LAWRENCE — Reintroducing bison to tallgrass prairies can double biodiversity of native plants and increase drought resistance, a Kansas State University study found.
The study collected 29 years of data from the Flint Hills.
Native species biodiversity increased between 0.58 and 1.06 species per year, depending on the area with the introduction of bison. Researchers found that introducing cattle increases biodiversity by half, as compared to bison. Dominant grass cover in areas where bison grazed was significantly lower than in ungrazed areas but the grass was not…
