P.S. Althoff N.D. Lambrecht P. S. Gipson J.S. Pontius P.B. Woodford Donald P. Althoff 2007 Mechanized maneuver training impacts the landscape by creating depressions, compacting soils, producing bare ground areas, transporting seeds of invasive plants, and crushing vegetation. We measured 3 physical, 13 chemical, and 2 biological soil properties and used a disturbance index (DI) based on perceptions of soil conditions on a military installation to assess the condition of 100 ?? 100 m plots (1 ha): 10 in 2002 and 10 in 2004. Potential DI scores range from 0 (no appreciable evidence of disturbance) to 1 (>95 per cent of the plot disturbed). Bulk density, porosity (%), and water content (%) - all at 5-1-10-0cm depth, and nematode family richness (NFR) were significantly, negatively correlated (Spearman coefficients, rs) with the DI of both years. The strong negative correlation (rs., = -0.69 in 2002, -0.79 in 2004) of NFR with the DI appears to reflect the status of nematode diversity and, therefore, may serve as a useful, inexpensive approach to rapidly assessing grasslands subjected to mechanized military training. Copyright ?? 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. application/pdf 10.1002/ldr.773 en Soil properties and perceived disturbance of grasslands subjected to mechanized military training: Evaluation of an index article