Twelve paired research sites are located at the UC-Hopland Research & Extension Center to help assess nutrient dynamics in North Coast rangeland. Each site consists of an exclosure fence ... one side simply keeps sheep out, and the other side excludes both sheep and small mammals. Dr. Valerie Eviner, Assistant Professor of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, has collected monthly measures of seedling density and biomass, seedling nutrient content, soil nitrogen and carbon cycling and "pools", soil water content and infiltration rates, and litter decomposition.
Data loggers, as pictured here, assist in the continuous monitoring of soil temperature and moisture. There are also resin blocks placed at 10 cm and 30 cm depths that enable nutrient monitoring. This experiment, in combination with others established by Dr. Eviner, are helping to determine how plant composition and density impact rangeland productivity and how they provide "ecosystem services" that are necessary for a sustainable rangeland.
The UC Hopland Research & Extension Center provides access to over 5300 acres and a variety of rangeland and vegetation types to researchers who are working on "Sustainable Natural Ecosystem" (SNE) services and many other natural resource topics.
