Multi-scale drivers of soil resistance predict vulnerability of seasonally wet meadows to trampling by pack stock animals in the Sierra Nevada, USA

Baccei, Joy S.; McClaran, Mitchel P.; Kuhn, Tim J.; Hart, Stephen C.

doi:10.1186/s13717-020-00236-7

Ecological Processes

Table 3 Results of three-factor ANOVAs for soil resistance (SR) and various explanatory variables. Two grouping factors represent different spatial scales: plant community type (local scale) and meadow gradient class (meadow scale). The other grouping factor (week) denotes the sampling week that the variable was measured over a 3-week study period (temporal effect). Note: different plots were sampled each week across all five meadows. Bolded F and p values (F) indicate variables with significant differences (p < 0.05) for that factor or interaction. Acronyms and abbreviations: BD bulk density, GWC gravimetric water content, VWC volumetric water content, WHC water holding capacity, SOM soil organic matter content, Sand % sand content, Silt % silt content, Clay % clay content, CF coarse fragment content in two size classes (2–4 mm and > 4 mm), TVC total vegetation cover in two plot sizes (1 m² and 700 cm²), RMAD root mass areal density, Roots % root content

From: Multi-scale drivers of soil resistance predict vulnerability of seasonally wet meadows to trampling by pack stock animals in the Sierra Nevada, USA

Variables		Grouping factor						Temporal interactions
	Sample size	Plant community type		Meadow gradient class		Spatial interactions		Temporal interactions
		PCT		MGC		PCT × MGC		Week		PCT × week		MGC × week		PCT × MGC × week
	n	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p	F	p
SR (kPa)	252	35.55	0.00	3.32	0.07	4.76	0.00	1.11	0.33	1.65	0.13	4.73	0.01	1.09	0.37
BD (Mg/m³)	252	22.31	0.00	2.24	0.14	3.40	0.02	3.31	0.04	0.41	0.87	1.47	0.23	0.45	0.85
GWC (%)	252	22.31	0.00	15.00	0.00	2.49	0.06	0.11	0.90	0.29	0.94	0.46	0.64	0.19	0.98
VWC (%)	252	8.83	0.00	15.17	0.00	3.57	0.01	0.12	0.89	0.17	0.98	0.29	0.75	0.63	0.71
WHC (%)	98	7.33	0.00	16.08	0.00	0.80	0.50	1.37	0.25	0.66	0.58	4.09	0.05	0.53	0.66
SOM (%)	98	1.10	0.35	8.31	0.01	1.08	0.36	0.67	0.42	2.74	0.05	6.07	0.02	1.59	0.20
Sand (%)	98	3.16	0.03	33.93	0.00	0.72	0.55	0.16	0.69	0.73	0.54	0.52	0.47	0.36	0.78
Silt (%)	98	3.59	0.02	30.69	0.00	1.17	0.33	0.19	0.66	0.77	0.52	0.43	0.51	0.22	0.88
Clay (%)	98	0.91	0.44	20.00	0.00	0.56	0.64	0.00	0.96	0.62	0.60	0.20	0.65	1.00	0.40
CF 2–4 mm (%)	252	1.68	0.18	2.03	0.16	3.26	0.02	3.24	0.07	3.07	0.03	0.99	0.32	1.25	0.30
CF > 4 mm (%)	252	1.80	0.15	1.54	0.22	2.73	0.05	0.09	0.91	1.72	0.12	1.07	0.34	3.56	0.00
TVC (1 m² )	252	50.32	0.00	1.46	0.23	2.94	0.03	7.80	0.00	1.95	0.07	0.17	0.84	0.58	0.75
TVC (700 cm²)	252	22.38	0.00	2.03	0.16	1.90	0.13	9.17	0.00	1.30	0.26	0.64	0.53	2.74	0.01
RMAD (kg/m²)	252	2.08	0.10	0.46	0.50	5.65	0.00	24.10	0.00	3.16	0.01	1.06	0.35	2.34	0.03
Roots (%)	252	2.69	0.05	0.43	0.51	4.22	0.01	13.65	0.00	2.78	0.01	0.27	0.76	1.40	0.22

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