Stability of C3 and C4 grass patches after fire and simulated grazing

As the woody legume, Prosopis glandulosa (honey mesquite) has encroached into grasslands and rangelands in the southern Great Plains, USA, two grass species, C4 shortgrass, Buchloe dactyloides (buffalograss), and C3 mid-grass, Nassella leucotricha (Texas wintergrass), have increased in dominance. Occurrence of more productive C4 mid-grasses and herbaceous diversity have declined. We measured effects of various combinations of spring clipping (to simulate cattle grazing) and summer and/or winter fire treatments on the stability of monoculture patches of these two grass species over an eight-year period, with the goal of reducing Nassella and increasing C4 mid-grass cover. All fire treatments top-killed most Prosopis trees that subsequently resprouted. Buchloe cover declined in the No Clip + No Fire treatment but remained intact with clipping and/or fire. Frequent clipping reduced Nassella cover across all fire treatments. Buchloe encroachment into Nassella patches was greatest in the Cli..., Data were collected in a field study in north central texas, USA, after plots were exposed to dufferent prescribed fire treatments and/or clipping treatments to simulate grazing. All data were collected over a 9-year period of time. Field observations of ground cover of different grass species, forbs, litter and bareground were recorded in the field, verified with photographs of 0.5 x 1.0 m small plots, and entered into an excel spreadsheet for analysis. , , # Stability of C3 and C4 Grass Patches after Fire and Simulated Grazing

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cjsxksncq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cjsxksncq)

Data are presented for figures 2-5 shown in the manuscript and for figures S1-S8 shown in the supplemental files. The file is an Excel file.

## Description of the data and file structure

There are 4 main baseline figures in the manuscript, figures 2-5. Each figure has 6 separate panels labelled A, B, C…etc. Each panel represents percent cover of 3 grass types in a particular fire and simulated grazing (i.e. clip) treatment through time. These data correspond to columns A through H in the excel file.
In addition, there are 8 figures shown in the supplementary file arranged in the same order of fire and clip treatments as in figures 2-5. These show changes in C3 annual grass, forb, litter and bare ground cover through time.These data correspond to columns A through E and I through L in the excel file.
All abbreviations in the files ...