Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) Habitat Soils Data from the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico (1984)

In 1984, a research project was initiated on a relatively small disturbance patch just south of Deep Well. This disturbance was thought to be the result of an old praire dog town, probably dating back to when a nearby ranch was active, and a lot of old mammal mounds remained in the disturbed area. One of the things that made the disturbance patch particularily noticeable was the lush growth of snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) within the patch. This prompted the designation of the disturbance patch as the "snakeweed patch" or "Gutierrezia patch." In addition, there was an obvious increase in bare ground and a shift in vegetation composition across the patch boundary. The dominant vegetation was not consistent around the boundary, with a marked dominance of black grama on the west side of the plot and a blue/black grama mix on the other three sides. To obtain information on the cause and/or effect of this disturbance, a survey of the soil and vegetation was performed.

1984年，研究人员在深井（Deep Well）以南一处面积相对较小的扰动斑块启动了一项研究项目。该扰动被认为源于一处老旧草原犬鼠群落，其形成时间可追溯至附近某牧场运营鼎盛时期，该扰动区域内仍留存有大量哺乳类动物遗留的土丘。该扰动斑块之所以格外醒目，原因之一在于斑块内部生长着极为繁茂的蛇杂草（Gutierrezia sarothrae），这也令该斑块被命名为"蛇杂草斑块"或"Gutierrezia斑块"。此外，斑块边界处的裸地面积显著增加，植被组成也发生了明显变化。斑块边界周边的优势植被并不统一：样地西侧以黑格兰马草（black grama）占据绝对优势，其余三面则为蓝格兰马草与黑格兰马草的混合群落。为探究该扰动的成因与潜在影响，研究人员对区域内的土壤与植被开展了系统调查。