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31 results for “shrub encroachment”
WPE02 Shrub stem data to quantify woody encroachment in Konza watersheds from 2020, 2022, and 2023
Woody plant encroachment (WPE) is one of the most widespread and acute threats affecting grasslands worldwide. Nature-based solutions to reversing WPE in mesic grasslands have proven largely ineffective, with decades of frequent prescribed fire failing to reverse WPE in some instances. One solution is to conduct more extreme fires compared to traditional prescribed fire. However, most tests of this idea have occurred at small scales, a mismatch with the need for landscape-scale land management. We considered two catchments, each with long-term destocking of grazers to increase fuel loads, one which accidentally burned under dry windy conditions that produced an extreme fire, while one burned under prescribed fire conditions. The extreme fire caused a sharp decline in woody cover without corresponding negative externalities such as decreases in grass cover or biodiversity. However, after three years, the woody community completely recoverd with a 23% increase in woody cover from the first to third year post-fire. The prescribed fire catchment saw minor decreases in woody plant dominance that rebounded quickly to pre-fire values. Our results suggest that reversing encroachment will likely require a long-term approach, along with applying a combination of pressures that reduce woody abundance and promote fuel loads to intensify fire.
LPT01 Leaf physiological and structural traits of encroaching shrub species at Konza Prairie
A variety of leaf-level physiological and structural traits were collected on seven species of encroaching shrubs at Konza Prairie Biological Station during the summer of 2022. Shrub species spanned an order of magnitude in abundance. These data were used to assess if the most abundant encroaching species at Konza Prairie have common growth forms and physiology or unique traits that differentiate their carbon- and water-use strategies. Measurements included A-Ci response curves, light response curves, pressure-volume curves, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf carbon and nitrogen content, leaf 13C and wood density. All measurements were collected on the same shrub individuals.
Ungulates mitigate the effects of drought and shrub encroachment on the fire hazard of Mediterranean oak woodlands
<p>Dataset included: Shrub density; Shrub biomass; Fuel load of <em>Cistus ladanifer</em>; Fuel load herbs; Fuel load litter</p>
Data from: Increased precipitation attenuates shrub encroachment by facilitating herbaceous growth in a Mongolian grassland
<p>Widespread shrub encroachment is profoundly impacting the structures and functions of global drylands, and precipitation change is assumed to be one of the most critical factors affecting this phenomenon. However, there is little evidence to show how precipitation changes will affect the process. In this study, we conducted a 6-year precipitation manipulation experiment (-30%, ambient, +30%, and +50%) to investigate the effects of precipitation changes on the growth of shrubs and herbaceous plants in a shrub-encroached grassland in Inner Mongolia. We found that the increasing precipitation significantly increased the mean height, coverage, and aboveground biomass of herbaceous species, while the growth of shrub species did not exhibit a significant response to precipitation changes. With increasing precipitation, the relative coverage of shrubs decreased, while that of herbs increased. The native dominant herbaceous plant (Leymus chinensis) with more sensitive maximum photosynthetic rate to the precipitation change, showed higher photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency and water use efficiency than those of the encroached shrub species (Caragana microphylla) at high soil moisture contents, reflecting that the ecophysiological characteristics of L. chinensis might provide it a competitive advantage under increased precipitation. Our findings suggest that increasing precipitation may slow down shrub encroachment by facilitating herbaceous growth in Mongolian grasslands, and consequently affect the forage value and carbon budget in these ecosystems. </p>
Stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of shrub encroachment on rangeland ecosystem services
<p>While the impacts of shrub encroachment on the ecosystem processes have been well-documented, little is known about the extent to which socio-cultural values and perceptions might influence actions undertaken to manage shrub proliferation. Understanding stakeholder values is important because the ecosystem’s capacity to supply a given service or suite of services must be balanced against the value society places on them. Research to date has emphasized supply with little consideration of value, making it difficult to comprehensively or objectively evaluate trade-offs and set priorities, particularly when managing for one particular service or a suite of services may adversely affect another service or suite of services. To address this, we conducted a case study in southern Arizona and New Mexico (U.S.A.) to evaluate stakeholder perceptions of and preferences for various ecosystem services provided on semi-arid rangelands where shrub proliferation in grassland has impacted traditional livestock grazing. Perceptions of rangeland ecosystem services were elicited via a visually based landscape interpretation while preferences were quantified using best-worst scaling (BWS). Our findings suggest that stakeholders familiar with rangelands and their management generally perceive low shrub cover as providing a wider range of valued ecosystem services compared to rangelands with high shrub cover. Ecosystem service preferences in the context of shrub encroachment were generally uniform across all stakeholder groups (e.g. ranchers, state/federal governmental employees, non-governmental land managers, academicians, recreationists), with habitat for biodiversity and erosion control being identified as the most preferred. Our results suggest an opportunity for brush management to serve as a potential win-win management action if framed as a way to maintain or promote rangeland biodiversity and mitigate erosion.</p>
Interactive effects of plant litter type and yak excrement on litter decomposition in a shrub-encroached alpine meadow
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Data from: Increased precipitation attenuates shrub encroachment by facilitating herbaceous growth in a Mongolian grassland
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Data from: Grazing-induced enhancement of shrub 'multifunctional island' effect is associated with altered soil bacterial β diversity in shrub-encroached grasslands
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Data from: Precipitation and nitrogen enrichment impact carbon exchange and stability: From antagonism to synergy with increasing shrub encroachment
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Data from: To burn or not to burn: comparing re-introducing fire with cutting an encroaching conifer for conservation of an imperiled shrub-steppe
Woody vegetation has increased on rangelands worldwide for the past 100-200 years, often because of reduced fire frequency. However, there is a general aversion to re-introducing fire and therefore, fire-surrogates are often used in its place to reverse woody plant encroachment. Determining the conservation effectiveness of re-introducing fire compared to fire-surrogates over different time scales is needed to improve conservation efforts. We evaluated the conservation effectiveness of re-introducing fire with a fire-surrogate (cutting) applied over the last ~30 years to control juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) encroachment on 77 sagebrush-steppe sites. Critical to conservation of this imperiled ecosystem is to limit juniper, not encourage exotic annual grasses, and promote sagebrush dominance of the overstory. Re-introducing fire was more effective than cutting at reducing juniper abundance and extending the period of time that juniper was not dominating the plant community. Sagebrush was reduced more with burning than cutting. Sagebrush, however, was predicted to be a substantial component of the overstory longer in burned than cut areas because of more effective juniper control. Variation in exotic annual grass cover was explained by environmental variables and perennial grass abundance, but not treatment, with annual grasses being problematic on hotter and drier sites with less perennial grass. This suggests that ecological memory varies along an environmental gradient. Re-introducing fire was more effective than cutting at conserving sagebrush-steppe encroached by juniper over extended time-frames; however, cutting was more effective for short-term conservation. This suggests fire and fire-surrogates both have critical roles in conservation of imperiled ecosystems.
Soil organic carbon in drylands: shrub encroachment and vegetation management effects dwarf those of livestock grazing
Dryland ecosystems occur worldwide and play a prominent, but potentially shifting, role in global biogeochemical cycling. Widespread woody plant proliferation, often associated with declines in palatable grasses, has jeopardized livestock production in drylands and prompted attempts to reduce woody cover by chemical or mechanical means. Woody encroachment also has the potential to significantly alter terrestrial carbon storage. However, little is known of the long-term biogeochemical consequences of woody encroachment in the broader context of its interaction with common dryland land uses, including "brush management" (woody plant clearing) and livestock grazing. Present assessments exhibit considerable variation in the consequences of these land use/land cover changes, with evidence that brush management may counteract sizeable impacts of shrub encroachment on soil biogeochemical pools. A challenge to assessing the net effects of brush management in shrub-encroached grasslands on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (N) pools is that land management practices are typically considered in isolation, when they are co-occurring phenomena. Furthermore, few studies have assessed spatial patterns in brush management and how these are affected in decades following treatment on sites with contrasting grazing histories. To address these uncertainties and interactions, we quantified the impacts of shrub encroachment and their subsequent mortality resulting from brush management (herbicide application) on SOC and N pools in a Sonoran Desert grassland where long-term grazing manipulations (>100 y) co-occur with shrub encroachment and brush management. Pools of SOC and N associated with herbicided shrubs declined markedly over ~40 years, offsetting 66% of the increases from shrub encroachment. However, spatial patterns in SOC induced by shrubs persisted over the decades following brush management. Century-long protection from grazing did little to change SOC and N pools. Accordingly, shrub encroachment and shrub mortality from brush management each far outweighed livestock grazing impacts. Consideration of the patterns of SOC and N through space (e.g., bole-to-dripline gradients), time (e.g., shrub age/size), land use (e.g., livestock grazing and brush management) and their interactions will position us to improve predictions of SOC and N responses to land use/land cover change, inform C-based management decisions, and objectively evaluate trade-offs with other ecosystem services.
Data from: How shrub encroachment under climate change could threaten pollination services for alpine wildflowers: a case study using the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum
Under climate change, shrubs encroaching into high altitude plant communities disrupt ecosystem processes. Yet effects of encroachment on pollination mutualisms are poorly understood. Here, we probe potential fitness impacts of interference from encroaching Salix (willows) on pollination quality of the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum. Overlap in flowering time of Salix and Polemonium is a precondition for interference and was surveyed in four extant and 25 historic contact zones. Pollinator sharing was ascertained from observations of willow pollen on bumble bees visiting Polemonium flowers and on Polemonium pistils. We probed fitness effects of pollinator sharing by measuring the correlation between Salix pollen contamination and seed set in naturally pollinated Polemonium. To ascertain whether Salix interference occurred during or after pollination, we compared seed set under natural pollination, conspecific pollen addition, and Salix pollen addition. In current and past contact zones Polemonium and Salix overlapped in flowering time. After accounting for variance in flowering date due to latitude, Salix and Polemonium showed similar advances in flowering under warmer summers. This trend supports the idea that sensitivity to temperature promotes reproductive synchrony in both species. Salix pollen is carried by bumble bees when visiting Polemonium flowers and accounts for up to 25% of the grains on Polemonium pistils. Salix contamination correlates with reduced seed set in nature and when applied experimentally. Postpollination processes likely mediate these deleterious effects as seed set in nature was not limited by pollen delivery. Synthesis: As willows move higher with climate change, we predict that they will drive postpollination interference, reducing the fitness benefits of pollinator visitation for Polemonium and selecting for traits that reduce pollinator sharing.
Data from: Native lagomorphs suppress grass establishment in a shrub‐encroached, semiarid grassland
Shrub encroachment into arid grasslands has been associated with reduced grass abundance, increased soil erosion, and local declines in biodiversity. Livestock overgrazing and the associated reduction of fine fuels has been a primary driver of shrub encroachment in the southwestern United States, but shrublands continue to persist despite livestock removal and grassland restoration efforts. We hypothesized that herbivory feedbacks from native mammals may contribute to continued suppression of grasses after the removal of livestock. Our herbivore exclusion experiment in southeastern Arizona included five treatment levels and allowed access to native mammals based on their relative body size, separating the effects of rodents, lagomorphs, and mule deer. We included two control treatments and replicated each treatment 10 times (n = 50). We introduced uniform divisions of lawn sod (Cynodon dactylon) into each exclosure for 24-hour periods prior to (n = 2) and following (n = 2) the monsoon rains and used motion-activated cameras to document herbivore visitations. In the pre-monsoon trials, treatments that allowed lagomorph access had less sod biomass relative to other treatments (p < 0.001), averaging 44% ( 36%) and 29% ( 45%) remaining biomass after the 24-hour trial periods. Following the onset of monsoons, differences in remaining biomass among treatments disappeared. Desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii) were detected more frequently than any of the other 11 herbivore species present at the site, accounting for 83% of detections during the pre-monsoon trials. Significantly more (p < 0.001) desert cottontails were detected during the pre-monsoon trials (2,077) compared to the post-monsoon trials (174), which coincided with biomass removal from lagomorph accessible treatments. We conclude that desert cottontails are significant consumers of herbaceous vegetation in shrub-encroached arid grasslands and they, along with other native herbivores, may act as a biotic feedback contributing to the competitive advantage and persistence of shrubs.
Data from: Shrub encroachment does not reduce the activity of some soil enzymes in Mediterranean semiarid grasslands
Shrub encroachment is a worldwide phenomenon with implications for desertification and global change. We evaluated its effects on the activities of urease, phosphatase and b-glucosidase in Mediterranean semiarid grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima by sampling 12 sites with and without resprouting shrubs along a climatic gradient. The presence of shrubs affected the evaluated enzymes at different spatial scales. Soils under S. tenacissima tussocks and in bare ground areas devoid of vascular plants had higher values of phosphatase and urease when the shrubs were present. For the b-glucosidase, this effect was site-specific. At the scale of whole plots (30 m 30 m), shrubs increased soil enzyme activities between 2% (b-glucosidase) and 22% (urease), albeit these differences were significant only in the later case. Our results indicate that shrub encroachment does not reduce the activity of extracellular soil enzymes in S. tenacissima grasslands.
Data from: Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands
The worldwide phenomenon of shrub encroachment in grass-dominated dryland ecosystems is commonly associated with desertification. Studies of the purported desertification effects associated with shrub encroachment are often restricted to relatively few study areas, and document a narrow range of possible impacts upon biota and ecosystem processes. We conducted a study in degraded Mediterranean grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima to simultaneously evaluate the effects of shrub encroachment on the structure and composition of multiple biotic community components, and on various indicators of ecosystem function. Shrub encroachment enhanced vascular plant richness, biomass of fungi, actinomycetes and other bacteria, and was linked with greater soil fertility and N mineralization rates. While shrub encroachment may be a widespread phenomenon in drylands, an interpretation that this is an expression of desertification is not universal. Our results suggest that shrub establishment may be an important step in the reversal of desertification processes in the Mediterranean region.
Data from: Native lagomorphs suppress grass establishment in a shrub‐encroached, semiarid grassland
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Data from: Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands
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Data from: How shrub encroachment under climate change could threaten pollination services for alpine wildflowers: a case study using the alpine skypilot, Polemonium viscosum
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Soil organic carbon in drylands: shrub encroachment and vegetation management effects dwarf those of livestock grazing
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Detecting shrub encroachment in semi-natural grasslands using UAS LiDAR
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