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Abstract
Cattle have grazed continuously over the past three centuries in the Sky Island region and most work has focused on how these grazers have affected riparian and grassland habitats. I examined the effects of grazing on a fuller spectrum of desert habitats that occur in the close proximity to the San Bernardino Valley of Mexico and the United States. Plots in each of five habitats were placed in two adjoining areas: where grazing had not occurred for 25+ years and where grazing had only ceased 4+ years before this study. Vegetation responded quickly to removal of cattle in mesic environments and formed a species-poor, structurally diverse community. Grazing in more xeric communities did not affect vegetation cover but increased plant species richness. The differences in grazed and ungrazed areas of xeric habitats may indicate these areas were little affected by grazing or that the response after grazing ends is slower than captured by the time course represented here. Exotic species were essentially limited to recently grazed areas of the riparian habitat.
Parent Publication
Keywords
Madrean Archipelago,
Sky Islands,
southwestern United States,
northern Mexico,
natural environment,
fauna,
flora,
research,
management,
biodiversity,
climate change
Citation
Minckley, Robert L. 2013. Trajectory and rate of desert vegetation response following cattle removal. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Collins, Loa C. Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 316-321.
