Invasive plant species effects on wind and water erosion across US grazing lands

Authors: WEBB, NICHOLAS - New Mexico State University; McCord, Sarah; Bonefont Flores, Kristopher; Courtright, Ericha; DUNIWAY, MICHAEL - Us Geological Survey (USGS); EDWARDS, BRANDON - New Mexico State University; Goodrich, David; Heilman, Philip; HERNANDEZ, MARIANO - University Of Arizona; Klimetz, Lauren; Moriasi, Daniel; Nearing, Mark; Newingham, Beth; Nichols, Mary; Pierson Jr, Frederick; Tatarko, John; Toledo, David; Van Pelt, Robert; Van Zee, Justin; Williams, Jason

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2021
Publication Date: 9/1/2021
Citation: Webb, N., McCord, S.E., Bonefont Flores, K., Courtright, E.M., Duniway, M., Edwards, B., Goodrich, D.C., Heilman, P., Hernandez, M., Klimetz, L.E., Moriasi, D.N., Nearing, M.A., Newingham, B.A., Nichols, M.H., Pierson Jr, F.B., Tatarko, J., Toledo, D.N., Van Pelt, R.S., Van Zee, J.W., Williams, J.B. 2021. Invasive plant species effects on wind and water erosion across US grazing lands. Meeting Abstract. Abstract.

Interpretive Summary: Wind and water rerosion negatively impact agriculture and ecosystems and can limit the effectiveness of management options. US grazing lands have diverse soils and vegetation, which have different susceptibilities to erosion. Land uses, land management, and disturbances vary across these regions and have great potential to change soil erosion rates. Over the last century, a combination of land management pressures (e.g., grazing), altered fire regimes, drought, and climate change have helped the spread of invasive plant species across grazing lands, which has directly and indirectly affected the susceptibility of sites to soil erosion. The USDA Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network's Rangeland Soil Erosion Working Group is collaborating with natural resource agencies (NRCS and BLM) to understand how invasive plant species are influencing wind and water erosion across public and private grazing lands, and where management to reduce soil erosion may be most effective. We are applying wind and water erosion models to assess how soil erosion is responding to changes in vegetation, including invasive and native plant species. We hypothesize that vegetation cover and structure are influenced by the presence and cover of invasive plant species, and that modelled indicators of soil erosion are responding across ecoregions.

Technical Abstract: Soil erosion by wind and water reduces the productive potential of agroecosystems, threatening the efficacy of climate change mitigation and adaption, and strategies for the sustainable intensification of agriculture. The extensive US grazing lands encompass diverse ecosystems with different inherent resistance and resilience to erosion. Land uses, land management, and disturbances vary across these regions and have great potential to change (accelerate or reduce) soil erosion rates. Over the last century, a combination of land management pressures (e.g., grazing), altered fire regimes, drought, and climate change have facilitated establishment and spread of invasive plant species across grazing lands, which has directly and indirectly affected the susceptibility of sites to soil erosion. The LTAR Rangeland Soil Erosion Working Group is collaborating with natural resource agencies (NRCS and BLM) to understand how invasive plant species are influencing wind and water erosion across public and private grazing lands, and where conservation practices may be most effective. We are applying the Aeolian Erosion (AERO) model and Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) to estimate aeolian sediment transport and water erosion rates using monitoring datasets collected by the NRCS and BLM at over 60,000 locations and harmonized in the Landscape Data Commons. The erosion indicators are being assessed relative to indicators of vegetation cover and structure, including invasive and native species, which attenuate soil erosion. We hypothesize that vegetation cover and structure are influenced by the presence and cover of invasive plant species, and that modelled indicators of soil erosion are responding across ecoregions.