Conservation of Pattern and Process: Developing an Alternative Paradigm of Rangeland Management

Fuhlendorf, Samuel D.; Engle, David M.; Elmore, R. Dwayne; Limb, Ryan F.; Bidwell, Terrence G.

doi:10.2111/rem-d-11-00109.1

Cited by 170 publications

(163 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Our findings may have profound implications when considered in the context of projected temperature increases resulting from climate change and the widespread management paradigm that focuses on uniform, moderate disturbance rather than a shifting mosaic comprised of patches with highly variable amounts of disturbance (Holecheck et al 2004, Fuhlendorf et al 2012. Furthermore, our findings indicate that thermal variation can occur at fine scales, but that thermal variation at multiple scales is maximized by varying focal disturbance across broad scales (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Landscapes as a moderator of thermal extremes: a case study from an imperiled grouse

et al. 2014

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Abstract. The impacts of climate driven change on ecosystem processes and biodiversity are pervasive and still not fully understood. Biodiversity loss, range shifts, and phenological mismatches are all issues associated with a changing climate that are having significant impacts on individuals and ecosystems alike. Investigating and identifying effective management strategies that can conserve vulnerable species should be the focus of current and future climate change research. We investigated thermal properties of habitat for an imperiled grouse (Greater Prairie-chicken; Tympanuchus cupido) in tallgrass prairie characterized by heterogeneous fire and grazing (the fire-grazing interaction). We examined operative temperature at varying scales relevant to grouse and used historic and forecasted climate data to estimate thermal stress during nesting activities. We found that heterogeneous grasslands have high thermal variability with operative temperature ranging as much as 238C across the landscape. Grouse exhibited strong selection for cooler thermal environments as nest sites were as much as 88C cooler than the surrounding landscape, and fine-scale differences in thermal environments were nearly 48C cooler than sites within 2 m of nests. Additionally, forecasted climate scenarios indicate grouse will experience 2-4 times the number of hours above thermal stress thresholds, emphasizing the need for informed conservation management. Overall, these data provide evidence that variation in grassland structure resulting from the fire-grazing interaction may be important in moderating thermal environments and highlights the complex and interactive effects of restored ecological processes on ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Landscapes as a moderator of thermal extremes: a case study from an imperiled grouse

et al. 2014

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“…Although ecologists understand that fire is an effective means of controlling woody vegetation and promoting herbaceous growth, it is underutilized owing to private landowner concerns over liability, and due to lack of training, proper equipment, and ability to manage fires effectively (Kreuter et al 2008, Jarrett et al 2009, Morton et al 2010). There is a need to extend what has been learned on reserves to private lands to provide larger and more contiguous habitats for biodiversity (Fuhlendorf et al 2012. Miller et al (2012) propose that reserves be used to catalyze adoption of prescribed fire and other grassland conservation practices by private landowners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landowners' perceptions of risk in grassland management: woody plant encroachment and prescribed fire

Harr

Morton

Rusk

et al. 2014

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Ecologists recognize that fire and herbivory are essential to maintaining habitat quality in grassland ecosystems. Prescribed fire and grazing are typically used on public reserves to increase biodiversity, improve grassland productivity, and control encroachment of woody plants. However, these tools, particularly prescribed fire, have not been widely adopted by private landowners. Fire suppression and prescribed fire are strategies that present competing risks to owners who make management decisions. We explore landowner perceptions of risk associated with (1) eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment, and (2) the use of prescribed fire to control woody species in the Grand River Grasslands of Iowa and Missouri, USA. We found that although mapping data of eastern redcedar in this region showed substantial encroachment over the past three decades, concept mapping of landowner beliefs and in-person interviews of local community leaders revealed that perceived risks associated with prescribed fire often outweighed those associated with loss of forage and grassland habitats.

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“…Historical conditions may be poorly understood, such that there is controversy about the plant communities present and the nature of disturbance regimes (Whipple et al 2011;Lanner 2012). This may be especially problematic for plant and animal species that rely on a variety of states (Fuhlendorf et al 2012). For example, a persistent, low plant cover state associated with prairie dog disturbance is necessary to support some native bird species in shortgrass steppe ecosystems (Augustine and Derner 2012).…”

Section: Reference States History and Novel Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State and Transition Models: Theory, Applications, and Challenges

Bestelmeyer

Ash

Brown

et al. 2017

Springer Series on Environmental Management

105

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State and transition models (STMs) are used to organize and communicate information regarding ecosystem change, especially the implications for management. The fundamental premise that rangelands can exhibit multiple states is now widely accepted and has deeply pervaded management thinking, even in the absence of formal STM development. The current application of STMs for management, however, has been limited by both the science and the ability of institutions to develop and use STMs. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive and contemporary overview of STM concepts and applications at a global level. We first review the ecological concepts underlying STMs with the goal of bridging STMs to recent theoretical developments in ecology. We then provide a synthesis of the history of

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Conservation of Pattern and Process: Developing an Alternative Paradigm of Rangeland Management

Cited by 170 publications

References 82 publications

Landscapes as a moderator of thermal extremes: a case study from an imperiled grouse

Landscapes as a moderator of thermal extremes: a case study from an imperiled grouse

Landowners' perceptions of risk in grassland management: woody plant encroachment and prescribed fire

State and Transition Models: Theory, Applications, and Challenges

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