Rangelands, Drylands & Pastoralism

Woody plant expansion has been documented on grasslands worldwide as a result of overgrazing and fire suppression, but changes in ecosystem structure and function accompanying this phenomenon have yet to be extensively studied in the temperate semi-arid grasslands of North America.

The difficulty of determining the intake of browse grazed by goats is widely recognized. We suggest that a reasonable estimate of the amount of edible browse available to goats grazing shrubby Mediterranean vegetation can be derived from actual grazing data of goat herds that have obtained most of their annual maintenance requirements from pasture dominated by shrubs or shrubby trees.

The northwest of Scotland is a stronghold for two of the UK's rarest bumblebee species, Bombus distinguendus and Bombus muscorum. The predominant form of agricultural land management in this region is crofting, a system specific to Scotland in which small agricultural units (crofts) operate rotational cropping and grazing regimes.

The multi-functionality of agriculture was accepted as a concept at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. the multi-functionality of the European agriculture is a key concept.

In the Great Basin of the western United States, expansion of Pinus monophylla (singleleaf piñyon) and Juniperus osteosperma (Utah juniper) out of historic woodlands and into Artemisia spp. (sagebrush) shrubland communities can facilitate the invasion of exotic downy brome (Bromus tectorum) and lead to decreases in ecological and economic values of shrublands.

Temperate humid grazing lands are an important component of the landscape of the northeastern United States, as well as of the economy of this region. Unlike their European counterparts, little is known about the basic ecology of managed grasslands in this region.

This study assessed the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) status of Boswellia papyrifera (frankincense-tree) dominated dry deciduous woodlands in relation to season, management and soil depth in Ethiopia. We studied 43 woody species in 52 plots in three areas. All woody species were colonized by AM fungi, with average root colonization being relatively low (16.6% - ranging from 0% to 95%).

Ultra-high-resolution digital aerial imagery has great potential to complement or replace ground measurements of vegetation cover for rangeland monitoring and assessment. This research investigated object-based image analysis (OBIA) techniques for classifying vegetation in southwestern USA arid rangelands with 4 cm resolution digital aerial imagery.

The spatial variation of extractable (Morgan's) soil phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), pH and lime requirement (LR) in a permanent dairy farm in southeastern Ireland, was investigated using conventional statistics, geostatistics and a geographical information system (GIS) to produce nutrient maps and to provide information for site-specific fertilizer application.

A longitudinal study of California hardwood rangelands shows significant change in landowner characteristics and goals. Results of three studies spanning 1985 to 2004 were used to develop and evaluate a multiagency research and extension program known as the Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program.