Effects of fire and grazing driven heterogeneity on N cycling in tallgrass prairie

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of focal fire and grazing disturbance with a three-year return interval on grassland function. Nitrogen was chosen as the variable of interest as transformations are affected by disturbance and can have dramatic broad scale implications. Specifically, this study was intended to develop an understanding of the combined interactive effect of fire and grazing on N availability under two contrasting fire-grazing management paradigms over two consecutive years.; Chapters (manuscripts) include: (1) Inter and intra annual variability in N availability from pastures managed under patch burn and traditional management. (2) The quantity of soil microbial biomass as a potential mechanism regulating N availability under patch burn and traditional management. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...