the present study was conducted to assess the effect of dung beetles on sheep dung removal and seed dispersal in semi steppe rangelands of shahrekord province with poor condition located in iran. therefore, the large (1 cm2) and small size (1 mm2) meshes were used and filled by sheep dung in six treatments. to evaluate the role of the insects in seeds translocation, three sizes of plastic beads...

Wind erosion of soil is an appreciable but unstudied event following fires in cold desert. We examined aeolian transport of sediment for one year following fire in semiarid shrub steppe of southern Idaho. Sediment collectors were used to determine horizontal mass transport of soil ( ) and saltation sensors and anemometers were used to determine saltation activity (# seconds saltation is detecte...

fire is one of the most important ecological factors in semi-steppe rangelands directing plant community composition, diversity, structure and function of ecosystems. our primary aim was to examine the effect of fire on plant community composition, diversity, plant species restoration and animal selectivity in semi-steppe rangeland in karsanak region, chaharmahal & bakhtiari province in years 2...

this study aims to assess the effect of grazing intensity on vegetation structure, soil nutrient concentrations and soil physical properties. the study was carried out in steppe rangelands of saveh, markazi province, iran. four sites with four grazing intensities including very high, high, moderate and non-grazed with the same ecological conditions were selected. to study various vegetation and...

Steppe degradation is a major ecological and economic problem in the Inner Mongolia steppe region, China because it reduces grassland productivity and leads to desertification. The objective of this study was to assess the spatial extent and severity of steppe degradation in the Xilin River Basin, Inner Mongolia using a landscape-scale approach. Our approach combined information from field surv...

In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, shrubs may act as fertility islands but theireffect may vary depending on their morphology and ecological impacts. This research wasaimed to study effect of three shrubs Scariola orientalis, Astragalus heratensis, and Rosapersica on soil properties and on the microclimate conditions (temperature, luminance, andsoil moisture) of their understory in the steppe ra...

Juniper ; encroachment into shrub steppe and grassland systems is one of the most prominent changes occurring in rangelands of western North America. Most studies on juniper change are conducted over small areas, although encroachment is occurring across large regions. Development of image-based methods to assess juniper encroachment over large areas would facilitate rapid monitoring and identi...

The role of rangelands in the regulation of atmospheric CO2 concentrations is a critical issue in global climate change research. Rangelands are complex ecosystems that occupy about 50% of the land area in the world and USA. We studied the effects of seasonal grazing on CO2 flux on small plots located on a silty range site in the northern mixed-grass prairie with an Eapa fine loam soil. Treatme...

Rangelands are uncultivated lands that include grasslands, savannahs, steppes, shrub lands, deserts and tundra. The native vegetation on rangelands is predominantly grasses, forbs and shrubs (Kothmann, 1974). Rangelands cover 31 percent of the land surface area of the United States (Havstad et al., 2009), and up to half of the land surface area worldwide (Lund, 2007). Most land areas that are n...