Prior to Anglo-European settlement, fire was a major ecological process influencing the structure, composition and productivity of shortgrass prairie ecosystems on the Great Plains. However during the past 125 years, the frequency and extent of grassland fire has dramatically declined as a result of the systematic heavy grazing by large herds of domestic cattle and sheep which reduced the avail...

Acid soils are abundant in tropical and subtropical regions and account for approximately 40 percent of arable land in the world. Next to oxygen and silicon, aluminum (Al) is the third most abundant element in soils and is the main toxic factor for plant growth in acidic soils. Therefore, two glasshouse studies were conducted to determine the influence of Al on root and shoot mass and nutrient ...