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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #139789
Title: DESERTIFICATION AND BIOPEDTURBATION IN THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT

Author
item JACKSON, ERIK - NEW MEXICO STATE UNIV
item Whitford, Walter

Submitted to: Ecological Society of America Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2002
Publication Date: 8/4/2002
Citation: JACKSON, E.C., WHITFORD, W.G. DESERTIFICATION AND BIOPEDTURBATION IN THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT. 87TH ANNUAL MEETING, ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. 2002. ABSTRACT P. 369.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We examined the relationship between biopedturbation (animal-caused soil disturbance) and several vegetation- and soil-based indicators of rangeland health to evaluate the effects of desertification on animal soil disturbance. The area, volume and abundance of various disturbance types were assessed at 117 sites in south-central New Mexico where vegetative cover and composition had been previously measured. There were significant relationships between biopedturbation and selected rangeland health indicators. Increasing percentage of shrub cover and bare patch size were both negatively associated with total soil disturbance area. Shrub cover best predicted the area of soild disturbed by animals. This relationship, however, cannot reliably predict total biopedturbation area or the area of soil disturbance types.