Arroyo water storage and soil nutrients and their effects on gas-exchange of shrub species in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Atchley, Michael C; Soyza, Amrita G. de; Whitford, Walter G.

doi:10.1006/jare.1999.0530

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Relationships among variables were determined using the Pearson's correlations coefficient test at 0.05 levels. The leaf number, basal diameter, and plant height in each of the 4 months of the experiment were analyzed using Contrasts following a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the GLM procedure to detect differences among water and N supply treatments (Atchley et al, 1999). All of the statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Standard released version 11.5 for Windows, SPSS Inc., IL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of drought stress and N supply on the growth, biomass partitioning and water-use efficiency of Sophora davidii seedlings

Bao

et al. 2008

Environmental and Experimental Botany

206

109

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of drought stress and N supply on the growth, biomass partitioning and water-use efficiency of Sophora davidii seedlings

Bao

et al. 2008

Environmental and Experimental Botany

206

109

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“…In addition, water infiltrates more rapidly in washes, because wash sediments lack a vesicular A horizon . Large drainages or arroyos are reported to have positive effects on the water status of plants that grow in their vicinities (Schlesinger et al, 1987;Ehleringer and Cooper, 1988;Atchley et al, 1999), although the episodic nature of channel flow also predispose near-channel populations to exaggerated boom-bust cycles (Hamerlynck and McAuliffe, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Drainages collect and conduct storm runoff and sediment and are hydrologically and biogeochemically distinct from surrounding soils. For example, drainage channels ('washes') generally have a lower N and P content due low organic inputs (Titus et al, 2002), but higher water storage after flow events (Atchley et al, 1999). In addition, water infiltrates more rapidly in washes, because wash sediments lack a vesicular A horizon .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of stream channels on distributions of Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa in the Mojave Desert, CA, USA: patterns, mechanisms and effects of stream redistribution

et al. 2011

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Drainage channels are among the most conspicuous surficial features of deserts, but little quantitative analysis of their influence on plant distributions is available. We analysed the effects of desert stream channels ('washes') on Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa density and cover on an alluvial piedmont in the Mojave Desert, based on a spatial analysis of transect data encompassing a total length of 2775 m surveyed in 5 cm increments. Significant deviations from average transect properties were identified by bootstrapping. Predictably, shrub cover and density were much reduced inside washes, and elevated above average levels adjacent to washes. Average Larrea and Ambrosia cover and density peaked 1Ð2-1Ð6 m and 0Ð5-1Ð0 m from wash edges, respectively. We compared wash effects in runon-depleted ( R) sections, where washes had been cut off from runon and were presumably inactive, with those in runon-supplemented (CR) sections downslope from railroad culverts to help identify mechanisms responsible for the facilitative effect of washes on adjacent shrubs. Shrub cover and density near washes peaked in both CR and R sections, suggesting that improved water infiltration and storage alone can cause a facilitative effect on adjacent shrubs. However, washes of <2 m width in CR sections had larger than average effects on peak cover, suggesting that plants also benefit from occasional resource supplementation. The data suggest that channel networks significantly contribute to structuring plant communities in the Mojave Desert and their disruption has notable effects on geomorphic and ecological processes far beyond the original disturbance sites.

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“…In arid regions, landform and soil features that affect the distribution and persistence of water also determine the distribution of other limiting resources (Noy-Meir 1973;Lajtha and Schlesinger 1988a;Schlesinger and Pilmanis 1998;Atchley et al 1999). As desert soils age, the accumulation and incorporation of fine clay, silt, and calcium carbonate into distinct surface and subsurface soil horizons influence the inter-and intra-annual infiltration, percolation, and persistence of soil water at various depths (McDonald et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This could be especially important in long-lived evergreen species like Larrea tridentata that maintain leaf cohorts for several years and are capable of physiological activity throughout the year (Oechel et al 1972;Sharifi et al 1988;Smith et al 1997). Larrea growing in soils that permit rainfall percolation and infiltration to deeper soil depths grow larger, have more extensive rooting systems, and usually have higher tissue N contents compared to plants growing in soils with greater restriction to precipitation infiltration and percolation (Burk and Dick-Peddie 1973;Beatley 1974;Lathja and Whitford 1989;Gile et al 1998;Atchley et al 1999). Aridland plants that can utilize more water often acquire more nitrogen, which is usually allocated to photosynthetic capacity (Field and Mooney 1983;Reich et al 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon isotope discrimination and foliar nutrient status of Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) in contrasting Mojave Desert soils

et al. 2004

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We investigated the relationships between foliar stable carbon isotope discrimination (Delta), % foliar N, and predawn water potentials (psi(pd)) and midday stomatal conductance ( g(s)) of Larrea tridentata across five Mojave Desert soils with different age-specific surface and sub-surface horizon development and soil hydrologies. We wished to elucidate how this long-lived evergreen shrub optimizes leaf-level physiological performance across soils with physicochemical characteristics that affect the distribution of limiting water and nitrogen resources. We found that in young, coarse alluvial soils that permit water infiltration to deeper soil horizons, % foliar N was highest and Delta, g(s) and psi(pd) were lowest, while %N was lowest and Delta, g(s) and psi(pd) were highest in fine sandy soils; Larrea growing in older soils with well-developed surface and sub-surface horizons exhibited intermediate values for these parameters. Delta showed negative linear relationships with % N (R(2)=0.54) and a positive relationship with psi(pd) (R(2)=0.14). Multiple regression analyses showed a strong degree of multicolinearity of g(s) and Delta with psi(pd) and N, suggesting that soil-mediated distribution of co-limiting water and nitrogen resources was the primary determinant of stomatal behavior, which is the primary limitation to productivity in this shrub. These findings show that subtle changes in the soil medium plays a strong role in the spatial and temporal distribution and utilization of limiting water and nitrogen resources by this long-lived desert evergreen, and that this role can be detected through carbon isotope ratios.

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Arroyo water storage and soil nutrients and their effects on gas-exchange of shrub species in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Cited by 19 publications

References 27 publications

Effects of drought stress and N supply on the growth, biomass partitioning and water-use efficiency of Sophora davidii seedlings

Effects of drought stress and N supply on the growth, biomass partitioning and water-use efficiency of Sophora davidii seedlings

The influence of stream channels on distributions of Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa in the Mojave Desert, CA, USA: patterns, mechanisms and effects of stream redistribution

Carbon isotope discrimination and foliar nutrient status of Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) in contrasting Mojave Desert soils

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