Broadening Student Involvement in Research and Extension of Rangeland Soil Ecosystem Services.

The UC Davis Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group is working to encourage more outreach and extension activities in the graduate student experience. Towards this effort, a group of students and faculty teamed up to evaluate soil ecosystem services of a northern California coastal grass-fed beef operation. The ranch is being managed for multiple outcomes, which include forage production, carbon sequestration, bird habitat, water quality and biodiversity. We evaluated a suite of soil health indicators that provide evidence of the soil’s capacity to recycle nutrients, filter and store water, sequester carbon, and resist erosion. Four different ecological states were compared, annual grassland, oak woodland, coastal scrub and restored perennial grassland. Preliminary findings suggest that oak woodlands and coastal scrub had the highest saturated hydraulic conductivity in surface horizons. Moreover, total carbon content to depth of 1-m was highest in coastal scrub, was similar in oak woodlands and perennial grasslands, and lowest in annual grasslands. These preliminary findings suggest that managing a ranch for multiple outcomes instead of maximizing for forage production (i.e. annual grassland) may enhance other ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and capturing runoff. The ultimate goal of this project is to foster information exchange between graduate students and ranch staff to help guide ranch management goals.