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Extensive water flow pattern in plant interspace indicative of high overland water flow.Plant pedestal caused by wind erosion. Note the exposed roots (arrow).Picture illustrating amount of bare ground, which is slight relative to site potential and recent weather.

Picture showing amount of bare ground, which is excessive relative to site potential and recent weather.Gully that shows signs of active erosion (nickpoints - see arrows) and downcutting.Relatively stable gully with few signs of active erosion with good vegetation recovery occurring.

Wind-scoured areas in plant interspaces (star) with soil and litter deposition occurring at plant bases (arrows).Litter movement and accumulation in a water flow pattern.Litter redistributed by wind under shrub canopy and around obstructions in the interspaces.

Surface physical crusts in plant interspaces can increase overland flow of water while providing some protection against wind erosion.Evidence of soil surface loss (foreground) is evident when compared to the cover of the plant and biological crust in the background.Desert grassland site where grasses promote infiltration and minimize runoff.

Degraded desert grassland site where runoff has dramatically increased due to conversion from grass to shrubs.An example of a restrictive compaction layer that reduces root penetration and water percolation.Nitrogen-fixing forb (Astragalus spp.) that is included in a different functional group than non-nitrogen-fixing forbs.

Biological crusts (foreground) are an important functional/structural component in many plant communities.Sagebrush-perennial bunchgrass site near potential. Native annual grasses are a minor component of the vegetation mix.Perennial bunchgrasses have been replaced with cheatgrass, an exotic annual grass. Accelerated erosion is also evident.

Dead and decadent sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) plants.Decadent shrub with dead branches and "hedged" look.Amount of litter is in balance with site potential and recent weather.

Litter is uncommon compared to what is expected given the site potential and recent weather.Amount of litter and standing dead vegetation is well above what is expected due to the presence of an exotic annual.Production of current year's aboveground biomass is consistent with site potential and recent weather.

Production of current year's aboveground biomass is well below site potential relative to recent weather.Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an exotic invasive annual grass that can dominate the understory in disturbed shrublands.State-listed noxious weeds, such as this knapweed in Idaho, are another category of invasive plants.

Juniper, a native tree, is invasive when it invades rangeland sites where the potential is for shrubs and herbaceous plants.Perennial forbs and grasses show good potential for reproduction as evidenced by flowers and seed-stalk production.Reproduction potential of this shrub is low due to lack of seed production.

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