Environmental Gradient Analysis of Remnant Grasslands in the Shale-Limestone Region of Western Kansas

An ordination of stands of remnant vegetation according to soil similarities shows that water-retaining capacity and organic matter vary directly while available nutrients generally vary inversely with rock content. The composition of dry stands is dominated by side-oats grama, little bluestem, and big bluestem. The relative amounts of each depend upon detailed characteristics of the soil. Dry-mesic stands are characterized by a more diverse combination of grass species and have few obvious soil-vegetation relationships. The principal species are the same as those in dry stands. Big blue-stem is the dominant grass under mesic moisture conditions and is accompanied by relatively few grass species. Differences in big bluestem success correspond with differences in soil conditions. An environmental key to undisturbed samples used in this study is presented as a device for predicting the vegetation that might occupy disturbed sties if they were undisturbed by domestic practices