Heterogeneity-Based Management Restores Diversity and Alters Vegetation Structure without Decreasing Invasive Grasses in Working Mixed-Grass Prairie

Spatial heterogeneity and scale‐dependent habitat selection for two sympatric raptors in mixed‐grass prairie

Sympatric predators are predicted to partition resources, especially under conditions of food limitation. Spatial heterogeneity that influences prey availability might play an important role in the scales at which potential competitors select habitat. We assessed potential mechanisms for coexistence by examining the role of heterogeneity in resource partitioning between sympatric raptors overwi...

Comparison of Vegetation Sampling Procedures in a Disturbed Mixed-Grass Prairie

Researchers currently use many different vegetation sampling methods in grassland systems (Shmida 1984, Stohlgren and Bull 1998, Barbour et al 1999). Each method examines the landscape at a slightly different grain (unit of observation) and extent (total area under study). Variation of study resolution (grain and extent together) and sampling frequency influences estimates of species richness a...

Competition of Western Wheat Grass with Relict Vegetation of Prairie

Predicting Nitrogen Content in the Northern Mixed-Grass Prairie

Forage quality and quantity are important factors affecting livestock production from grazing lands. ‘‘Greenness’’ has been proposed as an indicator of herbage quality in semiarid environments, particularly nitrogen (N) content. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of estimating N content of forage using dead:green ratios and accumulated growing-degreedays (AGDD). Standing cr...

Mixed-grass prairie canopy structure and spectral reflectance vary with topographic position.

Managers of the nearly 0.5 million ha of public lands in North and South Dakota, USA rely heavily on manual measurements of canopy height in autumn to ensure conservation of grassland structure for wildlife and forage for livestock. However, more comprehensive assessment of vegetation structure could be achieved for mixed-grass prairie by integrating field survey, topographic position (summit, ...