SGS-LTER Earthwatch - Organic Matter in Abandoned Fields in eastern Colorado, USA 1994-1995

Our research on abandoned fields at the CPER has two aspects,vegetation recovery and soil recovery. We wish to monitor these fields for the tem of the LTER project (decades or centuries), and to address some specific research questions. Our questions are: <p>1. Does vegetation on shortgrass steppe recover 55 years following cultivation? Specifically, does Bouteloua gracilis, the dominant shortgrass steppe species, recover? <p>Prior results indicated that B. gracilis reovers on some fields, and does not on others. The fields that do not are dominated by buffalo grass. In this new work at the CPER, we ask an additional question: <p>2. What determines whether B. gracilis recovers? <p>3. Does soil organic matter recover following abandonment? Specifically, do indices of soil fertility such as nitrogen availability recover? <p>4. Does small-scale patterning associated with individual plants recover following disturbance? <p>5. Does the rate of soil recovery depend upon the rate of vegetation recovery? <p>Past results on the Pawnee National Grasslands indicated that only small amounts of organic matter had accumulated following abandonment but that nitrogen availability had recovered to its original levels under B. gracilis plants on the abandoned fields. Specifically, we are interested in whether it makes a difference to soils if blue grama recovers or not.