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Date of Graduation

5-2026

Description

Tallgrass prairie ecosystems provide many crucial ecosystem services, including nutrient cycling and storage, organism habitat, and soil and water conservation. However, tallgrass prairies are considered endangered ecosystems, particularly in the Ozark Highlands and Grand Prairie regions of Arkansas, where less than 0.05% of the state's original prairie land area remains. Understanding soil nutrient supplies over time in native tallgrass prairie ecosystems is critical for quantifying the success of restoration and rehabilitation activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil moisture regime (SMR) (i.e., aquic and udic), region (i.e., Ozark Highlands and Grand Prairie), and their interaction on the change in soil nutrient contents (i.e., P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) in the top 10 cm over 15 years (i.e., 2001/2002 to 2016/2017). Soil samples were collected from the top 10 cm of the soil across 10 sites in both 2001/2002 and 2016/2017. Soil nutrient content changes over time were quantified. Averaged across SMR, extractable soil Fe content increased over time in both regions. Averaged across region, both soil extractable P and Na contents were impacted by SMR, where soil P content increased in both SMRs over time, while soil Na content did not change over time in the aquic, but decreased over time in the udic SMR. Soil Mn content increased over time across all region-SMR combinations, except for the Ozark-udic combination, which did not change over time. Soil Cu content decreased in all region-SMR combinations, except for the Ozarks-aquic combination, which did not change over time. The results of this study demonstrate the value of direct measurements over time for accurate assessment of temporal changes in soil nutrient contents. This study can be used to gauge success and set expectations of the potential effects of physiographic region and soil moisture regime on restoration efforts in native tallgrass prairies in the mid-Southern United States.

Publication Date

2026

Document Type

Book

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Brye, Kristofor

Disciplines

Agriculture

Keywords

Natural Science

Soil Moisture Regime Effects on Near-surface Soil Chemical Properties in Alfisols under Native Tallgrass Prairie in Arkansas

Included in

Agriculture Commons

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