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Field bioassessments for selecting test systems to evaluate military training lands in tallgrass prairie. Ecosystem health. V

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Abstract

Ecosystem responses to physical or chemical stress may vary from changes in single organisms to alteration of the structure and function of the ecosystem. These responses to stress cannol be predicted exactly. Ecosystems repeatedly exposed to physical and/or chemical stress can be used to study the separate and combined environmental effects of stress. Such studies also allow the development of procedures to select test systems for the analysis of stress in ecosystems. A preliminary field survey of six military training sites at Fort Riley, Kansas, USA, was conducted to identify and verify ecological test systems for evaluating ecosystem responses to physical and/or chemical stress. Comparisons of these data with data collected concurrently from Konza Prairie Research Natural Area reference sites showed that soil microarthropods, some species of macroarthropods, small mammals, and native earthworm species were negatively affected by stress. In contrast, plant species diversity, plant foliage biomass, soil mycorrhizae, and many soil characteristics were within the boundaries of nominal variations observed on “pristine” Konza Prairie. Introduced European earthworms appeared to be positively affected by training activities. This study provided a test of systematic procedures to support impact analysis, ecological toxicology, and ecosystem risk assessments.

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Author notes

  1. S. W. James

    Present address: Department of Biology, Maharishi University, 52556, Fairfield, Iowa

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Illinois, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue, 61801, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    D. J. Schaeffer

  2. Department of Biology, Kansas State University, 66506, Manhattan, Kansas, USA

    T. R. Seastedt, D. J. Gibson, D. C. Hartnett, B. A. D. Hetrick, S. W. James, D. W. Kaufman & A. P. Schwab

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, Illinois, USA

    E. E. Herricks

  4. USA-CERL (EN), P.O. Box 4005, 61820, Champaign, Illinois, USA

    E. W. Novak

Authors
  1. D. J. Schaeffer
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  2. T. R. Seastedt
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  3. D. J. Gibson
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  4. D. C. Hartnett
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  5. B. A. D. Hetrick
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  7. D. W. Kaufman
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  9. E. E. Herricks
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Additional information

This is paper IX in D. J. Schaeffer's “Environmental Audit” series.

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Schaeffer, D.J., Seastedt, T.R., Gibson, D.J. et al. Field bioassessments for selecting test systems to evaluate military training lands in tallgrass prairie. Ecosystem health. V. Environmental Management 14, 81–93 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02394022

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