Rangelands - AP Environmental Science

In regions of the U.S. that have insufficient rainfall for growing crops (Eastern Colorado, West Texas, etc.), the land is often utilized for grazing livestock. Dry grassland ecosystems are best used for grazing because tilling the soil for cultivation creates a heightened risk for wind-carried soil erosion, as was demonstrated by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

A rangeland is an biome categorized by native, grassy plants on which wild and/or domestic animals feed. It can be a desert shrubland, a tundra, a grassland, or another biome, as long as it is not barren.

Annual grasses with shallow root systems not only provide little structural integrity to the organic and topsoil layers of the soil, but are also very desirable to grazing livestock such as cattle. Cattle generally prefer annual grasses to shrubs and semi-woody bunchgrasses, which—when combined with strong seasonal gusts—can put a rangeland at serious risk of wind erosion and loss of topsoil. Woody shrubs and bunchgrasses typically have deeper or further-extending root systems and provide more structural integrity for the soil, which prevents further erosion.

Manure from livestock containing E. coli can potentially contaminate a local watershed. Limiting access to watersheds by livestock will prevent direct contamination by feces, while establishing man-made watering holes will allow continued access to drinking water for livestock. Maintaining a healthy riparian plant community also abates water contamination, because high-density riparian plant communities can prevent leaching of contaminants into the waterway.

subdividing rangeland and rotating where the herds of cattle graze allows for grasslands to regenerate naturally and prevents excessive disturbance of the soil while also maximizing the number of cattle that can graze in a certain area.

In regions of the U.S. that have insufficient rainfall for growing crops (Eastern Colorado, West Texas, etc.), the land is often utilized for grazing livestock. Dry grassland ecosystems are best used for grazing because tilling the soil for cultivation creates a heightened risk for wind-carried soil erosion, as was demonstrated by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

A rangeland is an biome categorized by native, grassy plants on which wild and/or domestic animals feed. It can be a desert shrubland, a tundra, a grassland, or another biome, as long as it is not barren.

Annual grasses with shallow root systems not only provide little structural integrity to the organic and topsoil layers of the soil, but are also very desirable to grazing livestock such as cattle. Cattle generally prefer annual grasses to shrubs and semi-woody bunchgrasses, which—when combined with strong seasonal gusts—can put a rangeland at serious risk of wind erosion and loss of topsoil. Woody shrubs and bunchgrasses typically have deeper or further-extending root systems and provide more structural integrity for the soil, which prevents further erosion.

Manure from livestock containing E. coli can potentially contaminate a local watershed. Limiting access to watersheds by livestock will prevent direct contamination by feces, while establishing man-made watering holes will allow continued access to drinking water for livestock. Maintaining a healthy riparian plant community also abates water contamination, because high-density riparian plant communities can prevent leaching of contaminants into the waterway.

subdividing rangeland and rotating where the herds of cattle graze allows for grasslands to regenerate naturally and prevents excessive disturbance of the soil while also maximizing the number of cattle that can graze in a certain area.

In regions of the U.S. that have insufficient rainfall for growing crops (Eastern Colorado, West Texas, etc.), the land is often utilized for grazing livestock. Dry grassland ecosystems are best used for grazing because tilling the soil for cultivation creates a heightened risk for wind-carried soil erosion, as was demonstrated by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

A rangeland is an biome categorized by native, grassy plants on which wild and/or domestic animals feed. It can be a desert shrubland, a tundra, a grassland, or another biome, as long as it is not barren.

Annual grasses with shallow root systems not only provide little structural integrity to the organic and topsoil layers of the soil, but are also very desirable to grazing livestock such as cattle. Cattle generally prefer annual grasses to shrubs and semi-woody bunchgrasses, which—when combined with strong seasonal gusts—can put a rangeland at serious risk of wind erosion and loss of topsoil. Woody shrubs and bunchgrasses typically have deeper or further-extending root systems and provide more structural integrity for the soil, which prevents further erosion.

Manure from livestock containing E. coli can potentially contaminate a local watershed. Limiting access to watersheds by livestock will prevent direct contamination by feces, while establishing man-made watering holes will allow continued access to drinking water for livestock. Maintaining a healthy riparian plant community also abates water contamination, because high-density riparian plant communities can prevent leaching of contaminants into the waterway.

subdividing rangeland and rotating where the herds of cattle graze allows for grasslands to regenerate naturally and prevents excessive disturbance of the soil while also maximizing the number of cattle that can graze in a certain area.

In regions of the U.S. that have insufficient rainfall for growing crops (Eastern Colorado, West Texas, etc.), the land is often utilized for grazing livestock. Dry grassland ecosystems are best used for grazing because tilling the soil for cultivation creates a heightened risk for wind-carried soil erosion, as was demonstrated by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

A rangeland is an biome categorized by native, grassy plants on which wild and/or domestic animals feed. It can be a desert shrubland, a tundra, a grassland, or another biome, as long as it is not barren.

Annual grasses with shallow root systems not only provide little structural integrity to the organic and topsoil layers of the soil, but are also very desirable to grazing livestock such as cattle. Cattle generally prefer annual grasses to shrubs and semi-woody bunchgrasses, which—when combined with strong seasonal gusts—can put a rangeland at serious risk of wind erosion and loss of topsoil. Woody shrubs and bunchgrasses typically have deeper or further-extending root systems and provide more structural integrity for the soil, which prevents further erosion.

Manure from livestock containing E. coli can potentially contaminate a local watershed. Limiting access to watersheds by livestock will prevent direct contamination by feces, while establishing man-made watering holes will allow continued access to drinking water for livestock. Maintaining a healthy riparian plant community also abates water contamination, because high-density riparian plant communities can prevent leaching of contaminants into the waterway.