An Abstract of the Dissertation Of
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Casey A. Matney for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Rangeland Ecology and Management presented on May 28, 2010. Title: An Assessment of Plant Community Structure, Herbivory, Soils, and State- and-Transition Theory on a Winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata [Pursh] A.D.J. Meeuse & Smit) Ecological Site Abstract approved: __________________________________________________________________ Tamzen K. Stringham State-and-transition models (STMs) have been successfully used to describe ecological dynamics in woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, and several other ecosystems. Changes in vegetation and soil are measured to gauge and predict plant community dynamics within ecological states and transitions between alternative ecological states. Ecological states and their boundaries are defined by a range of variability in vegetation and soil parameters. The ecological site classification system used in the United States requires the development of a unique STM model for each defined ecological site. The foundation of the ecological site concept is the estimation and quantification of a historical reference plant community. Historical information, land manager experience, and scientific data are used to quantify the historical reference plant community and gauge changes towards alternative stable states. In regards to winterfat plant communities and the Silty 6-10 PZ ecological site, conceptual STMs have not been fully developed or tested. The objective of this study was to develop, test, and refine a process-based, data supported, STM for the Silty 6-10 PZ ecological site. The predominant factor of disturbance on this ecological site for the last 100 years has been grazing by livestock. To develop the process-based STM for the ecological site, we conducted a piosphere study centered on a livestock watering point and a five-year grazing exclosure study. With these two studies we were able to quantify the resilience of the ecological site when protected from disturbance (exclosure study) and also to quantify the trends of the ecological site when under a continued grazing disturbance (piosphere study). We used the information gathered from both of these studies to refine the STM. The four strongest factors that indicated differences between ecological states were amount of biological soil crust, soil surface aggregate stability, density of winterfat, and frequency of Indian ricegrass. Data from this study supported the initial proposed STM for the Silty 6-10 PZ ecological site. States defined were a Reference Winterfat State (State 1), Sickle Saltbush State (State 2), and a Creeping Wildrye State (State 3). Each ecological state corresponds to a site characterized by high, moderate, and low ecological functioning, respectively. © Copyright by Casey A. Matney May 28, 2010 All Rights Reserved An Assessment of Plant Community Structure, Herbivory, Soils, and State-and- Transition Theory on a Winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata [Pursh] A.D.J. Meeuse & Smit) Ecological Site by Casey A. Matney A DISSERTATION Submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Presented May 28, 2010 Commencement June 2011 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation of Casey A. Matney presented on May 28, 2010 APPROVED: __________________________________________________________________ Major Professor, representing Rangeland Ecology and Management __________________________________________________________________ Head of the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management __________________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. __________________________________________________________________ Casey A. Matney, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of the people that supported and inspired me during my doctoral study at Oregon State University. First and foremost I wish to thank my major professor Dr. Tamzen Stringham for her support and expertise. Her guidance and encouragement allowed me to complete this research project and doctoral degree. Next, my committee members; Steven Petersen, Jay Noller, John Buckhouse, and Cynthia Ocamb, your insights improved the final product and for that I am indebted to you. I acknowledge the Roaring Springs Ranch, especially ranch manager Stacy Davies, for putting up with me and providing the opportunity to use their land as my research platform. I would like to thank the Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management for their continued financial support. Additionally, I would like to thank my colleagues and the staff within the department for your support and friendships. It is an honor for me to thank my family; Stevie, Ethan, and Rowan for their love and support, late nights, and for giving me a life away from the writing; this dissertation would have been impossible without them. I want to thank my father, Rick Matney, for instilling the determination and strong work ethic that was needed to complete this dissertation. The road to my graduate degree was long and I would like to give a special thank you to Jan Rowlee for her financial support. CONTRIBUTION OF AUTHORS Dr. Tamzen Stringham assisted with the data collection, design, and writing of all chapters. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION….......................................... 1 WATERING POINTS AND PIOSPHERES.…………………….... 1 SICKLE SALTBUSH…………………………………….....……... 13 WINTERFAT…………………………………………………...…. 17 CATLOW VALLEY HISTORY…………………………………... 31 RANGELAND MANAGEMENT MODELING TOOL...……….... 39 LITERATURE CITED…………………………………………….. 46 CHAPTER 2: A LONG-TERM HERBIVORY EXCLOSURE STUDY ON A WINTERFAT ECOLOGICAL SITE IN SOUTHEASTERN OREGON…………………………………………………………………... 71 ABSTRACT……………………………………………………...… 71 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………. 72 MATERIALS AND METHODS………………………………..…. 74 RESULTS……………………………………………………..…… 81 DISCUSSION…………………………………………………..….. 102 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS…………………………….… 110 LITERATURE CITED…………………………………………..… 111 CHAPTER 3: SOIL DYNAMICS, VEGETATION, AND ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN RELATION TO DISTANCE FROM A CATTLE WATERING POINT IN THE CATLOW VALLEY OF OREGON…………………………………………….…..…. 119 ABSTRACT……………………………………………………..…. 119 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………. 120 MATERIALS AND METHODS………………………………...… 122 RESULTS………………………………………………………..… 128 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page DISCUSSION…………………………………………………….... 153 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS………………………………. 162 LITERATURE CITED…………………………………………..… 163 CHAPTER 4: STATE-AND-TRANSITION MODELS FOR A WINTERFAT ECOLOGICAL SITE IN SOUTHEASTERN OREGON…………………………………………………………………... 173 ABSTRACT……………………………………………………...... 173 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………. 173 MATERIALS AND METHODS………………………………..…. 180 RESULTS………………………………………………………..… 193 DISCUSSION…………………………………………………..….. 208 CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………..…. 214 LITERATURE CITED…………………………………………..… 216 CHAPTER 5: GENERAL CONCLUSION…………………………….….. 220 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………..….... 226 APPENDIX………………………………………….………………...…… 256 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Examples of regression model fits to data collected by Valentine (1947). Broken piece linear regression model is displayed by dashed line and natural log model displayed by the solid black line. The red line indicates the outer perimeter of the sacrifice zone………………………………………………..……... 8 1.2 A sickle saltbush (Atriplex falcata [M.E. Jones] Standl.) seedling.………………………………………………….………… 14 1.3 Photo of winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata [Pursh] A.D.J. Meeuse & Smit.) shrubs in the Catlow Valley, OR. Photo taken during May of 2007.…………..………………………………….... 18 1.4 Map of the Catlow Valley and Townsites.………………………… 35 1.5 Dyksterhuis’ 1949 diagram illustrating a quantitative basis for determining range condition. Excerpted from Dyksterhuis’ article in the Journal of Range Management (Dyksterhuis 1949)………… 41 1.6 State-and-transition model display, excerpted from Stringham et al. (2003)……………………………………………………..…. 44 1.7 Revised state-and-transition model, excerpted from Briske et al. (2008)………………………………………………………… 45 2.1 Monthly mean temperature (°C), dashed line, and mean precipitation (mm), solid line, for May 2005 through May 2008. Lines are smoothed interpolations between average monthly values…………………………………………………………..…... 75 2.2 Age frequency histograms for n = 128 shrubs of sickle saltbush (A, top) and winterfat (B, bottom)……………………………..…... 88 3.1 Monthly mean temperature (°C), dashed line, and mean precipitation (mm), solid line, for May 2005 through May 2008. Lines are smoothed interpolations between average monthly values…………………………………………………………….… 123 LIST OF FIGURES (Continued) Figure Page 3.2 Layout of radial sampling distances relative to watering point location in the Catlow Valley. …………………………………..... 126 3.3 Mean number of impact penetrometer strikes for the 0 to 5 cm depth zone in relation to distance from a cattle watering point in the Catlow Valley, OR………………………………………….….. 132 3.4 Bulk density (g·cm-3) of the A (A) and Bt2 (B) soil horizons in relation to distance from the cattle watering point in the Catlow Valley, OR.………………………………………………………… 134 3.5 Thickness of the A soil horizon (A), and mean depths (cm) of the A, Bt1, and Bt2 soil horizon interface (B) in relation to distance from the cattle watering point in the Catlow Valley, OR………….. 135 3.6 Mean soil surface