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Importance of heterogeneity in a grassland ecosystem
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Dissertation
Importance of heterogeneity in a grassland ecosystem
2004
Overview
Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of disturbance induced heterogeneity on structure and function of a tallgrass prairie ecosystem. We experimentally altered spatial heterogeneity of vegetation within an unfragmented tallgrass prairie landscape (Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, in northcentral Oklahoma, USA, owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy) by varying the spatial and temporal extent of fire and by introducing herbivores (patch treatment). We contrasted this disturbance regime with a relatively uniform application of fire and grazing (traditional treatment). We monitored grassland bird abundance during the breeding season of 2001, 2002, and 2003 to determine the influence of altered spatial heterogeneity on the grassland bird community. We also measured plant species composition and vegetation structure during the growing seasons of 2001, 2002, and 2003 to determine the effects of increased heterogeneity on plant diversity and structure. We also developed Poisson regression models that estimated the relative influence of multi-scale habitat factors on the grassland bird community. Findings and conclusions. Patch burning combined with the interactive effects of grazing resulted in a more spatially heterogeneous landscape than a uniform application of fire and grazing. This led to greater diversity in the grassland bird and plant communities with one species, Henslow's sparrow, only occurring within the patch treatment. Our study demonstrates that increasing the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of disturbance may favor several declining grassland bird species. Differences in the spatial and temporal application of disturbance appeared to be the driving force in plant diversity and structure rather than fire and grazing per se. Our data and other recent studies suggest that homogenous management models may lead to declines in biodiversity.
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
Subject
ISBN
9780496965694, 0496965697
