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Grazing Active

By Environments Program June 28, 2018

Grazing can have different impacts on an ecosystem including as a fire suppresant. USGS scientists are examining the effects of grazing in different environments to provide land resource managers with data they can use when determining grazing plans and actions.

CURRENT USGS SCIENCE:

 

Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)

 

Fort Collins Science Center (FORT)

 

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC)

 

Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)

 

Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC)

Bull bison grazing in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
Bull bison grazing in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park. (Credit: Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service. Public domain.)
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Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

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Recent publications related to grazing are listed below.

Herbivory and eutrophication mediate grassland plant nutrient responses across a global climatic gradient

Plant stoichiometry, the relative concentration of elements, is a key regulator of ecosystem functioning and is also being altered by human activities. In this paper we sought to understand the global drivers of plant stoichiometry and compare the relative contribution of climatic vs. anthropogenic effects. We addressed this goal by measuring plant elemental (C, N, P and K) responses to eutrophica
By
Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Functional group, biomass, and climate change effects on ecological drought in semiarid grasslands

Water relations in plant communities are influenced both by contrasting functional groups (grasses, shrubs) and by climate change via complex effects on interception, uptake and transpiration. We modelled the effects of functional group replacement and biomass increase, both of which can be outcomes of invasion and vegetation management, and climate change on ecological drought (soil water potenti
By
Ecosystems, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Fire and grazing influence site resistance to Bromus tectorum through their effects on shrub, bunchgrass and biocrust communities in the Great Basin (USA)

Shrubs, bunchgrasses and biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are believed to contribute to site resistance to plant invasions in the presence of cattle grazing. Although fire is a concomitant disturbance with grazing, little is known regarding their combined impacts on invasion resistance. We are the first to date to test the idea that biotic communities mediate the effects of disturbance on site r
By
Ecosystems, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Semi-arid grassland bird responses to patch-burn grazing and drought

As grassland birds of central North America experience steep population declines with changes in land use, management of remaining tracts becomes increasingly important for population viability. The integrated use of fire and grazing may enhance vegetation heterogeneity and diversity in breeding birds, but the subsequent effects on reproduction are unknown. We examined the influence of patch-burn
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Co-producing simulation models to inform resource management: a case study from southwest South Dakota

Simulation models can represent complexities of the real world and serve as virtual laboratories for asking “what if…?” questions about how systems might respond to different scenarios. However, simulation models have limited relevance to real-world applications when designed without input from people who could use the simulated scenarios to inform their decisions. Here, we report on a state-and-t
By
Ecosystems, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Vegetation response of a dry shrubland community to feral goat management on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i

The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their unique ecosystem assemblages that have a high proportion of endemic flora and fauna. However, since human colonization of this archipelago—starting with the arrival of Polynesian sailors approximately 1,200 years ago, and particularly following western contact in 1778—thousands of non-native species have been introduced to the Islands and many of these
By
Ecosystems, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

Monitoring protocols: Options, approaches, implementation, benefits

Monitoring and adaptive management are fundamental concepts to rangeland management across land management agencies and embodied as best management practices for private landowners. Historically, rangeland monitoring was limited to determining impacts or maximizing the potential of specific land uses—typically grazing. Over the past several decades, though, the uses of and disturbances to rangelan
By
Ecosystems, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Using management to address vegetation stress related to land-use and climate change

While disturbances such as fire, cutting, and grazing can be an important part of the conservation of natural lands, some adjustments to management designed to mimic natural disturbance may be necessary with ongoing and projected climate change. Stressed vegetation that is incapable of regeneration will be difficult to maintain if adults are experiencing mortality, and/or if their early life-histo
By
Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Conversion of native terrestrial ecosystems in Hawai‘i to novel grazing systems: a review

The remote oceanic islands of Hawai‘i exemplify the transformative effects that non-native herbivorous mammals can bring to isolated terrestrial ecosystems. We reviewed published literature containing systematically collected, analyzed, and peer-reviewed original data specifically addressing direct effects of non-native hoofed mammals (ungulates) on terrestrial ecosystems, and indirect effects and
By
Ecosystems, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center

News stories related to grazing are listed below.

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Plant Functional Groups Affect Ecological Drought in Semiarid Grasslands

Plant functional groups have contrasting effects on soil water availability by affecting interception, uptake, and transpiration.

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Effect of Cattle Exclosures on Columbia Spotted Frog Abundance

Livestock grazing is a major use of public lands across the western United States but there is concern that grazing might have negative effects on...

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Fire and Grazing Influence Site Resistance to Cheatgrass Invasion

Shrubs, bunchgrasses, and biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are believed to contribute to site resistance to plant invasions. 

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Handbook for sagebrush steppe restoration techniques can help sustain wildlife and western ecosystems

The sagebrush ecosystem in the western U.S is one of the largest ecosystems in North America, but it is also threatened from wildfire and invasive...

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Managing 246 million acres: new science-based tools support Bureau of Land Management’s landscape approach

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management today released a collaborative report with new information and tools to support effective...

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