Effects of grazing on plant communities and successional processes vary along an aridity gradient at a northern temperate grassland

Hamilton, Nicholas P.; Sanborn, Paul; Burton, Philip J.

doi:10.1007/s11258-021-01196-4

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…There is little research in northern BC that identifies which annual climate predictors are strongly correlated with vegetation recovery after disturbance. One example is on the Caribou-Chilcotin grasslands where the AHM (annual heat moisture index) predictor was positively correlated with grazed and ungrazed (disturbance type) grassland graminoid percent cover (Hamilton et al 2021). This same AHM predictor was also reflected here, in which graminoid percent cover also was positively correlated with AHM.…”

Section: Research Applications and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 61%

“…Forb cover was lower on the road than the shoulder and negatively correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) and degree-days above 10°C but below 40°C (DD1040), which was evident with greater forb cover at drier interior locations. Numerous other plant recovery studies cite temperature as one of the main drivers of plant growth on disturbed sites (Aplet 1998, Rehounkova 2006, Cutler 2011, Hamilton 2021.…”

Section: Correlation Trends Along the Climate Gradientmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Initially, this was somewhat surprising, because drier interior sites were bordered by more agricultural and residential land dominated by drought-tolerant exotic vegetation, but coastal sites were often bordered by other disturbances such as forestry cut blocks, new stretches of Highway 16, the CN rail line, and gravel pits, which are also capable of introducing exotic species. As with temperature, moisture climate indices have been found to commonly influence plant growth on disturbed sites (Aplet 1998, Rehounkova 2006, Hamilton 2021, Hezhen 2021.…”

Section: Correlation Trends Along the Climate Gradientmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation recovery on abandoned road segments of Highway 16 in northwestern British Columbia

Lutz¹

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Vegetation recovery on abandoned road segments of Highway 16 in northwestern British Columbia were examined across a climate gradient. The time since road abandonment ranged from 16 to 57 years on sites sampled. Plant cover on asphalt roads was compared with that found on gravel road shoulders using paired t-tests. Plant cover by growth form was further evaluated in response to climate and other environmental predictor variables using multiple regression 'best fit' models. Plant community ordination analysis using nonmetric multidimensional scaling was conducted to describe patterns across study sites in species space along environmental gradients. Key drivers of current plant community composition include time since road abandonment, road substrate type, and several different annual climate variables. The best predictor of vascular plant cover and total plant cover was time since road abandonment, but plant community composition was strongly driven by the coastto-interior climate gradient. Non-vascular cover was more abundant on asphalt roads compared to gravel substrates. Woody plant cover was greatest on gravel shoulders compared to gravel or asphalt road centers. Exotic plant cover was negatively correlated with mean annual relative humidity. Plant diversity and species richness were not driven by the climate gradient but instead reflected more site-specific environmental variables. Primary succession on abandoned roads in this study area may be constrained by continued anthropogenic disturbance post-abandonment.iii Table of ContentsList of Tables .

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Section: Research Applications and Limitationssupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Correlation Trends Along the Climate Gradientmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Correlation Trends Along the Climate Gradientmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation recovery on abandoned road segments of Highway 16 in northwestern British Columbia

Lutz¹

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“…Douglas‐fir dominates the forest canopy, and the leading plant species in the understory are the rhizomatous grass Calamagrostis rubescens and the pleurocarpous feathermoss Pleurozium schreberi (Steen & Coupé, 1997). Grassland species composition consists of approximately equal proportions of native bunchgrasses ( Achnatherum spp., Hesperostipa curtiseta , and Pseudoroegnaria spicata ) and the exotic rhizomatous grass Poa pratensis (Hamilton et al, 2022). Forest soils (areas of historic and current forest cover) are Orthic Gray Luvisols with patchy and thin (up to 3‐cm depth) humus layers, while grassland soils are Orthic Dark Gray and Orthic Dark Brown Chernozems, with both forest and grasslands having near‐surface loam textures (Valentine et al, 1987).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildfire disturbance reveals evidence of ecosystem resilience and precariousness in a forest–grassland mosaic

Hamilton

Burton

2023

Ecosphere

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Forest and grassland ecosystems are sometimes located adjacently within the same climate. In Interior British Columbia, Canada, there are complex forest–grassland mosaics within the Interior Douglas‐fir biogeoclimatic zone. Historically, both grassland and forest ecosystems experienced high‐frequency, low‐severity fire regimes. Since European settlement and introduction of livestock grazing and fire exclusion, trees have encroached on grasslands, and tree densities in forests have increased. In this study, we characterize plant communities and near‐surface soil moisture in forest and grassland sites, and in historical grassland sites affected by tree encroachment. We hypothesized that spatial and temporal patterns of near‐surface soil moisture are reflected in aboveground plant community composition and structure. After initial sampling of soil moisture and plant communities, the study area was burned in a wildfire. Applying a multifactorial approach to comparing adjacent grassland and forest sites, we treated the wildfire event as a natural experiment, sampling post‐wildfire plant species composition and soil moisture, and measuring the severity and spatial heterogeneity of surface burn conditions. Evidence supports the concept of mutually exclusive fire‐reinforced bistable grassland and forest states, with greater spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture and burn severity in forests, and highly uniform patterns of soil moisture, vegetation, and burn severity in grasslands. Areas of forest encroachment on grasslands had understory plant communities dominated by exotic species, while restored grasslands had native bunchgrass cover like typical grasslands of the region. Additionally, there was post‐wildfire divergence of forest‐ and grassland‐associated plant communities. Viewed through a resilience theory conceptual framework, we suggest that ecosystem legacies are reinforcing post‐wildfire ecosystem identity and associated native plant communities. External factors—particularly past heavy livestock grazing and fire suppression—have caused ecosystem precariousness that can be addressed with management actions.

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“…Spreading by rhizomes, Kentucky bluegrass will also form a continuous mulch on the surface which has been shown to regulate soil water and temperature dynamics (Avery et al, 2019), reduce plant diversity and germination (Halvorson et al, 2022), and lead to increased soil C and N (Sanderson et al, 2017;Hendrickson et al, 2021). Despite the documented decrease in Kentucky bluegrass from the Upper Grassland and Black Chernozem zone, this species has been increasing on mesic grasslands with and without grazing in both Alberta (Zapisocki et al, 2022) and BC (Bradfield et al, 2021;Hamilton et al, 2022), and throughout the Northern Great Plains (Toledo et al, 2014). Where present, the influence of Kentucky bluegrass needs to be taken into consideration in future studies on grassland SOC change and storage.…”

Section: Stock Comparison With Data Reported By Van Ryswyk Et Al (1966)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevation gradient drives distribution of soil carbon in a semiarid grassland of British Columbia

et al. 2023

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A sequence of Brown, Dark Brown and Black Chernozems spanning a 600 m elevation gradient in a semiarid bunchgrass ecosystem (Lac du Bois Grassland) near Kamloops, British Columbia was first described in 1961. More soil organic carbon (SOC) at higher elevations along the sequence was attributed to increasing effective precipitation with increasing elevation. Since the 1961 study, plant community composition has shifted towards the desired climax community due to improved livestock management instituted in the 1970s; however, changes in soil carbon stocks remain unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify SOC and SIC (soil inorganic carbon) stocks using the same site selection criteria as used in 1961. SOC stocks (kg m-2 ± SD; 0-60 cm) were similar for Brown (5.73±1.7) and Dark Brown Chernozems (5.87±0.76) but increased sharply (10.11±2.5) for the higher elevation Black Chernozems. SIC increased with depth in all three soil zones, representing 33-50% of total C from the 30-60 cm soil depth. To evaluate changes in SOC (0-20 cm) from the 1961 measurements, three different approaches for calculating SOC stocks were used based on the inclusion or exclusion of coarse fragments. Results varied across the three soil zones from no change to a 20% increase in the Brown, an increase of 7% to a reduction of 26% in the Dark Brown, and a decrease of 12 to 35% in the Black soil zone. Information about soil coarse fragments and the distribution of SOC and SIC stocks within the soil profile is crucial for accurate comparisons across studies or resampling events.

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Effects of grazing on plant communities and successional processes vary along an aridity gradient at a northern temperate grassland

Cited by 9 publications

References 40 publications

Vegetation recovery on abandoned road segments of Highway 16 in northwestern British Columbia

Vegetation recovery on abandoned road segments of Highway 16 in northwestern British Columbia

Wildfire disturbance reveals evidence of ecosystem resilience and precariousness in a forest–grassland mosaic

Elevation gradient drives distribution of soil carbon in a semiarid grassland of British Columbia

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