This state describes the range of vegetative community phases that occur on the Wet Subirrigated site where the natural processes are mostly intact.
The Reference Plant Community is a representation of the native plant community phase that occupies a site that has been minimally altered by management. The Degraded Native Grass, the At-Risk Native Grass, and the Excessive Litter Communities are the phases that result from management decisions that are unfavorable for a healthy Reference Community. The Ephemeral Forb Community is the result of a high intensity disturbance event.
High perennial grass cover and production allows for increased soil moisture retention, vegetative production, and overall soil quality.
This state has been degraded from the Reference State and much of the native warm-season grass community has been replaced by less desirable plants. The loss of warm-season, tall-and mid-grasses has negatively impacted energy flow and nutrient cycling. Water infiltration is reduced due to the shallow root system and rapid runoff characteristics of the grazing-evasive plant communities.
The Native Evaders/Invaded Grass and the Smooth Brome Communities are the components of the Native/Invaded Grass State.
This threshold is crossed as a result of mechanical disturbance to facilitate production agriculture. If farming operations are suspended, the site can be abandoned, which will result in the Natural Reclamation Community, or be reseeded to a desired perennial forage mixture, which is described as the Reseeded Grass Community. Permanent alterations of the soil community and the hydrological cycle make restoration to the original native Reference State extremely difficult, if not impossible. Formation of a compacted plow pan in the soil profile is likely.
Heavy grazing or haying without adequate recovery periods will cause this state to lose a significant proportion of warm-season tall-and midgrass species and cross a threshold to the Native/Invaded Grass State. Water infiltration and other hydrologic functions will be reduced due to the root matting presence of sod-forming grasses. With the decline and loss of deeper penetrating root systems, soil structure and biological integrity are catastrophically degraded to the point that recovery is unlikely. Once this occurs, it is highly unlikely that grazing management alone will return the community to the Reference State.
The Reference State is significantly altered by mechanical tillage to allow the site to be placed into production agriculture. The disruption to the plant community, the soil and the hydrology of the system make restoration to a true reference state unlikely.
The state is significantly altered by mechanical tillage to allow the site to be placed into production agriculture. The disruption to the plant community, the soil and the hydrology of the system make restoration to a true reference state unlikely.
Model keys
Briefcase
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.
) icon wherever it occurs. Drag and drop items to reorder. Cookies are used to store briefcase items between browsing sessions. Because of this, the number of items that can be added to your briefcase is limited, and briefcase items added on one device and browser cannot be accessed from another device or browser. Users who do not wish to place cookies on their devices should not use the briefcase tool. Briefcase cookies serve no other purpose than described here and are deleted whenever browsing history is cleared.
