Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Map of survey sites (black dots) and salt desert-related range types (gray) in Mesa, Delta, and Montrose counties of Colorado, USA (SSURGO database, NRCS 2014). Inset: Extent of salt desert (gray) within the Central Basin and Range, Wyoming Basin, and Colorado Plateau based on US Environmental Protection Agency ecoregions (EPA 2012).
- Figure 2.
Successional relationships between seral states and disturbances for potential natural vegetation (in large gray box) in North American salt deserts as adapted and modified from LANDFIRE (2005). Impacts of human-linked disturbances on plant invasion are also indicated.
- Figure 3.
Average (± 1 SE) nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) axes scores (black dots) based on A) disturbance type and B) seeding for all transects surveyed in western Colorado salt deserts. Panel C) results based on disturbance type for seeded and reference transects only; analysis included additional variables related to seeding methods. Gray triangles indicate cover groups: BSC = biological soil crust, bare = bareground, NS = native shrub, NF = native forb, NG = native grass, UF = undesirable forb, UG = undesirable grass, FG = non-native (forage) grass. Dotted lines indicate significant correlations between continuous explanatory variables and NMS ordination scores. Factors followed by the same letter do not differ significantly at ± = 0.10.
- Figure 4.
Decision tree and recommendations to assist with restoration planning for salt desert sites in the Intermountain West of North America based on a literature review and western Colorado field survey. Refer to the text for further discussion of each point. SOI = Southern Oscillation Index.
Tables
- Table 1.
Classification used for permutation MANOVAs on ordination axes scores for transects in restored salt desert sites surveyed during June 2015 in Mesa, Delta, and Montrose counties, Colorado, USA. Excl = exclosure, SD = saltdesert, SemiD = semidesert, Reference = long-term grazed reference.
Site name SSURGO Range site Disturbance Seeded Age (years) Transects sampled Badger Wash Excl Silty SD Grazing exclusion No 62 6 Devil's Canyon Sandy SD Grazing exclusion No 17 4 Peach Valley Excl Salt flats Grazing exclusion No 50 1 Silty SD Grazing exclusion No 50 7 Relic Excl Clayey SD Grazing exclusion No 53 4 Alkali Excl Salt flats Heavy livestock use No 63 3 Indian Wash Clayey SD Heavy livestock use Yes 49 12 Ute SD breaks Heavy livestock use Yes 3 3 Alkali Silty SD Reference — — 3 Badger Wash Silty SD Reference — — 7 Dominguez Stony SD Reference — — 8 Buried pipeline Stony SD Soil disturbance Yes 17 3 Highway 50 site 1 Stony SD Soil disturbance Yes 15 2 Highway 50 site 2 Salt flats Soil disturbance Yes 11 2 Stony SD Soil disturbance Yes 11 2 Highway 92 site 1 Silty SD Soil disturbance Yes 6 2 Stony SD Soil disturbance Yes 6 2 NCA Lower trailhead Loamy SD Soil disturbance Yes 3 3 NCA Upper trailhead Stony SD Soil disturbance Yes 3 3 Wave Eagle trailhead Salt flats Soil disturbance Yes 3 1 2 Road site 1 Sandy SD Wildfire Yes 20 4 2 Road site 2 SemiD loam Wildfire No 20 4 Peeples Stony SD Wildfire No 21 4
