Herbaceous production and soil nitrogen after mesquite mortality

In the mixed C3/C4 grassland of the southern Great Plains, USA, the invasive woody legume, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), affects grass production and composition differently beneath the canopy (subcanopy) than in spaces between trees (intercanopy) due in part to the dominant presence of C3 Texas wintergrass (Nassella leucotricha) beneath the mesquite canopy and soil enrichment from N-fixation by mesquite. This arrangement, unlike most Prosopis systems worldwide that have C4 grass or C3 subshrub understories, uniquely affects grass production spatially and seasonally during mesquite expansion and possibly after anthropogenic removal of mesquite. We compared herbaceous and soil N responses in subcanopy and intercanopy microsites during the first 2 years following a root-killing herbicide mesquite treatment. Perennial grass (PGR) and total herbaceous (THB) production were greater in treated than untreated intercanopy and subcanopy microsites at 1-yr post-treatment, with Texas winte..., Data collected by field sampling and lab analysis
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