http://hdl.handle.net/10150/635617 Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:48:51 GMT 2026-03-07T15:48:51Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/650466 Journal of Range Management, Volume 34, Number 1 (January 1981) Complete digitized issue. Thu, 01 Jan 1981 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/650466 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/646435 Wildlife Habitat on Grazed or Ungrazed Small Pond Shorelines in South Texas Whyte, R. J.; Cain, B. W. Three man-made ponds constructed in 1956 and fenced to exclude cattle from the shoreline were selected to study the effects of cattle on shoreline vegetation. These ponds were partially opened in 1977 to allow grazing on one-half of the shoreline. The vegetation was sampled monthly with an inclined 10-point frame placed at 1-m intervals along transects in the opened and fenced sections of the shorelines. In most areas the foliar cover and vegetation height were reduced by cattle pressure. The stable Long-tom Community and the Knotgrass-Smartweed Community were more affected by cattle pressure than the Transition Community which changed as the water level rose or dropped. The seasonal Aquatic Community was least affected by cattle pressure and thus maintained good stands of waterfowl food plants. Carefully planned grazing which allows key rest and grazing periods will control the impact of grazing on the shoreline vegetation. Stable waterfowl habitat on the shorelines of small man-made ponds in South Texas can best be protected by fencing at least one-half of the shoreline to restrict cattle use. Thu, 01 Jan 1981 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/646435 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/646431 Vegetation Development over 25 Years without Grazing on Sagebrush-dominated Rangeland in Southeastern Idaho Anderson, J. E.; Holte, K. E. Data from permanent vegetation transects, established on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Site in 1950, were analyzed to determine what changes had taken place in the vegetation complex over the past 25 years in the absence of grazing by domestic livestock. Cover of shrubs and perennial grasses has nearly doubled. Shrub cover in 1975 was 154% greater than in 1950; this change was almost entirely due to increases in cover of big sagebrush between 1957 and 1965. Cover of perennial grasses increased exponentially over the 25-year period, from 0.28% in 1950 to 5.8% in 1975. This was paralleled by significant increases in density and distribution of the four most important grasses on the study area. The 20-fold increase in perennial grass cover has not been at the expense of the shrub overstory. There was no obvious correlation between trends for perennial grass cover and precipitation patterns. Rather, the exponential growth is believed to reflect the availability of seeds as formerly depleted populations increase in size. No evidence of seral replacement, as predicted by classical succession, was found. The data seem more consistent with the "initial floristics/relative stability" concepts of vegetation development. Thu, 01 Jan 1981 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/646431 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10150/646428 Understory Biomass Response to Microsite and Age of Bedded Slash Pine Plantations Ball, M. J.; Hunter, D. H.; Swindel, B. F. Understory standing crop biomass was studied on three culturally imposed microsites (bed, furrow, and flat) bedded slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations in north Florida. Biomass was clipped in the late spring of 1977 on plantations 2, 5, and 10 years old and separated into five classes: grass, forb, sedge, shrub, and litter (including standing dead). After an initial abundance following site preparation sedges and forbs dropped to relatively low levels within the first 5 years of plantations development. Grasses were the dominant live vegetation in two-year-old plantations. Shrubs became dominant by the fifth year and remained so through the 10th year. Litter, as a result of the lack of cultural treatments designed to remove accumulated dead vegetation, was the major biomass class (more than 8,000 kg/ha by the fifth year following pine establishment). Total live understory biomass increased from the second to the fifth year after which it decreased. Grass standing crop biomass was highest on the flats, lowest in furrows. Hence, forage inventories should be stratified by microsite. Prescribed burning on a properly managed cattle operation may prevent high accumulations of litter while effectively improving the availability of palatable forage. Forage may also be increased by decreasing the proportion of land occupied by the less productive microsites, namely the furrows and beds. Thu, 01 Jan 1981 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10150/646428 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z