Part 2: Basic Rangeland Ecology

Environmental Factors that Affect Rangeland Conditions

There are many environmental factors that affect rangeland conditions, especially rangeland vegetation.

Factors affecting vegetation include:

• Light
• Necessary for photosynthesis
• In general, rangelands have average to high light intensity
• Precipitation
• Precipitation is often sparse and can be highly variable
• Low precipitation can lead to soil having low nutrient quality
• Effects of sparse rainfall are often intensified by high temperatures and low humidity
• Too much or too little rain can be detrimental to vegetation
• Temperature
• Large fluctuations in seasonal temperatures and even in temperature differences between day and night
• Major factor in determining plant growing season
• Wind
• High wind velocities over flat, open terrain
• Has significant effect on precipitation and temperature
• Soil nutrient content
• Largely determines plant health and rate of water penetration
• New soil forms very slowly especially in dry environments