The hypothesis that transformation of rangelands by domestic mesoherbivores follows state-and-transition models allows for the prediction that the vegetation could cross an ecological threshold. We examine this hypothesis by attempting to identify structural thresholds in Gamka Thicket, a structurally heterogeneous variation of Albany Thicket in South Africa. We relate the physical structure and density of thicket bush clumps to distance from artificial watering points in four piosphere treatments differing in rangeland management history. Furthermore, we compare the pattern, extent, and variation in transformation at the end regions of our piosphere treatments with each other and with a transformed and untransformed reference site. Changes to the density and leaf mass below 1.5 m of bush clumps indicate that their structure is profoundly altered by mesoherbivores. Nevertheless, the evidence is not sufficient to indicate that irreversible changes in the physical structure of bush clumps have taken place and therefore that structural thresholds have been crossed. A useful addition to our sampling design would be to include exclosure plots along the piosphere gradients.

The Flooding Pampa harbors grasslands of high conservation value and provides grazing ground for extensive livestock production in uplands while lowlands are less productive. The Aboveground Net Primary Productivity (ANPP) of cool-season C3 grasses limits livestock production in this region. Consequently, two managements have been implemented to promote ANPP of these upland grasses, in contrast to the No Promotion (NP) traditional management with continuous stocking during the entire year: Herbicide Promotion (HP), and less commonly, Late Summer Intensive Grazing (LSIG). Here, we compare the effectiveness of LSIG as a potential alternative to herbicide application in promoting cool-season grass production and evaluate both short- and longer-term impacts on inter- and sub-annual ANPP. To this end, we integrated remotely sensed ANPP data from 2013 to 2019 with rainfall data from meteorological stations, field observations, and management information provided by farm managers. We found that in comparison to NP in uplands, both HP and LSIG successfully promoted ANPP during the cooler months (P < 0.05). However, under HP, this came at the expense of warm-season grasses and annual ANPP, to such an extent that upland annual ANPP under HP was reduced to similar values of the normally less productive lowlands. Our study showed that cool-season grasses can be successfully promoted with or without herbicide use, but HP leads to a longer-term degradation of forage resources. Contrary to HP, LSIG is a management that reconciles the dual goals of livestock production and grassland conservation in the Flooding Pampa.

Soil microorganisms, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and nitrogen fixing bacteria, require better integration into ecological restoration programs as they might facilitate plant establishment. Both are believed to be critical for the establishment of native rangeland plant species such as Purshia tridentata. We evaluated the AMF and bacterial diversity and abundance from soils in 1) areas with undisturbed P. tridentata stands in rangelands of north-central Oregon and 2) areas where P. tridentata was eliminated because of wildfires. We collected soil from three locations 1) areas with undisturbed P. tridentata stands in rangelands of North-central Oregon and 2) areas where P. tridentata was eliminated because of wildfires. We also collected roots from live P tridentata plants. We used 16s rRNA gene and ITS amplicon sequencing to determine and compare bacterial and AMF microbiomes. We wanted to evaluate the soil bacteria to the family level to determine the presence of the Frankiaceae family, and the AMF to the species level to evaluate which AMF species colonized this plant. Bacterial and AMF diversity did not vary between locations, but diversity and abundance of both parameters differed in roots (P < 0.05) from those of soils. AMF abundance in roots was dominated by Claroideoglomus and Glomus. The major bacterial familiy detected in soil samples was Chthoniobacteraceae, while Frankiaceae was present to a very low extent. Our results suggest that current microbial communities in the study area are homogeneous instead of being affected by the elimination of P. tridentata. However, our data reveals the current mycorrhizal communities associated with P. tridentata which can be used for restoration purposes.

Grasslands make up almost half of China's territory and are important ecological and economic areas. The native small mammals that inhabit these grasslands are often seen as pests competing with livestock and are subjected to population control. At the same time, several species are functionally important ecosystem engineers, and their removal can have far-reaching consequences for grassland health. We review the history and development of attempts to control populations of small burrowing mammals on China's grasslands from ancient times to the present day, and the relevance of these programs to grassland conservation. We describe the different methods of control in use today, and attempt to assess their prevalence and their possible effects on grassland ecosystems from a conservation perspective. Non-chemical methods are used, including manual trapping and biological control with native predators. Four rodenticides are currently registered for use on China's grasslands. Most chemical control is carried out with botulinum toxins type- C and D. We identify 41 species, across two orders (Rodentia and Lagomorpha) and seven families, which are targets of pest control. Two of these species, Marmota sibirica and Ochotona koslowi, are classed as Endangered by the IUCN. Several others are important ecosystem engineers. Case studies on the potential ecological impacts of control programs against two ecosystem engineers, zokors (Eospalax fontanierii) and marmots (Marmota spp.), are described. Finally, we give recommendations for researchers on how to approach this issue.

Rangeland management decisions require cattle producers to select practices that improve the sustainability of rangelands to maintain cattle production while remaining profitable. The invasion of Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) across the Great Plains due to fire suppression is limiting grazeable land for cattle. Woody plant encroachment (WPE), combined with drought impacts and high input costs, becomes expensive for cattle producers who are forced to supplement, destock, or both. Patch-burn grazing is a practice based on the understanding of the interaction of fire and grazing (pyric herbivory) that divides a pasture into sections, burning one section rotationally each year. It offers improved rangeland productivity by providing high-quality forages, mitigation for drought impacts, and control of WPE. Despite these benefits, the adoption of patch-burn grazing by cattle producers is limited. Our goal involved increasing awareness of the benefits of patch-burn grazing by estimating the costs and long-term economic benefits and comparing them to those of one of the more traditional approaches of burning an entire pasture every 3 yr. In building an economic analysis, our objectives were to calculate utilization costs and quantify the benefits of high-quality forages and drought impact mitigation.

Results indicated that patch-burn grazing will cost approximately $5.94 more per hectare per year than burning the entire pasture every 3 yr. The benefit of cows having continual access to high-quality forages in recently burned areas results in savings of $20 per head per year in winter supplementation costs. Additionally, utilizing patch-burn grazing before a drought, not burning during a drought, and resuming after the drought reduce supplementation and burn costs by 4.5% and increase future value of savings by $100.21 per cow compared with those caused by traditional management practices after 6 yr. An economic analysis of patch-burn grazing provides beneficial economic information to aid cow–calf producers in the decision-making process of rangeland management.

Pastoralism is one of the most important agricultural production systems in drylands worldwide. It plays an important role in both the economy and the cycle of ecosystem goods and services. However, it is vulnerable to climatic challenges such as prolonged drought and socioeconomic pressures such as administrative shortcomings and ineffective governance. Under neoliberal influence, political and economic reforms have been implemented over the last 30 years to address these threats. These reforms have promoted local institutions for rangeland management and agro-pastoral development. In this paper, we assess the impact of these reforms on pastoral devolvement and Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) by analyzing the performance of agro-pastoral community-based organizations CBOs in the province of Médenine (south-eastern Tunisia). We use a two-step methodology, with the first step focusing on a quantitative typology analysis of the performance of 31 CBOs. In a subsequent qualitative step, data from semi-structured interviews with 21 CBO chairpersons were used to identify the drivers of CBO performance.

Results show that only 10% of the CBOs studied are able to move towards autonomy and proper integration into local and regional institutional networks and development dynamics. About 42% of the CBOs need further support and are in a precarious situation as they are dependent on public support. The remaining 48% have a low growth potential and in the early stages of consolidation. The qualitative analysis suggests that these shortcomings are mainly related to the CBOs' lack of networking skills. In addition, CBOs should improve their reputation and gain more trust from pastoral communities. Our findings suggest that well-functioning institutions do contribute to rural development; however, the design of pastoralist policy and institutional reforms should include long-term complementary support for the institutions created and consideration of the pastoralist community and regional contexts in order to achieve long-lasting transformative outcomes.

Drought is one of the most complex and destructive natural hazards for rangeland managers to cope with given its inherently variable spatial and temporal impacts. California's devastating 2012–2016 drought highlights a critical need to develop adaptive strategies for coping with an increasingly variable climate. During the 2012–2016 drought, we interviewed 48 California ranchers to assess both on-ranch drought impacts and the effectiveness of implemented drought management practices. Three themes were identified based on the Adaptive Decision-Making Framework: 1) management capacity (i.e., operator demographics and operation structure), 2) drought planning and flexibility, and 3) adaptive learning (i.e., impacts experienced and effectiveness of drought management practices). Ranchers underscored the significance of drought planning, flexible management strategies, and prior experience as key factors that enabled them to navigate the 2012–2016 drought. In addition, ranchers described how explicit, proactive planning informed drought management decisions that prioritized long-term economic and ecological resilience. Although multispecies grazing was the least used proactive practice, it was identified as the most effective proactive practice by interviewed ranchers who had adopted it as a drought management tool (4.38 out of five effectiveness ranking; eight operators). Multispecies grazers (MSGs) significantly differed from single-species grazers (SSGs) in adoption of several reactive drought management practices, suggesting MSGs potentially have greater flexibility in coping with and adapting to drought. Resurgent strategies that prioritize management flexibility to mitigate drought impacts, such as multispecies grazing, may offer promise in helping ranchers adapt to future droughts. Interviewed ranchers emphasized that forward planning, including a range of proactive and reactive management strategies, were key in building flexibility and, ultimately, their resilience to drought.

Annual bromegrasses are some of the most widespread and problematic weeds in North America and present a challenge in managing rangeland, with control options needed. The herbicide indaziflam has shown promise in long-term annual brome reduction on western United States rangeland, though how this strategy applies to northern temperate grasslands, including those of western Canada, remains uncertain. We studied the effect of indaziflam rate (0, 37.5, 75, and 150 g ai ha–¹) and timing (fall vs. spring) of application on long-term biomass and density of annual brome at two field sites in Canada's northern Mixedgrass Prairie. Reductions in brome were not evident until the second growing season following treatment. During the third growing season, the current recommended rate (75 g ai ha–¹) of indaziflam reduced brome biomass and density by at least 90% at both sites. By the fourth season, indaziflam continued to reduce brome biomass by 11% and 66%, and brome density by 76% and 95%, at the two sites, respectively. While reductions in brome biomass and density occurred at rates as low as 37.5 g ai ha–¹, this rate was not as reliable as higher rates of 75 and 150 g ai ha–¹. The timing of indaziflam application had little impact on long-term brome reduction. We conclude that a single application of indaziflam can reduce annual brome, including corn brome (Bromus squarrosus L.), in northern Mixedgrass Prairie grasslands for up to 4 years, and therefore provides another tool to manage the spread of these species.

As ranchers in the western United States face more severe droughts with increased variability in forage production, their operations and associated rural communities face heightened vulnerability to drought impacts. Predicted increases in the severity and duration of droughts in this region suggest that understanding context-specific responses could allow for more effective drought responses. We employed a mixed-methods approach (mail surveys and focus groups) to understand factors that influence individual rancher's observed adaptive response and use of decision-making indicators to respond to drought. We find that, like other rangeland systems, Colorado shortgrass steppe ranchers are motivated to maintain an economically viable operation through flexible management and diverse income sources in the face of barriers like resource variability, ecological complexity, and other stressors beyond their control (e.g., climate and feed grain markets). The most common adaptation strategy was maintaining conservative stocking rates; however, ranchers also used on-site drought indicators such as decreased soil moisture, decreased summer precipitation, and high plant stress. Our research suggests that in NE Colorado, traditional rangeland management with conservative stocking rates may be an example of adaptive management. Our research suggests that it is critical to understand context to assess the adaptive actions of ranching communities.

Managing rangelands to meet social-ecological goals requires monitoring ecological indicators to inform management responses. These goals and monitoring objectives are grounded in land managers' understandings, or mental models, of the rangeland system. Rangeland managers' mental models are often highly place-specific, which can enable management actions to be matched to local conditions. In the western United States, ranchers and federal agency personnel, like those in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are two of the primary social groups involved in rangeland management. We compared ranchers' and BLM personnel's rangeland mental models across two regions. We conducted semi-structured interviews about their management goals and objectives, as well as their perspectives on important rangeland system dynamics and the constraints inhibiting them from reaching their goals. We used a mixed-methods approach, including network analysis metrics, to elucidate similarities and differences in their mental models and in the ecological indicators they use to assess rangeland health and to trigger management actions. We found that their goals differed more between social groups, whereas specific management objectives differed more between geographic regions and reflected local priorities, such as invasive species and wildfire risk. Ranchers' and agency personnel's mental models indicated divergent perspectives on the seasonal impacts of livestock on soils and vegetation and about grazing as either a disturbance to be mitigated or as a tool to maintain critical ecosystem processes. These findings indicate that ranchers and agency personnel have place-specific knowledge, but that their mental models are more similar to others in their social group than to those outside their social group in the same region. Differences in their conceptions of rangeland management suggest areas for increased communication between ranchers and agency personnel, which could in turn promote mutual understanding and collaboration toward shared objectives, thereby helping both groups overcome constraints to reach their management goals.

Prescribed fires are an important management tool for containing woody plant encroachment in rangeland ecosystems. Grasses are the dominant fuel type in rangelands. Past work has shown that grass canopy architecture, which varies among grass species, can influence flammability. Whether variation in grass fuel structure can influence postfire plant responses has not yet been tested. To bridge this gap, we set up field burning experiments with different fuel treatments and examined postfire mortality of Juniperus virginiana L. in a tallgrass prairie in southwestern Missouri. We sampled 60 trees and measured tree height and diameter at breast height before the fire. Fuels surrounding each tree were manipulated to vary independently in both fuel load and fuel structure. Flame temperatures were measured during the fire, and both stem and canopy injuries were evaluated 1 d after the fire. We surveyed tree mortality 7 mo after the fire. We found no effects of either fuel load or fuel structure on postfire mortality or on canopy injury in J. virginiana. Canopy injury was a critical fire severity measurement determining postfire mortality in J. virginiana, and taller trees are more fire resilient. Despite laboratory-observed fuel structure effects on flammability, this study finds no evidence for the importance of grass fuel load and canopy architecture in influencing postfire tree response. This result might arise from the low crown depth and low canopy water content of J. virginiana, which can promote canopy fire and result in a high mortality rate across fuel treatments. Notwithstanding the negative results, testing laboratory-based findings in field settings is important for further examining laboratory observations and upscaling individual-level processes to ecosystems to help identify the key ecological processes determining population dynamics and community assembly. Our study also suggests that prescribed fire is an effective tool to remove encroaching J. virginiana in tallgrass prairies at an early stage.

Searching for hidden calves in grazing lands is a great burden for herders, although the hiding behavior of calves is important in animal welfare. Recently, wireless transmission services for mountain rescue have attracted considerable attention and the services have branched out into the pet rescue field as well. The transmission device does not utilize global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or internet communication, but only emits a radio signal that can be received by a specific receiver within a specific distance. Therefore, the device is lightweight and can be used for a relatively long time without recharging. We evaluated the effectiveness of the wireless transmission system in reducing the labor required for herders to search for hidden calves in grazing lands. The search trials were conducted in four paddocks (4.8–5.1 ha), which were located on an uneven terrain in the mountains, consisting of pasture and wood sections; therefore, these paddocks were under poor visibility conditions for cattle search. Using a dummy calf that imitated a 1-week-old calf, we performed a total of 40 search trials (five trials each with and without device support in each paddock), and compared the moving distance (search distance) and searching time, with and without device support. Moreover, we conducted 30 search trials using three Japanese Black calves fitted with the devices, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the device support. In the search trials involving dummy calf, the use of the device significantly reduced the moving distance and searching time. In the 30 search trials involving actual calves with device support, hidden calves were found using only the device's indications. There were no device failures or the collars falling off. Therefore, the wireless transmission device is useful for searching for hidden calves in grazing lands.

L. chinensis is considered an important plant for saline-sodic soil restoration. Ecological stoichiometry of multiple nutrient elements in Leymus chinensis (L. chinensis) and soils subjected to long-term saline-sodic stress remains unclear, which hinders our understanding of the mechanisms regulating nutrient cycling in the plant-soil environment. We examined nutrient element levels in saline-sodic soil and L. chinensis in western Jilin Province. Soil analysis revealed medium to high levels of available N, K, P, Mo, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn. The Mn/Fe and N/P ratios exceeded the national soil average of China, while those of Fe/Cu, Fe/Zn, and P/K were comparatively lower. Furthermore, L. chinensis exhibited deficiencies in the Mn, Zn, and P. Mo/Mn, Mo/Zn, and Fe/Zn ratios, which were significantly higher compared to healthy plants, while Mn/Fe and P/K showed the opposite trend. Soil pH had the most significant effect on element stoichiometry in both the soil and in L. chinensis. Particularly, the soil available Mn, Zn, K, along with L. chinensis Mn, Fe, Cu, and P levels exhibited sensitivity to pH fluctuations. Additionally, we observed significant synergistic or antagonistic effects between the soil available element concentration and stoichiometry ratios. Among these, only Mn, Fe, Fe/Zn, Mo/Zn, N/K, and Mo/Fe in L. chinensis were significantly modeled (P < 0.05). The Mo/Fe homeostasis index was the lowest at 0.97, followed by Fe (1.16), N/K (2.28), Mo/Zn (2.59), Fe/Zn (3.38), and Mn (4.92), while other elements and their stoichiometric ratios remained stable. Overall, L. chinensis, as the dominant species in saline-sodic soil, demonstrated high homeostasis.

Invasive grasses reduce native plant diversity in North America's tallgrass prairies and are commonly controlled using herbicide followed by seeding of native plants. Despite the long-term development of plant communities after seeding, evaluations of restoration outcomes rarely exceed 2 yr. Further, plant community development may be influenced by grazing by domestic cattle, a dominant land use in working landscapes that typify the Great Plains, yet this relationship is seldom explored. In the eastern Great Plains, we evaluated plant community characteristics over 8 yr in tallgrass prairies invaded by tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) after treatment with herbicide followed by seeding native plants. We compared 16 restoration sites seeded once between spring 2014 and 2021 to 2 unrestored, invaded sites and 3 high-diversity reference sites that were not restored. Domestic cattle grazed six restoration sites and one unrestored, invaded site; the remaining sites were ungrazed. In July 2021, we quantified the dominance and cover of herbaceous plants and the composition and richness of seeded species. Annual forb dominance, seeded species establishment and composition, native forb cover, and seeded species richness of older restorations closely resembled references. However, grazed restorations resembled high-quality references less closely than ungrazed restorations. Future studies should consider identifying high-quality reference sites that are grazed because ungrazed references may represent inappropriate target conditions for grazed restorations. The similarities we observed between older restorations and references highlight the importance of long-term evaluations when quantifying restoration outcomes and indicate that treatment with herbicide followed by native seeding has long-lasting positive effects for restoring native plant communities in invaded tallgrass prairies. Enhancing the practicality and effectiveness of restoration efforts in working landscapes is key to supporting grassland restoration.

Invasive annual grasses threaten the ecological integrity of the sagebrush ecosystem, often increasing when wildfires or other disturbances reduce perennial vegetation. In response to this threat, perennial bunchgrasses are often seeded after wildfire. Because of greater success in establishment, introduced bunchgrasses are often selected for seeding instead of commercially available native bunchgrasses. However, locally sourced native bunchgrasses appear to establish better than generally expected for commercially available native bunchgrasses but introduced bunchgrasses still establish better and result in greater suppression of invasive annual grasses. In areas where native bunchgrasses have been established from seeding but annual grass abundance remains high, selective control of annual grasses may improve success. Comparisons between areas where locally sourced native and introduced bunchgrasses were seeded and established, followed by annual grass control, are lacking. We investigated vegetation characteristics in areas drill-seeded with introduced compared with locally sourced native bunchgrasses after a wildfire that received selective annual grass control (imazapic application) 3 yr after seeding. Treatments that were seeded with locally sourced native or introduced bunchgrasses followed by spraying imazapic increased bunchgrass cover and density compared with areas not seeded but sprayed with imazapic. Bunchgrass cover and density were greater in areas seeded with introduced compared with native bunchgrasses and sprayed with imazapic. Invasive annual grass abundance was reduced with seeding introduced bunchgrasses followed with imazapic application, but not with seeding locally sourced native bunchgrasses followed with spraying imazapic. These results suggest that locally sourced native bunchgrasses have the potential for restoration success, but research needs to determine what follow-up treatments (e.g., additional seeding, longer-term annual grass control, and more diverse seed mixes) are needed to further promote perennial vegetation abundance and increase resistance to annual grasses to achieve similar outcomes as seeding introduced bunchgrasses.

Increasing wildfire has motivated the construction of fuel breaks on many rangelands to improve prospects for wildfire suppression. However, the linear shape of fuel breaks greatly increases treatment perimeter:area and thus increased potential for edge effects, e.g., invasions by exotic plants. Potential for edge effects are further increased by the disturbances associated with fuel-break implementation. Fire risk in perennial-dominated and sagebrush-steppe rangelands are increased by exotic species, such as cheatgrass and other associated annuals, and therefore invasions after fuel-break implementation are problematic, yet have rarely been evaluated. Abundances of dominant invaders, cheatgrass and Russian thistle, were measured along treated and neighboring untreated edges in 40 paired plots along ∼61 km of 60-m wide fuel breaks. Fuel breaks were constructed using a variety of shrub-cutting and herbicide applications 1–4 yr before measurement. Generalized linear mixed effect models revealed that fractional cover significantly increased in treated compared with untreated areas by 0.02–0.12 for cheatgrass and 0–0.06 for Russian thistle within 9 m of treatment boundaries (on a scale of 0-1). We neither detected increased invasion in adjacent and untreated areas nor gradients of increasing invasion with proximity to treatment boundaries. Although these findings reveal invasions that were otherwise undetected across the entire 60 m width of fuel breaks, invasion levels did not surpass nominal management thresholds for fire behavior or risk of conversion to annual grasslands.

Pastoral resource scarcity resulting from climate shocks, particularly drought, impoverishes and adversely affects pastoralists in arid and semiarid lands. Understanding how pastoralists apply established and contemporary risk management approaches is critical for policy and planning on social protection for vulnerable communities. Hence, this study sought to describe existing informal risk-sharing approaches and explore index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) as a formal risk-sharing approach employed by pastoralists to cope with pastoral resource scarcity. Based on the socioecological and disaster approaches to resilience theory, this research employed a qualitative descriptive design. Using semistructured in-person interviews, data were collected from a sample of 69 household respondents, a focus group discussion, and 4 key informants. This study found that although social networks enhance resource sharing, adverse climate stressors were strangling the traditional resource-sharing structures of pastoralism. As a result, this study noted a potential shift from collective risk sharing to household-based or self-insurance among pastoralists. IBLI uptake was recorded as low at 17% due to low awareness levels, a slowed premium sale supply, and a plausible product trust deficit. This study affirms that formal insurance can leverage informal insurance social networks to assist households in coping better with climate shocks, thus enhancing livelihood resilience. The study recommends establishing a framework that integrates both the traditional and modern approaches to risk sharing. Additionally, a focus on designing formal risk-sharing products that cater to household and collective shock recovery may be promising.

The absence of an accurate account of rangeland fauna is becoming increasingly limiting due to the threats created by climate change, biodiversity loss, energy extraction, and changing land use in the western United States, all of which pose new challenges for effective rangeland management. To address this lack of information and underscore the importance of rangelands for wildlife biodiversity, we conducted a rigorous, standardized, and comprehensive inventory of vertebrates inhabiting rangeland ecosystems in the western United States. We classified each species as rangeland dependent, rangeland associated, or nonrangeland associated based on their habitat, life history, and food requirements. Additionally, we identified primary habitat type associations, as well as the federal (USA) and international conservation statuses for each species. Our inventory included 1,593 species in the 21 western U.S. states, with 1,066 classified as rangeland species (429 rangeland dependent, 637 rangeland associated). Among rangeland species, 2% are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and 3% are considered either endangered or critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List. Our baseline inventory can be used in the development of management plans for rangeland ecosystems and to inspire conservation efforts for these critical ecosystems.

Aboveground biomass is important, yet difficult to estimate in dryland ecosystems due to high spatial heterogeneity and the variability of graminoid growth form and density. Allometric relationships are one method of estimating above-ground biomass of forage resources. These models use growth characteristics such as height or diameter to predict biomass. While allometry in forest ecosystems is common, biomass estimation in grasslands and shrublands is primarily based on harvesting or percent cover. Cover estimates vary among researchers and require double sampling at each site to create a relationship between cover and biomass. Multispecies (general) allometric models for high value forage groups, like perennial bunchgrasses, could increase the efficiency of biomass estimation by eliminating the need for destructive sampling. While some general models exist, few studies focus on the application of these models to locations outside the training populations. We tested the applicability of a general bunchgrass model to locations not included in model training against general models developed using biomass samples from our focal sites. We found that our general bunchgrass model trained on data we collected in 2019 made accurate predictions at 76% of sites and that this model outperformed a general bunchgrass model trained on data collected at different sites and by a different research group, which made accurate predictions at 64% of our sites. Despite the loss in accuracy, our study highlights the potential value in further developing general allometric equations for perennial grasses through the development of a grass database. This database may lead to the development of general models with higher confidence in extrapolation beyond the training populations increasing both efficiency and accuracy for land managers.

Habitat loss and fragmentation have been implicated in the decline of chestnut-bellied scaled quail (Callipepla squamata castanogastris) in southern Texas, U.S.A. Although a general affinity of the subspecies for native thornscrub is known, its specific habitat requirements are less studied, and no information exists regarding its demography. We conducted a study in southern Texas (n = 5 ranches; LaSalle and McMullen counties) to 1) quantify survival, reproduction, and occupancy of chestnut-bellied scaled quail and 2) characterize its nesting habitat to help inform future rangeland management. We captured and radio-collared individuals (n = 137) during Mar–Aug 2013 and 2014 to estimate survival and reproduction and conducted call-count surveys (n = 60 points) during May–August of both years to estimate occupancy and detection probability. We measured vegetation characteristics at nest sites (n = 53 nests) and paired random points to document habitat use. We documented seasonal survival (0.68–0.85), clutch size (10–11 eggs), and apparent nest success (38–59%) that were within values reported for scaled quail in other portions of its geographic distribution. However, relative abundance was low (0.14–0.25 calling males/point), as was occupancy (0.56–0.73) and probability of detection (0.10–0.32). Regarding nesting habitat, pricklypear (Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck ex Engelm.) was the most common nesting substrate (68%; n = 53 nests), with pricklypear (95% CI β = 0.992–1.105; P < 0.09), woody plants (95% CI β = 1.001–1.042; P < 0.04), and native grasses (95% CI β = 0.993–1.129; P < 0.08) being important variables distinguishing nests from random sites. Nest survival was negatively influenced by non-native grass cover (95% CI β = -0.115 to -0.006). Preservation of diverse shrub and native-grass communities should receive high consideration when planning brush management in southern Texas if conservation of chestnut-bellied scaled quail is a goal.

Documenting the distribution of cattle dung across grazed pastures is an important part of understanding nutrient cycling processes in grasslands. However, investigation of distributions at adequate spatial scales and over extended time periods is hindered by the lack of a time- and cost-efficient method for documenting and monitoring dung pat locations. To address this research challenge, an unmanned aerial vehicle and multispectral sensor were used to identify and classify dung pats. Imagery was collected on 12 flights over a subirrigated meadow in the Nebraska Sandhills, in which two different grazing strategies were being evaluated: an ultrahigh stocking density and a low stocking density. The images were classified using supervised classification with a support vector machine algorithm, and post-classification accuracy was assessed using a confusion matrix. In addition, Ripley's K was used to identify high-density dung areas at varying densities and spatial extents. The classification had an overall accuracy of 82.6% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.71. The user's accuracy of dung classification was higher (0.91) than the producer's (0.73). The majority of classification errors were related to the misclassification of dung as vegetation, often in spectrally complex areas where shadowing affected the ability of the classifier to correctly identify dung. Classification accuracy declined precipitously after dung reached 10-14 d of age, both because of the change in spectral reflectance due to drying and because of the regrowth of vegetation. The density-based cluster analysis found no clustering in the low stocking density treatment; dung in the ultra-high stocking density treatment was most frequently found to be clustered near water sources, in corners, and near supplement feeders. This approach to dung identification, mapping, and spatial cluster analysis is a promising alternative to existing methods and deserves further exploration at additional spatial scales and in diverse ecological settings using current technologies.

Seminatural European grasslands and pastures have a high conservation value because they provide different goods and services (meat, wool, carbon sequestration, etc.) and harbor diverse communities of plants and animals. These land use systems were created by low- and moderate-intensity use and, nowadays, face threats from both abandonment and overuse. Although less productive or less accessible areas are abandoned, triggering afforestation processes, others are subject to intensive agricultural practices with the addition of production factors and modern management schemes. Neither is comparable with the traditional uses that first formed and maintained these systems for generations, and therefore, it is fundamental to design effective policies to ensure a sustainable territorial coexistence of modern agriculture and traditional pastures and grasslands. In this work, we assessed the recent dynamics of pastures and grasslands in Slovenia. The results show distinct local changes and a nationwide general dynamic of area reduction and loss of patches. After elaborating on how such changes affect the landscape and some species according to their traits, we provide practical recommendations for policy design to contribute to protecting and promoting this land use system. We argue that the two major priorities should be to preserve the most relevant patches and to try to convert other land uses into grasslands, preferably attempting to merge separated patches and thus increasing the mean patch size of grasslands. Overall, by identifying trends, locating the different spatial changes, and complementing with a connectivity analysis, this approach can be valuable in identifying effective measures to protect and improve grasslands. Besides the concrete results obtained from the Slovenian case study, the underlying rationale and work-flow can be applied elsewhere to produce similar outputs that help identify land transformation patterns and interpret specific land use category dynamics.

Livestock grazing is the primary land use across sagebrush ecosystems in the western US and its effects have been subject to extensive research and debate. Historical overgrazing, annual grass invasion and associated increase in fire frequency, conifer encroachment, climate change, and human modification have resulted in the loss or degradation of 86% of sagebrush ecosystems, leading to intensified interest in how remaining intact rangelands are managed. Unlike historical, continuous grazing, contemporary practices generally incorporate planned periods of rest and recovery from grazing during the growing season. Dormant season grazing is one such practice that shows promise for improving degraded rangelands and reducing wildfire risk. However, no studies have compared moderate intensity dormant season grazing to contemporary spring-summer grazing and grazing exclusion in sagebrush rangelands dominated by perennial bunchgrasses. We evaluated the effects of contemporary spring-summer grazing, dormant season grazing, and grazing exclusion on plant community characteristics in a Wyoming big sagebrush ecosystem. We expected the effects of dormant season grazing to be comparable to grazing exclusion. Deep-rooted perennial bunchgrass cover and density and shallow-rooted perennial bunchgrass cover in grazed areas did not differ from grazing exclusion (control) sites, and we found no support that grazing altered the deep-rooted perennial bunchgrass community through time. Dormant season grazing reduced native annual forb and sagebrush cover, but increased density of the shallow-rooted perennial bunchgrass. Our results suggest contemporary spring-summer or dormant season grazing are unlikely to lead to a decline in desirable perennial bunchgrasses.

Monitoring floral biodiversity is a critical step in understanding terrestrial ecosystems. However, manual methods to quantify flowering vegetation are costly in time and personnel. In large landscapes, these limited methods may not capture the spatial and temporal variation of floral resources. Recent advances in sensors and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms offer opportunities to characterize the dynamic distribution of floral resources at the landscape level. In this study, UAV imagery and a multistep machine learning classification analysis were used to quantify floral resources in nonagricultural environments, where topography, vegetation, and inflorescence size were variable. Seven flowering species covering an area of 2 138 m² were classified throughout our study, equaling 0.5% of the overall landscape. We determined the period of flowering for important species based on the temporal changes of the floral area classified from UAV images. Models performed well considering the extreme rarity of flowers in the UAV images. The flower class in the land cover classification models performed well with an average sensitivity of 0.77 and average specificity of 0.99. Individual flower classes also performed well with the majority of flower classes receiving sensitivity and specificity values of over 0.90. The use of UAVs is a feasible method for characterizing floral resources in nonagricultural settings. Classifications would benefit from a more robust and comprehensive UAV and floral resource sampling plan, to better characterize the variability of floral resources in UAV imagery.

Prescribed fire in coastal prairies maintains habitat diversity, improves nutrient cycling, and reduces impacts of invasive species. However, some invasive species thrive after disturbance, necessitating more nuanced management strategies. Managers in the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge use combinations of prescribed fire and herbicide to control the spread of Macartney rose (Rosa bracteata). However, literature suggests that the efficacy of such a strategy has been inconsistent, perhaps owing to differences in the seasonal timing and frequency of herbicide and burning treatments. We compared the timing of herbicide applications in relation to prescribed fire and their effects on Macartney rose by monitoring 160 × 100 m² belt transects distributed among four categories of treatment strategy: prefire herbicide, postfire herbicide, both, or no herbicide (fire only). Prefire herbicide applications were conducted followed by prescribed fires in December 2021–January 2022, and postfire herbicide was applied in April–May 2022. We conducted plant surveys and measured Macartney rose density and cover in between and after each treatment. After all treatments, we collected arthropods by sweep netting and identified them to the order level. We also baited and collected ants and later identified and counted red imported fire ants under a microscope. We found that Macartney rose density declined by ∼40% and cover exhibited a five-fold decrease in transects that received herbicide both before and after fire, whereas plant and arthropod diversity were unchanged regardless of herbicide treatment. Prescribed fire and herbicide application are essential tools for modern coastal prairie management, but nuances regarding the different ways these tools might be combined should be considered to optimize invasive species control while limiting undesirable effects. In the case presented in this study, Macartney rose was most significantly reduced, and plant and arthropod diversity were maintained using strategies that combined fire and herbicide differently than most common practice.

The contentious rotational grazing debate has continued without resolution for decades with proponents and opponents drawing contradictory evidence-based conclusions. Lack of explicit distinction in grazing systems' terminology may be an important contributor to the contradictory conclusions, but this issue has received scant attention. To better understand the role of terminology in the grazing management efficacy, we surveyed 870 ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas during January to March 2022. Dividing ranchers into extensive, intermediate, and intensive groups based on their self-identified grazing practice and paddock numbers, we compared a wide range of variables including ranch/rancher characteristics and grazing outcomes among the three groups. We found that the extensive group differed from the intermediate group in 4–15% of the examined variables, whereas the extensive and intensive groups differed in 63–81% of the variables. In terms of ranching outcomes, we found no difference between the extensive and intermediate groups, yet the extensive group differed from the intensive group in 50–100% of the studied outcomes. Such differences highlight the importance of distinguishing between intermediate and intensive grazing management groups when examining the benefits of rotational grazing over continuous grazing, a notable deficiency in much of the previous literature. Our results also point to the need to refine terminology used for grazing management strategies and intensity to ensure consistent comparisons across studies.

Exotic annual weeds have invaded and transformed western North American ecosystems. Restoration of these invaded sites has been met with low levels of success. Pre-emergent herbicides can effectively control these annual weeds, but this treatment does not allow for the concurrent seeding of desired species. Seeding within a deep U-shaped furrow following herbicide application may be a method to reduce preemergent herbicide effects by transferring the herbicide away from the seed at the time of planting. We investigated this method by spraying plots with or without the pre-emergent herbicide imazapic, then planting with or without a deep furrow. Treatments (i.e., spraying and furrowing) were applied using mechanical equipment within a single pass at six sites. In plots without imazapic, deep furrows generally had higher plant density and more above-ground biomass of seeded species than those in plots without furrows. Similarly, in plots with imazapic, deep furrows generally improved measured plant metrics for the seeded species. For example, plant density in deep furrows was 62–97% higher than that with non-furrow treatments in plots with imazapic and 41–89% higher in plots without imazapic. Deep furrows also decreased exotic annual weeds in the first year after planting, but weed reduction was generally more effective when this treatment was applied with imazapic. Overall, this research provides evidence that deep furrows alone can improve seeding success in most instances. Nevertheless, combining herbicide application with deep furrows in a one-pass system should be considered in areas with high weed cover. Due to the substantial soil disturbance caused by deep furrows, this method should be selectively applied, such as constraining the treatment to substantially degraded areas.

Human practices and local governance effects on plant communities is a major question in socio-ecological sustainability. Pastoralists' practices are intricately linked to governance systems and to their social-ecological context. For example, spatial-temporal mobility arises as a means to cope with seasonal variability of forage mass. This mobility might deeply influence plant biodiversity in rangelands by changing the ratio of perennial and annual life-forms. This study focuses on the commonly governed high-altitude rangelands of Castril, Santiago and Pontones (CSP) in North-Eastern Andalusia (Spain). CSP are grounded on three pastoralist communities who have self-organized into three different governance systems, that of Castril, Santiago and Pontones, for the use of three contiguous rangelands through extensive and transhumant grazing. Pastoralists undertaking Short-Distance Transhumance (SDT) or Long-Distance Transhumance (LDT) arrive on the CSP summer rangelands in early May and June respectively. We aim to identify plant community types within CSP to unravel the effect of community-based governances found in these three commons and the impact of the different transhumance types (SDT vs. LDT) on the plant community structure and composition. For this, during spring 2022 and 2023, we carried out 72 vegetation transects (point-contact monitoring methodology) spread in Castril, Santiago and Pontones encompassing the transhumance modalities. Plant data were analyzed through a Non-metric MultiDimensional Scaling (NMDS) ordination based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index. NMDS results revealed variability within the plant community distinguishing between perennials and annuals which belong to different phytosociological classes. This variability was partially related to transhumance modalities with LDT areas showing high density of perennials, whereas SDT areas showing high density of annuals belonging to the Tuberarietea-guttatae phytosociological class. Our findings suggest that LDT areas may provide more forage mass than SDT areas during summer drought.

Rangelands are an important grazing resource worldwide, but in many regions, supplemental forage is needed to support grazing during parts of the year. Mountain irrigated hay meadows are an integral hay-producing component of livestock operations in the Intermountain Western United States (US), but productive capacity is made challenging by short growing season (elevation >2000 m) and inefficient flood irrigation strategies. Further, these factors have reduced residue decomposition and led to the development of an organic horizon at the soil surface which stores large amounts of soil organic matter (SOM) and nitrogen (N). Better understanding of N-cycling and SOM dynamics is necessary to improve N management and sustainability of forage production in meadows. A field study was conducted at four ranches in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado, US, in 2021 to evaluate the effect of long-term flood irrigation and N fertilization on soil carbon (C) and N pools. Soil pits were excavated to 1.5-m depth in three management systems: unirrigated rangeland, irrigated-unfertilized meadow, and irrigated-fertilized meadow. In each pit, genetic soil horizons were sampled and analyzed for total organic C (TOC), total N (TN), dissolved organic C (DOC), and N (DON), microbial biomass C (MBC), and N (MBN), potentially mineralizable C (PMC), and N (PMN), nitrate, and ammonium. Irrigation dramatically increased TOC concentration at the soil surface, and also increased TOC in the entire profile. However, N fertilization negated the effects of irrigation, as fertilized meadow stabile and labile C and N pools more closely resembled those of rangelands. Fertilized and unfertilized meadows had less labile C and N per unit of stable C and N compared to rangelands, and lower PMN, suggesting lower SOM mineralization or loss to leaching. Alternative irrigation strategies that reduce soil waterlogging will likely improve SOM cycling and forage production in hay meadows but should be balanced with SOM sequestration and other ecosystem services.

Outreach and programs aimed at encouraging the adoption of conservation practices in agriculture often rely upon insights from past, current, and potential users. However, collecting feedback can be challenging, especially for innovative or complex practices. This research note presents an approach used to elicit rancher input on Smart Foodscapes (SFS) -islands of diverse perennial legumes and forbs with high nutrient content, tested as part of a transdisciplinary USDA-funded project designed to improve the sustainability and profitability of western US beef production. We shared a 4-minute video about SFS, followed by an online survey to a sample of Utah ranchers. We reflect on the usefulness of this technique in gathering ranchers' feedback, focusing on strengths and weaknesses in informing the iterative project along with methodological considerations. We find that ranchers' perceptions of SFS are motivated by economic benefits, environmental stewardship, and better land management. Challenges included managing SFS within their existing ranching system and cost and time investment compared to future benefits. Methodologically, our research highlights the role of audiovisual tools to help convey complicated concepts. However, our research revealed the limitations of purchased email lists from private vendors and strategies to filter out irrelevant responses from social media were required. Finally, the study provides insights for outreach efforts and highlights early engagement and clear communication as critical aspects of transdisciplinary projects. We recommend that future research should explore how ranchers' sense of place influences adoption decisions. Also, the survey revealed ranchers' concerns about government trust (12%). Thus, we will investigate whether government trust affects their willingness to adopt SFS in future research. Also, involving stakeholders and setting up a dynamic feedback mechanism is necessary for the successful implementation of innovative systems-level sustainable agricultural systems. While focused on SFS, applied and methodological insights can be used in agricultural conservation efforts more broadly.

Characterizing the connectivity of materials, organisms, and energy on rangelands is critical to understanding and managing ecosystem response to disturbances. For over twenty years, scientists and rangeland managers have used the gap intercept method to monitor connectivity. However, using gap intercept measurements to infer ecosystem processes or inform management actions and conservation practices on rangelands has been limited because there are few tools and syntheses to help managers pragmatically interpret gap measurements. In this synthesis, we review the different ways the gap intercept method is conducted and highlight considerations when collecting and using gap intercept data. We discuss what is known about how gap intercept data can be used to assess wind and water erosion, biocrust abundance and composition, soil fertility, plant community dynamics, wildlife habitat characteristics, and fuel connectivity and fire behavior. Finally, we identify emerging opportunities regarding the collection and use of gap intercept data to assess rangeland connectivity, ecosystem function, and ecological processes. Through this synthesis we demonstrate the value of the gap intercept method, particularly “all-plant” (i.e., whole-community) canopy gap, in supporting assessments of rangeland condition and vulnerability, and in planning future management actions.

Perturbations in ecological processes can occur when wildlife alter their spatiotemporal activity patterns to avoid human activities that they perceive as a risk. Such perturbations can have cascading effects throughout wildlife communities. For greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse), nest predation plays an important role in population dynamics. Domestic cattle (Bos taurus) grazing has been hypothesized to increase nest predation by reducing grass height, and therefore reducing nest concealment, which may facilitate nest detection by predators. Grass height is lower on grazed pastures, but sage-grouse nest success appears similar on pastures grazed at varying intensities in several recent studies. Any reductions in nest concealment caused by grazing could potentially be offset by a localized response of one or more nest predators to the presence of cattle (i.e., the cattle avoidance hypothesis). A reduction in nest predator density or relative use within pastures could explain similar patterns of nest success on pastures grazed at varying intensities. Also, wildlife can potentially partition themselves temporally to avoid risks associated with human activities. For example, a shift in diel activity patterns by nest predators in response to cattle could result in predators being active during portions of the day when they are less efficient at locating sage-grouse nests. Thus, the effects of grazing could be offset by a temporal avoidance of cattle by predators. We deployed motion sensor cameras across six pastures to evaluate whether coyotes (Canis latrans; a primary sage-grouse nest predator) altered spatiotemporal activity patterns in response to cattle. We found that the probability of detecting coyotes had a positive relationship with cattle detections at camera sites (β = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.14,0.30). We also found that coyotes did not shift their diel activity patterns in response to cattle being in the pastures. Thus, in our system, similar sage-grouse nest success among pastures with different grazing intensities cannot be explained by the cattle avoidance hypothesis, at least for coyotes.

Tillering—an important vegetative propagation process in grass whereby new shoots emerge laterally—regulates plant and ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbances, especially for desert steppe ecosystems. However, the response of desert steppe plant tillering to grazing and its related physiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the impact of long-term (15 yr) grazing intensity, including no grazing (CK), light grazing (LG), moderate grazing (MG), and heavy grazing (HG) on the tiller number, weight, photosynthesis rate, endogenous hormones, and antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as nutrient storage in tiller node and roots of desert steppe species Stipa breviflora. Compared with the CK, grazing reduced the above-ground biomass of S. breviflora in terms of tiller number and weight. Specifically, the tiller number under HG (33 per plant) was significantly lower than under CK (65 per plant). Tiller weight was significantly lower at each grazing intensity compared to CK. While LG improved the leaf net photosynthetic rate, HG decreased the leaf net photosynthetic rate, reduced sugar content, and increased crude protein. Grazing resulted in increased leaf endogenous auxin, gibberellin, and abscisic acid. Other measured factors were not affected by grazing disturbance. Structural equation modeling showed that grazing-induced decrease in tiller number can be co-explained by excess endogenous hormones (auxin, gibberellin, and abscisic acid), and lowered photosynthetic rate and crude protein and sugar content (soluble sugar, and reducing sugar), with standard total effect sizes of 0.51, 0.39 and 0.24, respectively. However, the decrease in tiller weight was only the result of endogenous hormone accumulation, with a standard total effect size of 0.60. Our results demonstrate that grazing negatively impacted tiller number and weight, but highlight different regulatory mechanisms, thus illustrating links between plant physiological characteristics, functional traits, and ecosystem functioning in response to grazing disturbance.

Snow amounts and duration are susceptible to climate change and may significantly affect plant diversity and biomass in grassland ecosystems. Yet, the combined effects of grassland use (type and intensity) and snow depth on plant diversity and productivity remain poorly understood. We established two complementary field experiments to explore the mechanisms driving the effects of grassland use (type and intensity) and snow manipulation on plant diversity and productivity in the meadow steppe. An experiment on grassland use type and snow manipulation showed that lower snow cover in winter reduced soil moisture in the snowmelt period, significantly increased the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, and initiated nitrification earlier, resulting in the loss of soil available nitrogen, and then reduced the aboveground biomass of early grasses. An experiment on grassland mowing intensity and snow manipulation showed that moderate mowing intensity can restrain the loss of grass biomass and soil nutrients and maintain grassland sustainability in winters with less snow. Stochasticity has played a more important role in plant community assembly in higher intensity of grassland use. Based on our results, we recommend that optimal defoliation height can restrain the loss of grass biomass and soil nutrients and maintain grassland sustainability in winters with less snow. This study has potential benefits for optimizing sustainable production and maintaining ecosystem function under winter snowfall changes in the future across large regions of arid and semiarid grasslands.

Low tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) is increasingly used to improve river corridor resilience to diverse stressors introduced by changing land use, climate, and water usage. However, the future of LTPBR depends on multiple physical, ecological, and social factors, including the influence of water availability on LTPBR outcomes and the legal capacity for future restoration in water-limited environments. A growing body of scientific and legal literature on LTPBR allows for a quantitative, regional comparison of LTPBR projects to understand: (1) How do physical characteristics of LTPBR projects (including structure type, number, and local setting) influence the magnitude of change following LTPBR? and (2) How are social dimensions related to practitioner attitudes and water law impacting LTPBR? We evaluated data from 65 LTPBR projects in the western U.S. that used natural beaver dams, beaver dam analogues, or one-rock dams to quantify trends in commonly measured outcomes with geographic location, project size, and local precipitation. We additionally reviewed water law in five states across the western U.S. and interviewed 13 restoration practitioners to consider the social dimensions of LTPBR. Results show that LTPBR projects significantly increased water storage, sediment storage, and riparian vegetation greenness, and that outcomes vary significantly with mean annual precipitation, time since restoration, and LTPBR type. Trends suggest that LTPBR could provide expected outcomes across western rangelands even amid changing water availability. Changes to state-level water laws and perceptions of social benefits of LTPBR could support the expansion of stream restoration in rangeland streams. More monitoring and collaborations are needed to better implement, manage, and understand LTPBR projects and outcomes.

The Moroccan rangelands face significant threats, yet their species assessment and ecology remain understudied. Hence, the M'Goun Geopark was selected as a case study. Species were sampled using the stratified sampling approach combined with floristic habitat sampling. Nonparametric diversity and evenness indices were employed to estimate diversity. Subsequently, species were evaluated against IUCN status, endemism, and rarity. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) and hierarchical clustering techniques were applied to explore plant communities. Concurrently, the ecology of these rangeland communities was examined. The Geopark rangelands support exceptional biodiversity, harboring 12.03% of Morocco's plant species, totaling 509 species. The Asteraceae family is the most prominent, followed by the Fabaceae and Poaceae. The nonparametric estimator Chao 2 estimates 543.24 species, and Jackknife 1 estimates 566.48 species. In addition, the assessment revealed the precarious state of biodiversity in the Geopark. A concerning 27.73% of the assessed species are threatened according to the IUCN, and a significant portion (74.45%) lack proper evaluation. The endemism rate is 21%, with nearly half (49.5%) of these endemic species restricted solely to Morocco. Rarity criteria indicate a 17.43% rarity rate, including 8.4% considered very rare, 4.42% rare, 8.78% suspected rare, and three vulnerable. These species form 13 associations within the QUERCETEA ILICIS class, distributed across various ecological conditions and occupying elevations between 540 m and 3700 m. The bioclimate ranges from semi-arid to subhumid. Climate parameters vary considerably, with precipitation ranging from 247.13 mm to 733.83 mm, Tmin oscillating from -0.65°C to 12.69°C, and Tmax spanning between 11.42°C and 25.66°C. The associations occupy Thermomediterranean to Oromediterranean vegetation levels, particularly in limestone, clay, and sandstone substrates. Our findings reveal that these rangelands are at the epicenter of Anthropocene challenges, particularly concerning biodiversity decline, as numerous species face threats and vulnerability. Consequently, urgent conservation and monitoring plans are essential.

Rangelands, covering 40% of Earth's land surface, play a crucial role in global ecosystem services and local livelihoods. In Punjab, Pakistan, these ecosystems face significant pressures from land-use changes and climate variability. This study aims to assess rangeland dynamics in Punjab's Khushab and Bhakkar districts from 2000 to 2020 using multitemporal satellite imagery and geospatial analysis. We integrated Land Use Land Cover (LULC) classification, Land Surface Temperature (LST) analysis, and vegetation indices to provide a comprehensive assessment of rangeland conditions. Random Forest and Support Vector Machine classifiers were employed for LULC mapping, achieving overall accuracies above 85%. Results reveal a significant decline in rangeland areas, from 9% (1 338.1 km²) in 2000 to 7% (983.7 km²) in 2020, primarily due to conversion to cropland. LST analysis showed an increase in both minimum (from 26.47 to 28.19°C) and maximum (from 44.60 to 47.44°C) temperatures. Vegetation indices indicated complex dynamics, with improvements in vegetation cover but periods of stress observed. These findings highlight the vulnerability of Punjab's rangelands to land-use changes and climate variability, emphasizing the need for targeted conservation strategies and sustainable land management practices. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated remote sensing approaches in monitoring rangeland ecosystems and provides a foundation for evidence-based policy decisions to balance agricultural development with rangeland conservation in semiarid regions.

The Republic of Kazakhstan in central Eurasia, is the ninth largest country in the world (2.7 million km²) and ranks fifth internationally in terms of land area of rangeland and pastureland. The spatial and temporal variability of rangeland conditions in Kazakhstan are not specifically known. The Kazakhstan government, as well as private land managers, require systematic knowledge of plant community dynamics and land use impacts, so national strategies can be customized to enhance, manage, and sustain the country's rangelands. Here, rangeland study sites from within the Aqmola region, Kazakhstan, were used to produce a framework for future rangeland monitoring, ecological site, and state and transition model development. A rangeland resource inventory (partially modelled after USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service National Resource Inventory) sampled 51 locations across the Aqmola region. Classification and ordination were then used to explore field-based data to establish a methodology for identifying unique plant groupings or clusters for the development of provisional ecological sites. Ecological associations and potential sites were identified, whereby a prototypic state and transition model was developed that included five unique ecological states and their respective disturbance/restoration transition pathways. This paper highlights an international collaboration between USA and Kazakhstan rangeland professionals to develop a land management framework to conserve and sustain rangelands.

Rangelands around the globe are experiencing management challenges associated with existing and emerging stressors, including more frequent and severe fires, woody species expansion, annual grass invasion, heavy, repeated growing season grazing, and climate change. Disturbance is an essential part of rangeland systems. Yet climate change is likely to affect rangelands most directly by increasing the likelihood, severity, and extent of long term, negative impacts from disturbance. We conducted a synthesis of key vulnerabilities to climate change for Northwest US rangelands. These rangelands are projected to become warmer and drier this century, with episodes of more extreme droughts and higher likelihood of more severe fires affecting larger areas. Many of the vulnerabilities identified in our synthesis, such as increased frequency of fire and invasive grass proliferation, can have lasting effects, leading to “undesirable transformations” (substantial and persistent changes in vegetation composition and reductions in ecosystem services). For example, larger, more severe fires have led to the rapid loss of critical Greater sage-grouse habitat and diminished forage production capacity for livestock in some areas, lowering provisioning of ecosystem services, increasing fire management costs, and impacting rural livelihoods. Rangeland managers need guidance connecting climate change projections to on-the-ground management actions. We conclude from our synthesis of climate change vulnerabilities that supporting rangeland recovery is an important climate adaptation approach on Northwest rangelands. Proactive climate adaptation strategies (e.g., supporting soil health and vegetation) and example practices (e.g., establishing climate-adapted perennial plant species) are presented according to key action areas: prepare for, respond to, and recover from disturbance. Identifying specific adaptation needs at more local scales, like the management unit level, may be further refined through proactive planning and experimentation in collaborative settings that allow for resource pooling and foster learning.

Rangelands globally are invaded by exotic species. In the northern Great Plains, Kentucky bluegrass (hereafter, “bluegrass”) invades rangelands by forming a thick thatch layer that alters water and nutrient cycling and prevents seed germination by native plants. Consequently, management actions that focus on reducing the bluegrass thatch layer have a greater chance of successfully promoting native plant diversity. To determine how different rangeland management practices impact bluegrass thatch, we measured thatch depth at multiple points across pastures invaded by bluegrass in south-central North Dakota. Each pasture was managed with either patch-burn grazing, modified twice-over rest-rotational grazing (MTORG), or season-long grazing. We also measured thatch in a control pasture that was neither burned nor grazed the previous 5 years. Both the patch-burn grazing and MTORG pastures were designed to increase landscape-level heterogeneity and promote biodiversity. We found that all forms of rangeland management resulted in a thinner thatch layer than our control pasture (3.92 ± 0.27 cm). However, pastures managed with patch-burn grazing had less thatch (1.79 ± 0.03 cm) than those managed with either MTORG (2.60 ± 0.03 cm) or season-long grazing (2.59 ± 0.05 cm). These results suggest that any form of cattle grazing can reduce bluegrass thatch, however fire followed by grazing can further reduce bluegrass thatch. A reduction in thatch resulting from interacting fire and grazing may lessen the impact of bluegrass on rangelands.

Because riparian ecosystems are highly valued for their diverse ecological services, past and ongoing disturbances in riparian zones have led to extensive restoration efforts, litigation, and compliance monitoring of the effects of livestock grazing. Better understanding of the factors that influence cattle riparian use, especially in landscapes supporting threatened or endangered fish, could lead to improved predictions of management outcomes and riparian recovery for sustainable grazing systems. Although published models predict habitat selection by cattle, there is a gap in our understanding of cattle use, or occupancy, in riparian zones. As part of a long-term, multi-disciplinary project in a semi-arid riparian system in Oregon, USA, we collected 4 yr (2017-2020) of cattle telemetry data to identify factors affecting riparian use by cattle. We used beta regression in a Bayesian hierarchical framework to model the daily proportion of cattle locations in the riparian zone. We hypothesized that riparian use would 1) increase with increasing Julian date, temperature, solar radiation, days in pasture, and days since herding, and 2) decrease with higher humidity and precipitation. The best model predicted that use was greater with increasing days since herding, number of days grazing in a pasture, and Julian date, and lower as relative humidity increased. Daily riparian use by cattle averaged 0.167 (SD = 0.180) across years and pastures. The final model performed well, based on k-fold cross validation (Pearson's correlation = 0.72; 90% CI from 0.66 to 0.77). Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering management strategies (herding, grazing seasons) that affect riparian use by cattle, in tandem with weather, pasture characteristics, and other factors, and can be used in decision support systems to guide riparian grazing management.

Control of nonnative grasses is needed where they are altering fire regimes and degrading rangelands, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion of perennial sagebrush-steppe communities. Aerial broadcast of the pre-emergent and postemergent herbicide imazapic has been used for decades over vast areas to control cheatgrass after fire. Recent small-scale studies indicate that the pre-emergent herbicide indaziflam may provide more enduring cheatgrass control. We evaluated landscape-level vegetation responses to indaziflam sprayed in replicated areas at 66.7 g · ai · ha^–1, with and without imazapic (66.1 g · ai · ha^–1) over almost 500 ha of sagebrush steppe. Herbicides were strip-sprayed by helicopter in the fall of 2019 in subregions that either 1) had burned in the summer of 2019 and had moderate background cheatgrass invasion, 2) had burned in 2011 and became heavily invaded, or 3) were burned in both 2011 and 2019 and had intermediate invasion. Tarps were temporarily deployed to intercept herbicides and create untreated controls. Overall, indaziflam + imazapic had greater initial control of cheatgrass, but by 2023, both treatments led to similar ∼17 percentage-point reductions in cheatgrass cover. Cheatgrass individuals that “escaped” the herbicide treatment grew exceptionally large and fecund. There were no reductions in cover in any native vegetation type, including biocrusts, and nontarget increases in cover were observed for 1) deep-rooted perennial grasses treated with indaziflam + imazapic in the 2011 burn subregion and 2) the shallow-rooted Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda) treated with either herbicide in the 2011 or 2011 + 2019 burn subregions. Consideration of burn legacies, pretreatment landscape condition, and evenness of treatment application may improve restoration outcomes and help prioritize management allocation, timing, and treatment expectations.

Phenological differences between native and invasive plants can facilitate invasion, but can also be targeted by management. In the western Great Plains of North America, the invasive annual grasses Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) and B. arvensis (field brome) begin and end growth earlier than native competitors, providing an opportunity for targeted grazing. However, managers need to know when grazers preferentially consume or avoid annual bromes. We implemented spring targeted grazing for 4 years and quantified temporal cattle consumption patterns at two mixedgrass prairie sites in Wyoming and Nebraska, USA. We used fecal DNA metabarcoding to measure consumption of annual bromes and coexisting native species twice per week. Concurrently, we measured plant phenology, forage quality, and biomass. Within years, brome consumption was predicted effectively using two phenological metrics—plant height and days after seed maturation. Targeted grazing windows, defined as periods with ≥75% of maximum cattle consumption within a year, started when bromes were 9.3 cm (± 3.6 SD) tall, ended one day (± 4 SD) after seed maturation, and lasted 38 d (± 11 SD). Cattle diet quality remained high throughout these grazing windows. Across years, brome consumption ranged from 19% to 55% of total graminoid consumption, and was consistently higher in years when annual bromes grew taller before flowering. Although cattle typically selected for native perennials over annual bromes, spring targeted grazing reduced brome seed production by 30–77% relative to adjacent pastures where grazing began later. These results indicate that simple phenological metrics can predict cattle consumption of bromes during spring, both within and among years. Carefully timing grazing to align with consumption should help managers to control annual bromes and restore native mixedgrass prairie plant communities. More broadly, combining temporal analyses of livestock diets and plant phenology can be useful for precisely targeting grazing of invasive species.

Pinyon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are among the most widespread ecosystems in rangelands of western North America, supporting diverse wildlife habitat, recreation, grazing, and cultural/spiritual enrichment. Anticipating future distribution shifts under changing climate will be critical to climate adaptation and conservation efforts in these ecosystems. Here, we evaluate drivers of PJ tree species' distributions and project changes in response to future climate change. We developed species distribution models with dryland-focused predictors to project environmental suitability changes across the entirety of three pinyon and six juniper species ranges. We identify areas of robust suitability change by combining suitability projections from multiple emissions scenarios and time periods. PJ species' suitabilities respond to many temperature and moisture covariates expected to change in the future. Projected responses among PJ species are highly variable, ranging from modest declines with concurrent gains for overall little net change to wide-ranging declines with no gains for overall range contractions. Environmental suitability is projected to decline broadly across the arid United States Southwest and remain relatively stable across the northern Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. Our results suggest unique responses of PJ species to future climate change. We found that species were projected to experience more losses than gains in suitability, for overall range shrinks rather than shifts. Land managers have the capacity to increase woodland resilience to drought, and our results can inform rangeland-wide management planning and conservation efforts in PJ woodlands.

Eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) trees are invading prairies throughout the Great Plains. This encroachment poses a threat to native plant communities in terms of their production, regeneration, and diversity. The objectives of this study were to determine how ERC canopies impact herbaceous biomass production and composition. Square quadrats (0.25 m²) were placed in four cardinal directions underneath canopies of ERC trees ranging from 0.1–10 m in diameter and at grassland control locations. We collected herbaceous foliar cover by species and biomass estimates underneath 326 ERC trees and at 240 grassland control locations among two sites totaling 1381 samples overall. We found herbaceous biomass production underneath ERC canopies decreased exponentially with increasing ERC canopy diameter with 63–97% reduction under trees with canopies larger than 2 m. Also, biomass decreased linearly with increasing ERC stand canopy cover (%) at nearly a 1:1 ratio. Mean foliar cover for all species, Floristic Quality Index, species richness, and native species richness decreased as individual ERC canopy diameter increased. Results indicate that ERC encroachment is not only reducing herbaceous biomass production, but it is also altering the composition of plant communities. This highlights the importance of ERC control on grasslands and provides landowners with data that can be applied to their individual operation. To maintain or restore native grasslands, we suggest the removal of ERC through prescribed fire and/or mechanical removal every 5–10 years. Following these management strategies should maintain a healthy grassland system.

Restoration of nonnative grasslands to native early successional plant communities has been a conservation focus throughout the United States for several decades. In the eastern US, where precipitation exceeds 1 000 mm per year, disturbance is necessary following restoration to prevent early successional communities from progressing into woody-dominated midsuccessional communities. Resulting plant composition may vary among disturbance practices, and knowledge of such effects will help direct maintenance of restored native early seral plant communities. We evaluated the effects of the two most common disturbance practices, prescribed fire and mowing, following restoration of nonnative grasslands to native plant communities via two methods: 1) planting native grasses and 2) forbs and seedbank response without planting, across 11 replicated sites in Tennessee and Alabama, 2018–2020. Specifically, we evaluated how disturbance altered vegetation composition following four treatment combinations (planted mowed, planted burned, seedbank mowed, and seedbank burned) and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) control from predisturbance conditions. Grass coverage increased in all treatment units, but tended to increase more in mowed treatments than burned treatments. Forb coverage declined in all treatments except seedbank burned, where it increased. Similarly, spring-, summer-, and fall-flowering forbs, which are the focus of conservation programs designed to enhance habitat for pollinators, increased most in seedbank burned. Species richness decreased across all treatments and control, except seedbank burned, where it increased. The species evenness did not differ by treatment. Our results provide insight into how disturbance techniques may alter plant community composition soon after restoration. We recommend managers use prescribed fire instead of mowing if increased forb coverage is important to meet objectives. Furthermore, our results highlight how planting native grasses and forbs is not necessary to restore native early successional plant communities on most sites dominated by nonnative grasses in the eastern United States, where precipitation is not limiting succession.

Alalili systems are among the indigenous rangeland management strategies that face pressures from unsustainable land use practices and impacts of climate change. We aimed to establish the vascular fodder plants' composition and abundance, compared with historical vegetation data to understand their evolution and trends to inform sustainable management of rangelands in northern Tanzania. The vegetation composition of the northern Tanzania rangelands surveyed before the 1980s was compared to empirical data from a vegetation survey of Alalili in 2022. A cross-sectional design using purposive and stratified random sampling techniques was applied during the field survey. The quadrat count method was used to estimate the composition and diversity of fodder taxa in Alalili systems. Secondary data from the northern Tanzania rangelands before the 1980s were collected through a systematic literature review. Key informant interviews, focused group discussions, and household surveys were used to gather information about the community's knowledge of historical quality changes in the rangelands. Our results indicate that, before the 1980s, the rangelands of northern Tanzania had relatively higher fodder species composition (127 woody and 119 herbaceous species) than the Alalili systems in 2022 (119 woody and 82 herbaceous species). Fodder species composition and diversity were relatively higher in communal than in private Alalili (t = 4.18, P < 0.001). At the same time, the species density was lower in communal than in private Alalili (t = -2.7272, P = 0.008). This work suggests that Alalili systems still hold substantial diverse fodder plants that most northern Tanzanian rangelands used to harbor before the 1980s. Therefore, they can be considered reservoirs of vital fodder species that can be used to restore degraded rangeland areas in northern Tanzania and elsewhere.

Plants α-diversity and biomass have a significant impact on global climate and environmental changes. The fluctuation of temperature and precipitation caused by climate change is a driving force for the dynamic change of plants α-diversity and biomass. Therefore, our study was conducted in the desert grassland of Ningxia, China (E 107.285, N 37.763), and involved an experiment with five levels of annual precipitation (33% [R33], 66% [R66], 100% [CK], 133% [R133], and 166% [R166]) and two temperature levels (inside and outside the open-top chamber [OTC]). Our objective was to determine how plants α-diversity in desert grasslands respond to changes in precipitation and warming. Our study suggests that aboveground living biomass (ALB) and root biomass (RB) of plants increased with precipitation increasing. Plants diversity, richness and evenness were improved from 0.1 to 0.2 under warming. TR33, TR66, TRCK, TR133, and TR166 all decreased plants α-diversity under the interaction of precipitation and warming, with TR33 and TR66 having a stronger effect on the correlation between community α-diversity indices than the other treatments. TR133 and TR166 increased ALB by nearly 20g/m² but decreased RB by nearly 15g/m². Our findings provide a reliable theoretical basis for the formulation of reasonable response strategies for desert steppe ecosystems.

The vulnerability of grassland ecosystems in the Mongolian Plateau has increased due to climate change and human intervention, and thus herdsmen must adopt additional livelihood adaptation strategies. In this study, we determined the impact of the livestock structure, that is, the proportion of sheep and goats in the livestock population, on grassland coverage on the Mongolian Plateau (Mongolia and the Nei Mongolia Autonomous Region of China). By applying a fixed effect model and mediating effects model to a unique combination of statistical and remote sensing data for 20 border provinces/banners from 2007 to 2016, we found that a higher proportion of sheep and goats led to grassland degradation, and the grassland type (i.e., whether among the top 50% in terms of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) could alleviate the negative impact of a high proportion of sheep or goats on grassland coverage. The results obtained by the mediating effects model showed that the primary industry gross domestic product (GDP) had a masking effect, where it could mitigate the negative influence of sheep or goats on grassland coverage. Regional heterogeneous analysis did not provide significant results for Mongolia due to its relatively stable livestock structure, but the livestock structure in Nei Mongolia had a greater negative impact on grassland coverage, thereby further indicating that a decrease in the proportion of sheep and goats had a greater ecological benefit.

Wild horses and burros are a unique economic asset that enjoys federal protections that are stronger than those afforded to most other wildlife. Management challenges are evident in current populations that exceed targets by as much as four times. The imbalance between management targets and reality has grown in recent years, concomitant with mounting fiscal and opportunity costs. Programmatic tweaks have not been able to materially change the reality on the ground. Continuation on the current trajectory is unsustainable. An economic perspective provides key insights into the management problem and provides clarity about the requirements for a durable solution. A comprehensive reform is needed to achieve biological and fiscal sustainability. This includes initial excess removals to reduce overpopulation and then strict adherence to targets. Such a program offers a real present discounted fiscal savings of over $1 billion.

Virtual fencing is an emerging animal management technology that uses auditory cues followed by a mild electrical cue instead of physical barriers to contain animals. Virtual fencing has long been conceptualized as a tool to help land managers achieve livestock production and land management goals, yet little research has focused on factors that influence virtual fence performance. We evaluated the effects of stocking density, the quantity of forage inside the paddock, and differences between forage quantities inside and outside the paddock on the effectiveness of a commercially available virtual fencing system. We tested the virtual fencing system at stocking densities ranging from 2 to 8 animals ha^–1 and measured stubble height inside and outside the paddocks as a proxy for forage quantity. Predictability and controllability of the electrical cue have been identified as key animal welfare considerations associated with virtual fences, but have not been specifically defined, quantified, and analyzed. Therefore, we quantified predictability and controllability and evaluated the extent to which they were affected by stocking density, stubble height, and the difference in stubble heights inside and outside the paddock. We found that neither stocking density, forage quantity, nor the difference in forage quantity inside and outside the paddock influenced the effectiveness of virtual fences or the predictability and controllability of the electrical cue. This implies that virtual fencing systems are likely to be reliable tools for livestock management in productive settings and for stocking densities up to 8 animals ha^–1 even when stubble heights are at or below common management targets for riparian plant communities.

Business risk management (BRM) programs in agriculture aim to enable producers to better protect their farms against threats to the sustainability and resilience of their business. While BRM programs are broadly considered beneficial to producers, the extent to which these programs could evoke negative environmental externalities remains understudied, especially concerning rangeland management. The purpose of this review was to investigate the link between BRM programs and the voluntary conservation of grasslands and its associated multiple species habitat, as well as the factors driving adoption of BRM, extension, or other government programs by beef cattle producers. A secondary focus of this review included identifying the factors motivating the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMP) and grassland conversion. Using a variety of search tools and terms, the application of our search strategy resulted in 30 articles meeting inclusion criteria, of which four were reviews, 14 were producer focused surveys, 11 conducted empirical analyses, and one utilized spatial analysis. From these articles, we were able to answer our five main global research objectives. Several studies found a link between BRM programs and negative environmental effects (including motivating grassland conversion). Producer characteristics such as age, education level, previous participation in government programs, and external motivations were found to impact the likelihood of adopting a BMP or new BRM program. Producers were also found to favour individually-led risk management strategies, and preferred learning about risk through independent self-study or from a trusted professional. Research gaps included the level of governmental support desired by producers, a connection between non-crop insurance BRM programs and rangeland conversion, and connections between BRM and rangeland management decisions.

Blue oak, Quercus douglasii, are vital components of California's foothill ecosystems. Widespread oak recruitment failure has led to considerable restoration efforts, with mixed success. Natural regeneration is hindered at least in part by extensive cattle grazing, resulting in a troubling recruitment gap in many natural populations. Despite this, certain areas within ranches exhibit natural oak recruitment, suggesting the existence of conditions compatible with both grazing and oak regeneration. Understanding these conditions is essential for developing sustainable conservation and rangeland management practices. We conducted a comprehensive survey of 24 active cattle ranches across Northern California to identify factors influencing oak recruitment and to attempt to propose a range of optimal grazing pressures for natural blue oak recruitment. We found that rocky refugia with reduced grazing pressure were associated with greater oak recruitment. Low cattle presence, rockiness, low herbaceous cover, and high shade all significantly predicted oak recruitment sites. Tree-ring analysis revealed that saplings exhibited extremely variable growth rates, but slower under high grazing pressure, indicating the presence of a “browse trap,” from which saplings struggle to escape cattle browse. Achieving sustainable oak regeneration may require at least temporarily reducing grazing pressure or implementing other grazing strategies to facilitate oak recruitment and enable saplings to pass through the browse trap. Our results underscore the critical role of landscape conditions and cattle management in supporting oak recruitment refugia. These findings have practical implications for land management, highlighting the importance of balancing grazing practices with conservation efforts to ensure the long-term health and biodiversity of oak woodlands in California's Central Valley foothills.

Rehabilitating rangelands through native plantings can be an expensive and risky endeavor that requires extended time periods with low success rates. Economical methods of seed dispersal through ruminant ingestion have been tested unsuccessfully in the Northern Great Plains, but this approach has not been evaluated in depth in the Southern High Plains. Scarification during digestive processes could potentially improve the germinability of native grass species possessing low germination rates and assist in approving plant establishment. To determine how various digestive phases affect seed germinability, we evaluated how simulated digestion affected germination parameters for sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula [Michx.] Torr.), buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides [Nutt.] J.T. Columbus), blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis [Willd. ex Kunth] Lag. ex Griffiths), silver bluestem (Bothriochloa laguroides [DC.] Herter), green sprangletop (Leptochloa dubia [Kunth] Nees), and plains bristlegrass (Setaria leucopila [Scribn. & Merr.] K. Schum.). Seeds were incubated in either 1) rumen fluid for 48 h, 2) acid-pepsin solution for 2 h, or 3) rumen fluid for 48 h, followed by acid-pepsin solution for 2 h. Statistical procedures were performed for all germination parameters using general linear mixed models. Only buffalograss demonstrated the ability to survive the full digestive process, having greater germination than all other species exposed to the rumen fermentation and acid-pepsin treatment (P ≤ 0.05). Acid-pepsin treatment maintained or increased germination relative to the control for all species (P ≤ 0.001). Depending on the species, digestive treatments altered the germination profile relative to the nondigested control. Results from this study indicate that seed dispersal via ruminants is not an effective option for most of the species tested, with only buffalograss being a potential candidate. In contrast, endozoochory by monogastric species may increase the success of seed establishment; however, this could support the migration of noxious or invasive species that can greatly alter vegetative communities.

The food security of many countries depends on effective pasture management. The behavior of ranchers, as direct users of pastures, is considered a key factor in pasture conservation. The aim of this research is to analyze the conservation behavior of Iranian ranchers in relation to pasture exploitation using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). The results indicate that the expected hypotheses were confirmed, except for the effect of the response cost variable on protective behavior. The variables of perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, response effectiveness, and self-efficacy accounted for 63.9% of pastoralists' protective behavior toward pasture exploitation. This research demonstrates that PMT is a valuable tool for investigating the conservation behavior of Iranian ranchers. One of the key outcomes of this research is the development of recommendations for policymakers to promote pasture conservation among ranchers.

Pyric herbivory, a process by which grazing is driven by fire, has been shown to create heterogeneity in fire-prone grasslands. Patch-burn grazing (PBG) is a management tool used to harness pyric herbivory and contrasts with full burn (FB) which fosters homogeneity. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of plant communities (vegetation composition, diversity, and heterogeneity), soil characteristics, and fire fuel consumption responses to PBG as compared to FB management in two different pasture-types (intensively managed pastures [IMP] vs. less intensely managed seminatural pastures [SNP]) in subtropical, humid grasslands in Florida, USA. In 2017, we established 16 experimental pastures at Archbold Biological Station's Buck Island Ranch that were 16-ha each, eight in IMP and eight in SNP. Of the eight pastures in each pasture-type, four were fully burned in 2017 (FB) while in the other four, one-third of the pasture was burned each year for three years (2017, 2018, and 2019) (PBG). PBG-treated pastures were expected to have greater plant richness, diversity, and structural heterogeneity due to the creation of patch contrast while in FB pastures, we expected homogeneous vegetation structure because patches would all have the same fire history. Fuel consumption by fire was greater in SNP vs. IMP and in burned patches within PBG vs. similar-size areas in FB. Recently burned patches had greater total native richness and Shannon diversity, driven by greater numbers and cover of forbs and sedges, but the magnitude of this response varied among years. PBG pastures had greater structural heterogeneity shortly after fire but this disappeared by the end of the growing season. PBG benefits both conservation and production goals in SNP, but incentive programs may be required to implement PBG in IMP to offset losses in forage production while gaining increased height heterogeneity and potential increases in vegetation diversity.

In Peru, natural grasses and shrubs are the primary sources of cattle feed; however, the nutritional quality of shrub species used as forage is generally still being determined. Therefore, this research aimed to identify the main native shrub species and the nutritional potential of each species for cattle feeding in Amazonas, Peru. The shrubs were selected through surveys of cattle farmers in the region, and each species' bromatological characteristics were determined. In fact, twenty-one species from 14 families were identified as the main shrubs used for cattle feed. Among them, the Asteraceae family reported the highest number of species (6). The percentage of total protein was higher than 18% in 10 plant species, while the percentage of digestibility exceeded 60% in 19 species. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first two dimensions explained 60.7% of the total variability, with digestibility, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and protein being the most influential factors. In addition, cluster analysis grouped the species into four groups differentiated by their nutritional characteristics, providing a solid basis for selecting forage species according to their qualities. Myriocarpa stipitata (Urticaceae) presented the highest percentages of total protein (30.3%) and digestibility (89.2%), being the shrub species with the greatest potential for cattle feeding in northeastern Peru.

Climate is the principal driver of plant production across all rangeland ecosystems. Monthly or seasonal forecasts of rangeland plant production could provide valuable management information pertaining to livestock stocking rates, restoration planning, wildfire fuel loads, and wildlife management. In the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, plant production is dependent upon climate but also varies by geographic location and the ecological state or dominant plant community. In this study, we used retrospective seasonal climate forecasts and plant production models to determine the utility of monthly or seasonal forecasting (with up to 7-month lead times) across both geographical sites and ecological states. This study was conducted in 45 intact late-seral sagebrush steppe sites over a 10-year period across a 50,000 km² area in southeastern Oregon. Research sites were sorted into five geographical sites and into five ecological states. The objectives of this study were to (1) model plant functional group responses to actual and forecasted climate across time and space; (2) determine plant production forecast skill for lead times of up to 7 months; and (3) differentiate plant production model and forecast skill among both geographical sites and ecological states. We found that plant production models and forecasts were able to identify key functional group responses to precipitation and temperature inputs. We also determined that climate and plant production forecasts could be used to produce significant monthly plant production forecasts for lead-times of up to 7-months for all site, state, and plant functional groupings. We also determined that forecasts of total plant production by ecological state were significantly better than forecasts based on geographical sites. Forecasting by ecological state could lead to better rangeland management decisions as it matches management inputs with inherent site conditions.

Accurate models and forecasts of plant production are a critical need of stakeholders across the Great Basin for making decisions about seasonal livestock management in a region that is increasingly impacted by wildfires, invasive species and yearly variability in seasonal climate. High quality and spatiotemporally complete gridded climate forecasts are now available through the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) programs, but these forecasts are limited to monthly precipitation and temperature parameters. A necessary first step to creating plant production forecasts is to quantify the spatiotemporal relationships between plant production and these basic climate inputs. The objective of this study was to quantify how seasonal precipitation and temperature affected plant production among the plant species Poa secunda and the functional groups of perennial grasses, perennial forbs, annual grasses, and annual forbs within five ecological states in the Great Basin Sagebrush Steppe over a 10-year period. In general, cooler and wetter spring conditions and cooler summer temperatures in the preceding year were the strongest drivers of plant production across most ecological states and within plant functional groups. These differences were, however, dependent on the given ecological state and plant functional group. These findings indicate that plant production forecasting is feasible for this ecosystem during the growing season when using the climate metrics provided by the CPC and NMME program.