Author: Stephanie Reiter eLTER TA site: Negev Research stay dates: 09/16 to 01/17 The water bound in our soils, in particular soil moisture, influences plant growth, water infiltration, flood regulation and even climate patterns. Although on a global scale the overall quantity of soil moisture is small (<0.05%), it influences ecological, hydrological and meteorological processes…. Read more »
One of the classic state-change stories is that over-grazing and drought turn grasslands into shrubby, degraded landscapes. Land managers strive to avoid such irreversible changes, using strategies based on models of how ecosystems change. But misapplication of models can lead to poor management outcomes. Researchers at the Jornada Basin LTER site and its host the USDA Jornada Experimental Range have developed a new model of desert grassland ecosystem dynamics that is grounded in long-term data and experiments indicating possible trajectories.
