Bacterial community composition and diversity was studied in alpine tundra soils across a plant species and moisture gradient in 20 yr‐old experimental plots with four nutrient addition regimes (control, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) or both nutrients). Different bacterial communities inhabited different alpine meadows, reflecting differences in moisture, nutrients and plant species. Bacterial community alpha‐diversity metrics...

Historically, prairie dogs ( Cynomys spp.) have been considered essential keystone species of western United States grassland ecosystems because they provide unique services and increase vegetation community richness, evenness, and diversity. However, the effects of black‐tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) on lands adjacent to or surrounded by urban areas may not result in the same ecosystem benefits historically ass...

Grasslands of the western United States and Canada are being converted to ecosystems that resemble “old fields,” dominated in terms of percent cover or biomass by forb species. In particular, five species of the genus Centaurea (star thistle, diffuse, spotted, squarrose, and Russian knapweed ) have invaded millions of hectares of western United States and Canadian grasslands. Centaurea species are fundamentally different from...