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Abstract
The Research Ranch is an 8000-acre sanctuary and research facility in the semi-arid grasslands of southeastern Arizona, USA. Cattle were removed from the property in 1968 to provide a reference area by which various land uses, such as grazing and exurbanization, could be evaluated. Vegetation transects were established in 2000 and 2003 on several ecological sites in Major Land Resource Area 41.This monitoring program has tracked changes after wildfires and during drought. Trends associated with non-native, invasive species, particularly Eragrostis lehmanniana (Lehmann lovegrass) and E. curvula (Boer lovegrass) have been documented. For example, in an 8-year span, the frequency of Lehmann lovegrass on one loamy upland site grew from 1% to 60% at the expense of the native Eragrostis intermedia (Plains lovegrass) and Bouteloua gracilis (Blue grama). Results from monitoring provides feedback to Audubon personnel in the management of the property and are shared with other land managers to help tease apart the effects of grazing and other land use actions from the effects of climate.
Parent Publication
Keywords
Madrean Archipelago,
Sky Islands,
southwestern United States,
northern Mexico,
natural environment,
fauna,
flora,
research,
management,
biodiversity,
climate change
Citation
Kennedy, Linda; Robinett, Dan. 2013. Vegetation monitoring on semi-arid grasslands unglazed by domestic livestock. 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. 479-481.
