Collecting soil samples in a cheatgrass-invaded landscape

Field technicians collect soil samples and monitor plants in an invasive grass dominated sagebrush steppe ecosystem in Colorado. The team measured carbon levels at two soil depths at undisturbed sites, sites that have been burned and invaded, areas that are unburned but invaded, and sites that were burned but not invaded. The study found that both wildfires and grass invasion significantly decrease soil carbon. Soil carbon is important for a wide range of ecosystem functions, including nutrient and water retention, erosion control, and drought resilience.