The experiment utilized a fenceline contrast in vegetation and sod condition that was clearly visible on Landsat imagery. Measurements of vegetation cover, soil structure and chetnistry, and infiltration were tnade. The greatest vegetation change was at the soil surface where the loss of litter atid lichen crust cover under heavy grazing accotnpanied the loss of perennial shrubs. Although grazing caused chatiges in soil structure and chemistry to less than 10 cm in depth, these changes are quite significant for plant growth. Consistent differences in the infiltration of applied rainfall at two intensities were measured between the grazed and ungrazed sites. At both intensities of application the absence of a lichen crust increased infiltration three-fold on the heavily grazed site compared with the ungrazed site. The implications of these observations on the long-tertn functioning of this landscape are discussed.
The logistic growth curve equation of population biology is shown to satisfactorily describe the responses of some vegetation and soil measures as a function of distance out from a watering point. Two of the three parameters of this equation can be readily related to parameters of the herbivore - rangeland ecosystem. The potential use of this equation is explored for the development of a simple, quantitative range assessment method. -
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