The composition and structure of the semiarid or desert grasslands of southwestern North America have changed over the past 150 y. Brushy or woody species in these communities have increased in density and cover. This increase in density of woody species is called brush encroachment because most of these species have been present in these communities at lower densities for thousands of years. The brushy or woody species were not introduced from other continents or from great distances. They are indigenous species that have increased in density or cover because of changes in local abiotic or biotic conditions. The brushy and woody plants are not the cause of these changes, but their increase is the result of other factors. The causes of changes that have led to the present woody-brushy composition of these semiarid grasslands has been difficult to determine. Warming of the climate seems to be a background condition, but the driving force seems to be chronic, high levels of herbivory by domestic animals. This herbivory has reduced the aboveground grass biomass, leading to the reduction of fine fuel and a concomitant reduction or complete elimination of grassland fires. This combination of factors favors the encroachment, establishment, survival and growth of woody plants. Less competition from grasses, dispersal of seeds of woody plants by domestic animals, and changes in rodent, lagomorph, and insect populations seem to modify the rate of change. Elevated levels of atmospheric CO2 are not necessary to explain shrub encroachment in these semiarid grasslands. The direction of future change is difficult to predict. The density of brushy and woody plants will probably increase as will the stature and number of species. However, if soil nutrients increase, woody legumes may be replaced by other brushy or woody species. Reversing the changes that have been going on for 150 y will be a difficult, long-term, and perhaps impossible, task.

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The density of woody plants has increased in grasslands throughout the world, but the cause has been elusive, although changes in herbivory seem central. In this study, the importance of relative time of planting and clipping of Bouteloua curtipendula, a C4 grass, on Prosopis glandulosa, a woody seedling, was evaluated in a 2—yr field study in central Texas, USA. Secondarily, effects of planting date, presence of the woody seedling and clipping of the grass on the growth of the grass were evaluated. Relative growth rates (RGRs) of Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) seedlings grown alone were seasonal, generally high in spring and decreasing as summer progressed. When P. gladulosa was planted earlier than Bouteloua curtipendula (side—oats grama), the grass had little or no effect on the woody seedlings RGRs. However, the dry mass of P. glandulosa increased 2.3 times when the grass was clipped but was reduced 54% when the grass was unclipped. When the two species were started at the same time and the grass was not clipped, P. glandulosa RGRs decreased and remained zero over the 2 yr, dry mass was reduced 99.8%, and mortality was 80%. If both species were started at the same time and the grass was clipped, 1st— and 2nd—yr growth of P. glandulosa was comparable to that of seedlings grown alone; however dry mass was reduced 79%. When planted later than the clipped grass, dry mass of P. glandulosa was reduced 98% compared to dry mass when planted alone, while in unclipped plots there was 100% mortality. When B. curtipendula was planted early in the growing season, clipping increased aboveground grass dry mass 1.63 times; there was no increase when the grass was planted late. Evidence suggests that woody seedling growth in undisturbed C4 grasslands would be very limited, and establishment requires gap formation.

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