Exotic-Dominated Grasslands Show Signs of Recovery with Cattle Grazing and Fire.

ABSTRACT: In grasslands, overgrazing by domestic livestock, fertilization, and introduction of exotic forage species leads to plant communities consisting of a mixture of native and exotic species. These degraded grasslands present a problem for land managers, farmers, and restoration ecologists concerned with improving biodiversity while continuing to use the land for livestock production. Here we assessed the response of butterfly and plant community composition to the use of fire and moderate grazing by domestic cattle on degraded grasslands dominated by exotic plants. We evaluated change by comparing experimental pastures to two reference sites that were grasslands dominated by native plants. We used two burning and grazing treatments: 1) patch-burn graze, a heterogeneously managed treatment, wh

SUBMITTER: Delaney JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5098731 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature