Mechanical Mastication of Utah Juniper Encroaching Sagebrush Steppe Increases Inorganic Soil N

Authors

Kert R. Young, New Mexico State University
Bruce A. Roundy, Brigham Young University
Dennis L. Eggett, Brigham Young University

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Applied and Environmental Soil Science

Volume

2014

Publisher

Hindawi Limited

Publication Date

4-27-2014

First Page

1

Last Page

10

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Juniper (Juniperus spp.) has encroached on millions of hectares of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe. Juniper mechanical mastication increases cover of understory species but could increase resource availability and subsequently invasive plant species. We quantified the effects of juniper mastication on soil resource availability by comparing total C, total N, C : N ratio, Olsen extractable P, sulfate S, and pH using soil samples and inorganic N (NO₃^-+NH₄⁺) using ion exchange membranes. We compared resource availability in paired masticated and untreated areas in three juniper-dominated sagebrush and bunchgrass ecosystems in the Utah portion of the Great Basin. Inorganic N was 4.7 times higher in masticated than in untreated areas across seasons (PPP

Recommended Citation

Young, K.R., B.A. Roundy, and D. Eggett. 2014. Mechanical mastication of Utah juniper encroaching sagebrush steppe increases inorganic soil N. Hindawi Publishing Corporation Applied and Environmental Soil Science Volume 2014, Article ID 632757, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/632757