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Title: Ecosystem functions in mixed cropland-grassland systems influenced by soil legacies of past crop cultivation decisions

Author
item TURNER, BENJAMIN - Texas A&M University
item WUELLNER, MELISSA - South Dakota State University
item MALO, DOUGLAS - South Dakota State University
item Herrick, Jeffrey
item DUNN, BARRY - South Dakota State University
item GATES, ROGER - South Dakota State University

Submitted to: Ecosphere
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2018
Publication Date: 12/3/2018
Citation: Turner, B., Wuellner, M., Malo, D., Herrick, J.E., Dunn, B., Gates, R. 2018. Ecosystem functions in mixed cropland-grassland systems influenced by soil legacies of past crop cultivation decisions. Ecosphere. 9(12). https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fecs2.2521.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fecs2.2521

Interpretive Summary: Past management can have significant effects on soil quality and health, but these effects are poorly understood. This study applied a novel approach to evaluating the effects of these soil legacies by applying a holistic ecosystem assessment protocol that was developed for rangelands. The "Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health" protocol was applied to 9 grass and 9 cultivated sites distributed across 4 properties in South Dakota, USA. We found that: a) soil legacies continued to be detectable up to 20 years after land transformation; b) producers’ personal values of EGS were directly linked to observed land uses and ecosystem ratings; and c) opportunities for reintroducing grasses into crop rotations or crop-livestock integration could likely improve EGS delivery from converted lands while enhancing rural economic outcomes at a low- to no- trade-off between ecosystem functions.

Technical Abstract: The importance of land-use history and associated soil legacies for the delivery of ecosystem goods and services (EGS) has received renewed recognition from natural and environmental scientists throughout the world. A soil legacy is defined as the influence that previous land-use activities continue to have on current ecosystem function long after those activities have ceased. As global crop demand continues to grow, landowners have increased incentives to convert grasslands to expand crop production. These conversions are likely occurring on marginal soils susceptible to rapid degradation, which threatens delivery of EGS. The objective of this work was to identify potential soil legacy effects and time delays of recovery after land transformation and to place those effects in the context of EGS tradeoffs. We conducted intensive interviews of four private land managers in the United States Great Plains (USGP) to identify historical land transformations, current land use goals, and strategies they employ to achieve those goals on multiple sites within the operations (9 grass and 9 cultivated sites; n=18). To reconstruct soil legacies, ecosystem assessments were conducted on each site using the United States interagency assessment protocol Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health (IIRH). Field aggregate stability and soil organic matter using loss-on-ignition were also measured. We found that: a) soil legacies continued to be detectable up to 20 years after land transformation; b) producers’ personal values of EGS were directly linked to observed land uses and ecosystem ratings; and c) opportunities for reintroducing grasses into crop rotations or crop-livestock integration could likely improve EGS delivery from converted lands while enhancing rural economic outcomes at a low- to no- trade-off between ecosystem functions.