%0 Journal Article %T Prairie Restoration Effects on Near-Surface Soil Nutrient Changes Over Time in the Ozark Highlands Region of Northwest Arkansas %A Kristofor R. Brye %A Faith Cordes %A Marya McKee %J Natural Resources %P 351-364 %@ 2158-7086 %D 2020 %I Scientific Research Publishing %R 10.4236/nr.2020.118020 %X The Ozark Highlands is a unique botanical transition zone where native prairie and forest once co-existed, but conversion to managed agricultural landuse has severely reduced the extent of native tallgrass prairie. Quantifying soil nutrient changes over time can contribute to improved understanding of the importance of soil fertility in prairie restoration success. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of prairie ecosystem [i.e., chronosequence of four prairie restorations and a native prairie (NP)] and soil moisture regime (SMR; aquic and udic) on the change in extractable soil nutrients over a 12-yr period from 2005 to 2017 in the Ozark Highlands region of northwest Arkansas. Soil Ca content decreased over time (P Ём 0.05) in the 17-year-old-aquic and NP-udic combinations, which did not differ and averaged ?55.7 kg?ha^?1?yr^?1, but did not change over time in all other ecosystem-SMR combinations. Soil Na content also decreased over time (P Ём 0.05) in the 17-year-old-aquic combination (?0.7 kg?ha