Download or read book Biological Soil Crusts in Alberta s Grasslands written by Megan Courtney Lewis and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biological soil crusts (BSCs) play a central role in the biodiversity, health, resilience, and function of drylands like Alberta's grasslands. In Alberta, much of the biocrust cover consists of lichens, and many crusts are dominated by species of Cladonia. Despite the drought-resistant nature of biocrusts, they have been found to be sensitive to changes in precipitation and disturbance in other regions. This finding leads to questions of if, and how, land-management strategies should change to retain rangeland function as drought becomes more frequent. To answer these questions we need monitoring and experiments investigating biocrust response to change. However, for a group of lichens in Alberta's grassland biocrusts, the Cladonia cariosa group, taxonomic boundaries are imprecise, potentially obscuring changes in biocrust communities. To clarify boundaries in the Cladonia cariosa group, I implemented an integrative taxonomic study using morphology, secondary chemistry, a multi-locus molecular dataset, and a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) dataset. While the multi-locus study using the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear rDNA (ITS) and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 (rpb2) provided low resolution, the GBS dataset generated a highly-supported phylogeny. Three lineages corresponded to previously described species in the group, Cladonia cariosa, Cladonia symphycarpa, and Cladonia acuminata, and two lineages correspond to undescribed species. While Cladonia cariosa, Cladonia symphycarpa, and Cladonia acuminata could clearly be differentiated by morphology and chemistry, the two undescribed species had few distinguishing traits from Cladonia symphycarpa, and are thought to be semi-cryptic. This work results in the addition of two putative species to the Cladonia cariosa group. One of the new putative species, for now referred to as Clade E, occurs in Alberta along with Cladonia cariosa, Cladonia symphycarpa, Cladonia acuminata, and Cladonia decorticata; while the second new putative species, Clade F, appears to have a distribution limited to Europe. Following clarification of species boundaries, I assessed the effects of simulated drought and grazing on grassland BSC using a manipulative experiment conducted over four years at seven North American temperate grassland sites. A 45% reduction in precipitation and four defoliation treatments simulating common grazing management systems were applied to study responses of biological soil crust cover and community composition, as well as environmental variables. Effects differed by site, with BSC lichen and moss experiencing an increase in cover with defoliation at some sites, but seemed largely resistant to drought treatments. Selaginella densa was sensitive to combined effects of drought and defoliation at some sites, experiencing the largest cover decrease in drought and spring+fall defoliated plots. Both moss and lichen cover were found to have a negative relationship with litter. Lichen had a positive relationship with light at a site with high annual net primary production (ANPP) and a negative relationship with light at a site with low ANPP. Beta-diversity in BSC communities was found to be significantly higher in undefoliated treatments, and lower in spring+fall defoliated treatments. The varying effects of drought and defoliation on BSC by site highlights the importance of using ecological knowledge to make landscape management decisions, and that one-size-fits-all management approaches for grasslands in the Great Plains region are likely innapropriate. This research has greatly expanded our understanding of the phylogenetics of the Cladonia cariosa group, which is ubiquitous in our area of the Great Plains, as well as the influence of drought and defoliation on BSC composition and cover.

Download or read book Topographic and Soil Variables Significant in the Reclamation of Grassland Sites written by Ronald John Middleton and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Canadian Journal of Botany written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 1124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Effects of Conservation Practices on Grazing Lands written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Assessment of Grassland Ecosystem Conditions in the Southwestern United States without special title written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Assessment of Grassland Ecosystem Conditions in the Southwestern United States written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Natural Regions and Subregions of Alberta written by David J. Downing and published by . This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This document presents the climatic, physiographic, vegetation, soil, wildlife and land use attributes that characterize each natural region and subregion. It has been organized into four parts: part one outlines national region and subregion concepts, part two describes methods used to generate climate statistics, part three presents a comparative analysis of selected climate statistics to facilitate comparison of natural regions and subregions, and part four presents detailed climatic, vegetation, soils and physiographic descriptions for six natural regions and twenty-one natural subregions currently recognized in Alberta.

Download or read book The Canadian Rockies written by Douglas Leighton and published by Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Without a doubt, this is the all-time bestselling book on the Canadian Rockies. Through the lens of his camera, Douglas Leighton has captured the magic and the majesty of the Canadian Rockies. Because he is a resident of these mountains himself, his reverence for the alpine wilderness is evident in his photography. His images successfully convey the pristine nature of this ever-changing landscape. Leighton's work represents both his respect for the unique character of the Rockies and his aspiration to share with others the beauty of this untamed place.

Download or read book Restoring Canada s Native Prairies written by John Philip Morgan and published by Argyle, Man. : Prairie Habitats. This book was released on 1995 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book General Technical Report RMRS written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Biological Agricultural Index written by and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 2282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Northwest Science written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Selected Water Resources Abstracts written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 1424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Soil Management written by Jerry L. Hatfield and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-01-22 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Degradation of soils continues at a pace that will eventually create a local, regional, or even global crisis when diminished soil resources collide with increasing climate variation. It's not too late to restore our soils to a more productive state by rediscovering the value of soil management, building on our well-established and ever-expanding scientific understanding of soils. Soil management concepts have been in place since the cultivation of crops, but we need to rediscover the principles that are linked together in effective soil management. This book is unique because of its treatment of soil management based on principles—the physical, chemical, and biological processes and how together they form the foundation for soil management processes that range from tillage to nutrient management. Whether new to soil science or needing a concise reference, readers will benefit from this book's ability to integrate the science of soils with management issues and long-term conservation efforts.

Download or read book Rangeland Health written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1994-02-01 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rangelands comprise between 40 and 50 percent of all U.S. land and serve the nation both as productive areas for wildlife, recreational use, and livestock grazing and as watersheds. The health and management of rangelands have been matters for scientific inquiry and public debate since the 1880s, when reports of widespread range degradation and livestock losses led to the first attempts to inventory and classify rangelands. Scientists are now questioning the utility of current methods of rangeland classification and inventory, as well as the data available to determine whether rangelands are being degraded. These experts, who are using the same methods and data, have come to different conclusions. This book examines the scientific basis of methods used by federal agencies to inventory, classify, and monitor rangelands; it assesses the success of these methods; and it recommends improvements. The book's findings and recommendations are of interest to the public; scientists; ranchers; and local, state, and federal policymakers.

Download or read book Microbiology of Tropical Soils and Plant Productivity written by Y.R. Dommergues and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 1982-11-30 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is an established fact that we must continually increase and improve agricultural production if we are to meet even the minimum requirements of a growing popu lation for food, shelter, and fuel. In recent years, the introduction of new plant varieties and the extensive use of fertilizers have effectively increased crop yields, but intensifying agricultural methods has often led to depleting soil fertility. Two examples of the harmful consequences of intensive farming practices are the loss of up to 2.5 cm of topsoil every 15 years in the United States through erosion and the alarming rise in environmental pollution through widespread use of pesticides. Countless other processes affecting the activity of soil micro flora and the inter actions between microorganisms and plants may pose an equal danger to soil equilibrium, but their potential hazards are often overlooked because of an insufficient understanding of soil microbiology on the part of scientists. In the first published study of its kind, the authors of this book have attempted to address major aspects of the microbial activity of soil in the tropics. Tropical conditions serve as an ideal context for a discussion of soil microbiology, since biological processes in the soil are particularly active in tropical environments in comparison to other settings and in relation to physical and chemical processes.

Download or read book Biological Soil Crusts An Organizing Principle in Drylands written by Bettina Weber and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-05-21 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume summarizes our current understanding of biological soil crusts (biocrusts), which are omnipresent in dryland regions. Since they cover the soil surface, they influence, or even control, all surface exchange processes. Being one of the oldest terrestrial communities, biocrusts comprise a high diversity of cyanobacteria, algae, lichens and bryophytes together with uncounted bacteria, and fungi. The authors show that biocrusts are an integral part of dryland ecosystems, stabilizing soils, influencing plant germination and growth, and playing a key role in carbon, nitrogen and water cycling. Initial attempts have been made to use biocrusts as models in ecological theory. On the other hand, biocrusts are endangered by local disruptions and global change, highlighting the need for enhanced recovery methods. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the fascinating field of biocrust research, making it indispensable not only for scientists in this area, but also for land managers, policy makers, and anyone interested in the environment.