| Abstract: | Grazing management has focused largely on promoting vegetation homogeneity through uniform distribution of grazing to minimize area in a pasture that is either heavily disturbed or undisturbed. An alternative management model that couples grazing and fire (i.e., patch burning) to promote heterogeneity argues that grazing and fire interact through a series of positive and negative feedbacks to cause a shifting mosaic of vegetation composition and structure across the landscape. We compared patch burning with traditional homogeneity-based management in tallgrass prairie to determine the influence of the two treatments on the aboveground invertebrate community. Patch burning resulted in a temporal flush of invertebrate biomass in patches transitional between unburned and patches burned in the current year. Total invertebrate mass was about 50% greater in these transitional patches within patch-burned pastures as compared to pastures under traditional, homogeneity-based management. Moreover, the mosaic of patches in patch-burned pastures contained a wider range of invertebrate biomass and greater abundance of some invertebrate orders than did the traditionally managed pastures. Patch burning provides habitat that meets requirements for a broad range of invertebrate species, suggesting the potential for patch burning to benefit other native animal assemblages in the food chain. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70033716 |
| Citation Author: | Engle, D. M.; Fuhlendorf, S. D.; Roper, A.; Leslie, Jr. , D. M. |
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| Citation End Page: | 62 |
| Citation Issue: | 1 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Rangeland Ecology and Management |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 8 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Invertebrate community response to a shifting mosaic of habitat; 2008; Article; Journal; Rangeland Ecology and Management; Engle, D. M.; Fuhlendorf, S. D.; Roper, A.; Leslie, Jr. , D. M. |
| Citation Start Page: | 55 |
| Citation Volume: | 61 |
| Citation Year: | 2008 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Invertebrate community response to a shifting mosaic of habitat; 2008; Article; Journal; Rangeland Ecology and Management; Engle, D. M.; Fuhlendorf, S. D.; Roper, A.; Leslie, Jr. , D. M. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.2111/06-149R2.1 |
| Date Other: | Tue, 1 Jan 2008 00:00 -0600 |
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