ARS | Publication request: Influence of grazing on rangeland soil carbon: State of the science

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: November 5, 2009
Publication Date: February 22, 2010
Citation: Derner, J.D. 2010. Influence of grazing on rangeland soil carbon: State of the science. In: Proceedings of the annual Society for Range Management and Weed Science Society of America joint meeting "Working landscapes, providing for the future." Abstract # SYM-187. p. 844.

Technical Abstract: The importance of rangeland to the soil carbon pools and cycles, as well as the drivers that influence soil carbon in rangelands is presented here with emphasis on grazing, global change and drought. Experimental results will be presented addressing soil carbon responses in rangelands to grazing x climate interactions, grazing x environment interactions, additions of a legume, and how different rangelands function as a source and/or sink of carbon. Specific examples of experimental findings are presented from the northern mixed-grass prairie, shortgrass steppe, and northwestern and southwestern rangelands in the United States. Gaps are highlighted showcasing the limitation of experimental data from shrub-dominated rangelands, especially in arid regions, and the lack of entire greenhouse gas budgets for rangeland ecosystems.