TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of small mammal and invertebrate herbivory on plant species richness and abundance in tallgrass prairie JF - Oecologia Y1 - 1990 A1 - D.J. Gibson A1 - Freeman, C.C. A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

A factorial field experiment was designed to test the effects of small mammals and above-and below-ground invertebrates on plant species richness and composition in native tallgrass prairie at Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, northeast Kansas. Over a 4-year period, Microtus ochrogaster densities were maintained by live-trapping in fenced plots, and invertebrate levels were reduced using the pesticides carbaryl for aboveground invertebrates and an organophsphate (isofenphos) for below-ground invertebrates. ANOVA according to a split-plot design of plant species biomass data harvested in 1984 and 1986 revealed few significant effect of either small mammal densities or pesticide application. Of 54 species harvested from both sample dates, only 10 were significantly affected by either treatment. Analysis of species richness according to 8 life-form classes provided a clearer pattern of response than did biomass either by species or life-form class. For example, numbers of C4 grasses were reduced by increasing small mammal densities, whereas numbers of C4 annual forbs were lowest when above-ground herbivory was reduced. While consumers have been shown to have strong effects on successional communities, the few significant results observed in this study suggests that the manipulated levels of small mammals and insects had few effects on a mature tallgrass prairie. Key words: herbivory, tallgrass prairie, small mammals, invertebrates, plant communities

VL - 84 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Causes of fire effects in tallgrass prairie JF - Ecology Y1 - 1988 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Eleven experimental treatments were applied to 2 x 2 m plots over 2 yr at Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Riley County, Kansas, to ascertain why burning tallgrass prairie causes increased production and flowering. Warming of the soil in unburned plots resulted in an increase in both total production and flower stalk production of dominant tall grasses, primarily big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), but the increase was small (34% increase in biomass; 78% increase in number of flower stalks) compared with that in burned plots (151% increase in biomass; 435% increase in flower stalks). Increased surface light intensity also appears to be a factor affecting changes in productivity following burning as suggested by the combined responses of increased productivity with removal of standing dead, whether by clipping or burning, and decreased productivity with shading. Further, the addition of ammonium nitrate increased yield 41% and flowering 168% for the dominant grasses, suggesting that any factor increasing nitrogen availability would affect these vegetative parameters. Neither ash left from burning nor hrating of the soil surface during burning produced detectable effects on subsequent vegetative growth. Different results for some parameters between years and between species suggest that many complex interactions operate to affect the grassland's response to burning, but surface light, soil surface temperature, and nitrogen appear to be particularly important factors. Key words: aboveground biomass, bluestem prairie, burning, fire, flowering, soil temperature, tallgrass prairie

VL - 69 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Effect of topographic position and fire on species composition in tallgrass prairie in northeast Kansas JF - The American Midland Naturalist Y1 - 1987 A1 - Abrams, M.D. A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Plant species composition was evaluated on shallow upland and deep lowland soils in annually burned and unburned watersheds in an eastern Kansas Flint Hills tallgrass prairie. Species richness was higher in upland than lowland communities. Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) was dominant on all sites (cover=70-96%) and was not significantly affected by topographic position or burn treatment, whereas, A. scoparius (little bluestem) and Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass) increased with burning. Cover of Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) was higher on lowland soils, but burning differences were not significant. Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass), the dominant cool-season grass, was not affected by topography but was greatly reduced by annual burning. Cover of most forb and woody species was reduced on burned areas but species were differentially affected by topography. One exception was the woody species Amorpha canescens (leadplant), which had its highest cover on burned lowland soils

VL - 117 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of fire, topography and year-to-year climate variation on species composition in tallgrass prairie JF - Vegetatio Y1 - 1987 A1 - D.J. Gibson A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB - Native unploughed tallgrass prairie from Konza Prairie, Kansas USA is described with respect to plant species compositional changes over a five year period in response to fire and topography. The principal gradient of variation in the vegetation is related to time since burning. Species show an individualistic response in terms of relative abundance to this gradient. Both the percentage of and cover of C4 species and all grasses decrease as the prairie remains unburnt. Forb and woody plant species numbers and abundance increase along this gradient. A secondary gradient of variation reflects topography (i.e. upland versus lowland soils). Upland soils support a higher species richness and diversity. Upland and lowland plant assemblages are distinct except on annually burnt prairie. The interaction between burning regime, topography and year-to-year climatic variation affects the relative abundance of the plant species differentially. The most dominant species overall, Andropogon gerardii, was affected only by year-to- year variation (i.e. climate). Its position at the top of the species abundance hierarchy was unaffected by burning regime or soil type. The other dominant species showed a suite of varying responses to these factors VL - 72 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Fire effects on tallgrass prairie Y1 - 1986 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. ED - Clambey, G.K. ED - Pemble, R.H. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Fire has been an important natural part of tallgrass prairie ecosystems, started by both lightning and American Indians. Production of vegetation on burned areas can be double that on unburned, unmowed, and ungrazed areas where the old standing dead vegetation is deep. Burning stimulates earlier plant development than on unburned areas. In tallgrass prairie, burning stimulates flowering of warm-season grasses and increases stem density. Late spring burning results in fewer forbs but greater grass production than fall or early spring burning. Up to at least six years, above ground biomass is positively related to the number of years between burning. In Kansas, at least, burning is effective in keeping out exotic plants where the prairie grasses are vigorous. The few studies of fire effects consistently indicate that neither the ash left from burning nor heat form fires affects production. Warming of the increased growth resulting form burning. The increased light for new growth by removal of the old plants seems to be more important

PB - North Dakota State University: Tri-College Center for Environmental Study CY - Fargo, ND ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Production, density and height of flower stalks of three grasses in annually burned and unburned eastern Kansas tallgrass prairie: a four year record JF - The Southwestern Naturalist Y1 - 1986 A1 - Alan K. Knapp A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

The production, density and height of flower stalks of Andropogon gerardii, Schizachrium scoparium and Sorghastrum nutans were surveyed over a four-year period (1981-1984) on burned vs unburned and shallow vs deep soil sites in native, undisturbed tallgrass prairie. In general, flower stalk height was greater on deep than the shallow soils but the response of height to fire was variable. In contrast, density and production of flower stalks were usually greater on the annualy burned sites, whereas soil effects were inconsistent. Production of flower stalks for all three species combined ranged from 0 to 670 g/m2 during the 4-year period with maximum production occurring in a mesic year which followed a drought year

VL - 31 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - A ten-year record of aboveground biomass in a Kansas tallgrass prairie: effects of fire and topographic position JF - American Journal of Botany Y1 - 1986 A1 - Abrams, M.D. A1 - Alan K. Knapp A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Measurements of mid-season live and dead aboveground biomass are reported for a 10 year period (1975- 1984) in a northeast Kansas tallgrass prairie. Study sites included shallow, rocky upland and deep, nonrocky lowland soils in annually burned (April) and unburned watersheds. Lowland sites had significantly greater live biomass than upland sites for both burned and unburned prairie for the 10 year period. Moreover, live biomass was greater on burned than unburned lowland sites, but was not significantly increased by fire on the upland sites. Averaged across upland and lowland sites, mid-season live biomass was 422 g m-2 on annually burned and 364 g m-2 on unburned sites for the 10 year period. Each site had its lowest live biomass value during the severe drought year of 1980 (range=185-299 g m-2). During the study period, live biomass was most strongly correlated with seasonal pan water evaporation (r=-0.45 to -0.82), whereas dead biomass was correlated with the previous years precipitation (r=0.62 and 0.90 for upland and lowland sites, respectively). When aboveground biomass was sampled throughout the 1984 season and separated into several components, biomass of the graminoids was 40% lower, whereas that of forbs and woody plants was 200-300% greater in the unburned than in the annually burned site

VL - 73 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - An annotated list of the vascular flora of Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Kansas JF - Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science Y1 - 1985 A1 - Freeman, C.C. A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

The Konza Prairie Research Natural Area is a 3487 hectare research area located in the northern Kansas Flint Hills. The vegetation of Konza Prairie is predominantly tallgrass prairie with limited gallery forests along major tributaries. The vascular flora of the research area includes 441 species in 90 families. This number represents approximately 44% of the species known to occur in the Kansas Flint Hills

VL - 88 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - An evaluation of beta attenuation for estimating aboveground biomass in a tallgrass prairie JF - Journal of Range Management Y1 - 1985 A1 - Alan K. Knapp A1 - Abrams, M.D. A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

The attenuation of beta particles by vegetation was evaluated as a nondestructive method for estimating aboveground biomass in tallgrass prairie in northeast Kansas. Regression equations using the sum of beta attenuation measurements for each of 5 height classes within the vegetation and mean midday leaf water potential as the independent variables were used to predict live and total biomass. Live and total biomass were better predicted on burned (r2=.91 and .88, respectively) and unburned sites (r2=.71 and .70, respectively). Greater variability in the relationship between beta attentuation and biomass in unburned prairie was a result of the large and variable amount of dead biomass on unburned sites. Dead biomass was poorly predicted by beta attentuation (r2=.24- .49). Beta attentuation predicted biomass in burned tallgrass prairie within +/- 5% of harvest values until late season vegetative senescence. In unburned prairie, predictions were poorer, but the technique could still be useful if the required accuracy need be only +/- 25%

VL - 38 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - History and use of Konza Prairie Research Natural Area JF - The Prairie Scout Y1 - 1985 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Konza Prairie, a few miles south of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas, lies in the western part of the tallgrass or true prairie. The dense roots and the very tough rhizomes (underground stems) of the tallgrass prairie of North American and of the Danube Basin of Europe made the sod so tough that neither area could be plowed ("broken" the pioneers called it) until the nineteenth century after the special sod breaking plow was developed. Nine faculty in five departments at KSU began meeting in 1956 to discuss the need for a prairie area for ecological research to complement the prairie areas being used to study livestock production. In searching for an appropriate name, it was decided to choose one of the various spellings of the Kansa tribe; the oldest tribe that lived in the area for which a name is known. The Deweys acquired the land that became the Dewey Ranch parcel-by-parcel from 1872 to 1926. Konza Prairie Research Natural Area is the premier research site for tallgrass prairie, a fact certainly not anticipated by the cowboys and other who helped raise cattle on the area from the middle of the 1800s until the area was purchased by the Nature Conservancy in the 1970s. Because fire and native herbivores (bison, elk, and pronghorn) are part of this natural system, the experimental design includes them. Cattle are also included to compare domestic with native grazers. Research focuses on the vegetation, soils, insects, earthworms, nematodes (soil roundworms), birds, mammels, streams, and other components. Plans are to continue these studies for decades in order to assess the effects of weather variation, so pronounced in this continental area

VL - 5 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Fire interval effects on flowering of grasses in Kansas bluestem prairie Y1 - 1983 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. A1 - Wilson, J.K. ED - Kucera, C.L. KW - flowering KW - prairie KW - tallgrass AB -

The height, density, and weight of flower stems of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), and little bluestem (A. scoparius) on ungrazed areas burned in spring of 1979 differed with respect to time elapsed since the areas had been last burned: 1, 2, or 6 years previously. These results were found on deep, fertile soils on lower slopes in areas experimentally burned on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in Geary County, Kansas. Height, density, and weight of flower stems of big bluestem were highly significantly greater as the length of interval increased. Indian grass and little bluestem showed some of the same tendency, but primarily showed marked reductions in the 6-year interval area, resulting in an increased dominance by big bluestem

PB - Department of Biology, Southwest Missouri State University CY - Springfield, MO ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Decomposition of litter in Kansas bluestem prairie JF - Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science Y1 - 1980 A1 - Brehm, R.W. A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - bluestem KW - decomposition KW - litter KW - prairie AB -

From 1 April to 26 August 1978, about 45 percent of the aboveground standing dead plant material and litter disappeared in ungrazed bluestem prairie on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Geary County, Kansas, USA. In plots trampled on April 1 to compact the material close to the soil surface about 55 percent of the material decomposed. The results are based on 10 replications in native prairie on deep, productive, silty-clay loam at two sites, 1 and 5 years since burning

VL - 83 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Controlling experimental bluestem prairie fires Y1 - 1978 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. ED - Glenn-Lewin, D.C. ED - Landers, R.Q. KW - bluestem KW - fire KW - prairie AB -

Procedures are described that have been developed for experimental burning of 10 to 20 ha watersheds on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in bluestem prairie near Manhattan, Kansas. First the fuel supply is reduced by July mowing and haying. In the autumn or spring fire guards about one meter wide are burned around the boundary of each watershed by burning between strips of metal edged with a band of chains which are pulled behind a tractor. Fire swatters and power water pumps are used to extinguish any fire that is left as the metal strips pass. At the time of the main burn two crews proceed in opposite directions from the middle of the leeward side. The fire is started next to the fire guard, with the crews ready in case the fire escapes. By the time the fire is started on the windward side, the fire has burned some distance back from the fire guard on the leeward side. The system works well in reasonable weather conditions

PB - Iowa State University CY - Ames, IA ER - TY - Generic T1 - Effect of standing dead plants on stem density in bluestem prairie Y1 - 1978 A1 - Dokken, D.A. A1 - Hulbert, L.C. ED - Glenn-Lewin, D.C. ED - Landers, R.Q. KW - density KW - plant KW - prairie KW - stem AB -

Dokken, D.A., and L.C. Hulbert (1978) Effect of standing dead plants on stem density in bluestem prairie. In D.C. Glenn-Lewin and R.Q. Landers Jr. (eds): Proceedings of the Fifth Midwest Prairie Conference, Extension Courses and Conferences. Ames,IA: Iowa State University, pp. 78-81. Stem density in bluestem or tallgrass prairie was measured on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area near Manhattan, Kansas. Density of steam, both flowering and nonflowering, and depth and oven-dry weight of standing dead plants were measured on two soils, deep and shallow, on areas 0, 1, and 3 years after late-spring burning. On deep soil stem density of Andropogon scoparius was significantly reduced in one year without burning, and for Sorghastrum nutans and Boutelous curtipendula in 3 years. Andropogon gerardii , the dominant grass, decreased in stem density less rapidly, and so became relatively more dominant as standing dead accumulated. Poa pratensis , in contrast, increased in stem density with time after burning. That was the expected result because it is injured by late- spring burning. For ten species correlation coefficients between stem density and oven-dry weight or depth of standing dead were statistically significant. For most species the correlations were negative, including the dominant species and all species combined. Depth Of standing dead correlated with stem density about as well as did weight of standing dead, which could be of importance decause depth can be obtained must more easily than weight

PB - Iowa State University CY - Ames, IA ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Natural area needs for range research JF - Proceedings of the International Rangeland Congress Y1 - 1978 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. KW - range AB -

Range research should include the natural ecosystem as part of the experiemental design much more than it has in the past. We need to study natural ecosystems and compare them with domestic- animal-grazed systems to gain research objectives and detect unintended effects much earlier than without such comparisons. Where natural ecosystem research areas are not available, they should be promptly established because suitable sites continually decline. Fortunately, support for natural area preservation and research is increasing rapidly

VL - 1 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Azotobacter of the Konza Prairie Y1 - 1973 A1 - Harris, J.O. ED - Hulbert, L.C. KW - Azotobacter KW - prairie AB -

A preliminary study of occurrence of Azotobacter chroococcum was made on Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, Geary County, Kansas, an area of native bluestem prairie, as a beginning of a study of nitrogen relationships in bluestem prairie. Azotobacter was abundant in soils near neutrality, and decreased in accundance with increasing acidity, being absent at pH values of 5.80 and below

PB - Division of Biology Kansas State University CY - Manhattan, KS ER - TY - Generic T1 - Management of Konza Prairie to approximate pre-white-man fire influences Y1 - 1973 A1 - Hulbert, L.C. ED - Hulbert, L.C. KW - disturbance KW - fire KW - management KW - prairie AB -

Konza Prairie Research Natural Area, 916 acres (370.9 hectares) of unplowed native bluesteam prairie, 10 miles south of Manhattan, Kansas, was purchased in 1971 by The Nature Conservancy and given to the Kansas State University Endowment Association for ecological research. The objective of management is to approximate the pre-white-man prairie ecosystem. Fires in that system were caused by lightning and Indians. Although lightning occurs primarily during the growing season, lightning storms have been recorded every month of the year. Spring has a slightly higher incidence of lightning than autumn. A burning plan has been developed for Konza Prairie with four replications of six treatments: unburned, burned in late April at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 10-year intervals, and burned after years when precipitation was at least 1.2 times the mediam. These treatments include the possible range of fire occurrence in pre-white-man times, so they should allow us to assess both the ways fire affects prairie and the frequencies that result in perpetuating prairie in good condition

PB - Division of Biology, Kansas State University CY - Manhattan, KS ER -