"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879691","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":"Continuous Decrease in Grassland Quality in Cold-Season Pasture Over Three River Headwater Region","authors":"Yecheng Yuan ,&nbsp;Baolin Li ,&nbsp;Yan Liu ,&nbsp;Xizhang Gao ,&nbsp;Wei Liu ,&nbsp;Ying Li ,&nbsp;Rui Li","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.06.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.06.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alpine grasslands in the Three River Headwater (TRH) region have suffered serious degradation owing to global climate change and human activity. Fencing is a major countermeasure implemented in the TRH region by the Ecological Protection and Restoration Program (EPRP) launched by the Chinese government. Fencing from the EPRP was to guarantee prohibited grazing during the growing season and rotation grazing during the cold season in the cold-season pasture. However, fencing excluded grazing over the entire growing season in previous studies, which was quite different from the EPRP. Thus, the protective effect of fencing from the EPRP in the TRH region cannot be confirmed based on previous studies. This study presents trends in vegetative and reproductive branch heights, vegetation cover, and aboveground biomass from 2005 to 2017, using ordinary least squares regression based on field observation data from 39 fenced sites from the EPRP in the TRH region. The results indicated that vegetative branch height, reproductive branch height, and vegetation cover decreased significantly by 34.8%, 38.2%, and 5.4%, respectively, over the study period (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). The biomass proportion of <em>Gramineae</em> and <em>Cyperaceae</em> decreased by 48.2% and 23.9%, respectively (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), whereas those of poisonous weeds and edible forbs increased by 170.3% and 42.0% (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.10), respectively. This indicated a decrease in grassland quality at the fenced sites from the EPRP. The decrease in grassland quality may have been mainly caused by severe livestock overloading during the cold season. A competitive edge from forbs and poisonous weeds under fencing in degraded alpine grasslands may have further exacerbated grassland degradation. These results suggest that fencing in cold-season pasture from the EPRP did not achieve the objective of restoring grasslands under severe livestock overloading in the TRH region over the study period. These findings provide a significant basis for improving ecological protection and restoration policies in the TRH region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"102 ","pages":"Pages 210-217"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144878980","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":"Herbicide Applications in California Dryland Perennial Grasses Improve Forage Yield and Crop Coverage","authors":"Josh Davy ,&nbsp;Ryan Hill ,&nbsp;Larry Forero","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Summer dormant perennial grasses in the annual rangelands of California’s foothills must be managed to maintain productivity. Weed invasion can reduce forage quality and stand persistence and information is lacking on best practices for weed management. Trials were established to assess the effects of indaziflam, rimsulfuron, and aminopyralid herbicides on nine perennial grass species. Herbicide treatments were applied seven years after planting and effects on crop coverage and forage biomass production were evaluated for two growing seasons. Treatment effects on weed populations, perennial grass coverage, and forage biomass varied by planted species. Generally, medusahead invasion was promoted by rimsulfuron treatments, yellow star-thistle was only abundant in the unplanted control, and hare barley was reduced by aminopyralid and indaziflam treatments. The lowest perennial grass coverage was typically observed in the untreated control and the lowest biomass was typically associated with indaziflam treatments. Coverage of wheatgrass and orchard grass varieties was improved by indaziflam treatments. Coverage of Harding grass varieties tended to be greatest in plots treated with rimsulfuron and the highest overall biomass and coverage was achieved in \"Perla\" koleagrass treated with 70 g ai ha^-1 rimsulfuron. Aminopyralid treatments resulted in variable crop coverage effects, but often improved forage biomass through promotion of annual ryegrass.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 78-82"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879690","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":"Long-Term Legacy of Juniper Encroachment: Increased Infiltration and Reduced Compaction a Decade After Mortality","authors":"Austin R. Kelly ,&nbsp;Pedro A.M. Leite ,&nbsp;John W. Walker ,&nbsp;Bradford P. Wilcox","doi":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.rama.2025.07.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Woody plant encroachment has altered many rangelands across North America, not only causing substantial changes in ecological and biophysical processes but often converting vast areas of grasslands and savannas into closed-canopy woodlands. While much research has documented impacts that living trees have on their surroundings (such as increases in soil infiltration and organic matter), very little is known about the legacy left by trees after their death or removal. In this study, we examined the legacy of juniper trees, one of the most widespread encroaching woody genera across North America, in the Edwards Plateau region of Texas that were determined to have died during a drought in 2011. Data were collected under canopies of both dead and living junipers, as well as in herbaceous intercanopy, where no trees are known to have grown. The parameters measured were soil infiltrability and compaction. We found that infiltrability of soils under canopies of both live (776 mm h^-1) and dead (501 mm h^-1) trees were significantly higher than in intercanopy areas (132 mm h^-1). Soil compaction was significantly lower under dead trees than in the intercanopy spaces, though compaction under live trees was not significantly distinct. These results suggest that even 10 years after tree death, the positive influences on soil physical properties persist or increase. Further, our findings suggest that the process of juniper encroachment and subsequent dieback (due to either natural causes or management practices) may be an effective method for improving long-term soil development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49634,"journal":{"name":"Rangeland Ecology & Management","volume":"103 ","pages":"Pages 71-77"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144865889","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}