Shrub‐induced Spatial Patterns of Dry Matter, Nitrogen, and Organic Carbon

Barth, Richard C.; Klemmedson, James O.

doi:10.2136/sssaj1978.03615995004200050031x

Cited by 94 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…In arid landscapes, plants are considered to be "islands of fertility" (43), with total soil nutrients, microbial biomass C and N, and bulk measurements of microbial activity generally higher in surface soils around grasses and shrubs than in the interspaces (2,7,8,43). As plants invade the soil environment, they alter the local soil conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Soil Bacterial Communities in Rhizospheres of Three Plant Species and the Interspaces in an Arid Grassland

Kuske

Ticknor

Miller

et al. 2002

Appl Environ Microbiol

306

199

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Soil bacteria are important contributors to primary productivity and nutrient cycling in arid land ecosystems, and their populations may be greatly affected by changes in environmental conditions. In parallel studies, the composition of the total bacterial community and of members of the Acidobacterium division were assessed in arid grassland soils using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRF, also known as T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes amplified from soil DNA. Bacterial communities associated with the rhizospheres of the native bunchgrasses Stipa hymenoides and Hilaria jamesii, the invading annual grass Bromus tectorum, and the interspaces colonized by cyanobacterial soil crusts were compared at three depths. When used in a replicated field-scale study, TRF analysis was useful for identifying broad-scale, consistent differences in the bacterial communities in different soil locations, over the natural microscale heterogeneity of the soil. The compositions of the total bacterial community and Acidobacterium division in the soil crust interspaces were significantly different from those of the plant rhizospheres. Major differences were also observed in the rhizospheres of the three plant species and were most apparent with analysis of the Acidobacterium division. The total bacterial community and the Acidobacterium division bacteria were affected by soil depth in both the interspaces and plant rhizospheres. This study provides a baseline for monitoring bacterial community structure and dynamics with changes in plant cover and environmental conditions in the arid grasslands.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Soil Bacterial Communities in Rhizospheres of Three Plant Species and the Interspaces in an Arid Grassland

Kuske

Ticknor

Miller

et al. 2002

Appl Environ Microbiol

306

199

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“…Other nutrient contents were not different between vegetation types (Table 2). Soils beneath mesquite canopies have been found to have higher C and N contents than the surrounding grassland (Barth and Klemmedson 1978, Virginia et al 1992). …”

Section: Environmental Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesquite and grass interference with establishing redberry juniper seedlings

Teague¹,

Dowhower²,

Whisenant³

2001

REM

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)(P > 0.05), indicating that mesquite root competition with juniper is probably inconsequential. Since junipers grow mainly in fall, winter and spring when mesquite trees are dormant and leafless, the lack of competition may largely be due to these 2 species using resources at different times of the year. Greater nutrient availability beneath mesquite canopies, reduction of summer temperatures, and temporal separation of resource use clearly benefit juniper seedlings growing in the presence of mesquite. Managing for a vigorous grass component with low densities and cover of mesquite is the best way to limit the rate of invasion by juniper. ) (P > 0.05), indicando que la competencia de raíz de "Mesquite" con el "Juniper" es probablemente insignificante. Dado que el " Juniper" crece principalmente en otoño, invierno y primavera cuando los árboles de "Mesquite" están dormantes y defoliados, la falta de competencia puede deberse en gran parte a que estas 2 especies utilizan los recursos en diferentes tiempos del año. La mayor disponibilidad de nutrientes bajo las copas de "Mesquite", la reducción de las temperaturas de verano y la separación temporal del uso de recursos beneficia claramente a las plántulas de Juniper" creciendo en presencia de "Mesquite". El manejar para mantener un componente vigoroso de zacate con bajas densidades y cobertura de "Mesquite" es la mejor manera de limitar la tasa de invasión del "Juniper.

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“…Soil under plants had higher total and mineralizable carbon and higher microbial biomass and mineralizable nitrogen than soil between plants. Individual plants concentrate biomass and thus carbon and nitrogen in the soil beneath their cano.ry, leading to a plant-induced "island of soil fertility" effect, often observed in arid and semiarid areas (Charley and West 1975, 1977, Barth and Klemmedson 1978, Klopatek 1987, Bolton et al 1990, 1993, Schlesinger et al 1990, Hook et al 1991. Historical addition of resources, particularly water, in many cases diminished or eliminated this plant-induced heterogeneity.…”

Section: Plant Cover Effects On Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions Between Individual Plant Species and Soil Nutrient Status in Shortgrass Steppe

Vinton¹,

Burke²

1995

Ecology

294

237

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Abstract. The effect of plant community structure on nutrient cycling is fundamental to our understanding of ecosystem function. We examined the importance of plant species and plant cover (i.e., plant covered microsites vs. bare soil) on nutrient cycling in shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado. We tested the effects of both plant species and cover on soils in an area of undisturbed shortgrass steppe and an area that had undergone nitrogen and water additions from 1971 to 1974, resulting in significant shifts in plant species composition.Soils under plants had consistently higher C and N mineralization rates and, in some cases, higher total and microbial C and N levels than soils without plant cover. Four native grasses, one sedge, and one shrub differed from one another in the quantity and quality of above-and belowground biomass but differences among the six species in soil nutrient cycling under their canopies were slight. However, soils under bunchgrasses tended to have higher C mineralization and microbial biomass C than soil under the rhizomatous grass, Agropyron smithii. Also, the one introduced annual in the study, Kochia scoparia, had soils with less plant-induced heterogeneity and higher rates of C and N mineralization as well as higher levels of microbial biomass C than soils associated with the other species. This species was abundant only on plots that had received water and nitrogen for a 4-yr period that ended 20 yr ago, where it has persisted in the absence of resource additions for 20 yr, suggesting a positive feedback between plant persistence and soil nutrient status.Plant cover patterns had larger effects on ecosystem scale estimates of soil properties than the attributes of a particular plant species. This result may be due to the semiarid nature of this grassland in which plant cover is discontinuous and decomposition and nutrient availability are primarily limited by water, not by plant species-mediated characteristics such as litter quality. That local plant-induced patterns in soil properties significantly affected ecosystem scale estimates of these properties indicates that consideration of structural attributes, particularly plant cover patterns, is critical to estimates of ecosystem function in shortgrass steppe.

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Shrub‐induced Spatial Patterns of Dry Matter, Nitrogen, and Organic Carbon

Cited by 94 publications

References 0 publications

Comparison of Soil Bacterial Communities in Rhizospheres of Three Plant Species and the Interspaces in an Arid Grassland

Comparison of Soil Bacterial Communities in Rhizospheres of Three Plant Species and the Interspaces in an Arid Grassland

Mesquite and grass interference with establishing redberry juniper seedlings

Interactions Between Individual Plant Species and Soil Nutrient Status in Shortgrass Steppe

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