Plant Community Responses to Long-Term Seasonal Bison Grazing in the Dry Mixed Grassland of Saskatchewan

The Great Plains of North America have undergone significant alterations since the arrival of European settlers. Therefore, the remaining grasslands are considered a high conservation priority. While it is known that Plains bison (Bison bison bison) are a keystone species, it is not fully understood how plant communities respond to seasonal bison grazing. This study investigated plant community responses to long-term dormant and growing season bison grazing as well as an ungrazed control. The study took place in the dry mixed grass ecoregion of Saskatchewan, Canada and analysed species diversity, evenness and richness; bare ground cover; and indicator species in three treatment areas. The results show there is a statistically significant difference in plant community response to seasonal bison grazing. Notably, species diversity, species evenness, and bare ground cover all occur at higher levels under dormant season grazing. These findings could inform results-based bison grazing management strategies.

Author dc:creator

• Plemel, Mickenzie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• King, Leslie

• School of environment and sustainability

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/ir-20352

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28784