Comparative Photosynthetic Production of Mojave Desert Shrubs
Bamber SA, Kleinkopf GE, Wallace A, Vollmer A. 1975. Comparative Photosynthetic Production of Mojave Desert Shrubs. Ecology. 56(3):732-736
Transpirational and net photosynthetic rates of several species of desert shrubs were measured as a function of season and environmental variables at the Nevada Test Site in the northern Mojave Desert. Drought-deciduous species _Ambrosia dumosa_ (Grey) Payne, _Lycium andersonii_ Grey, and _Lycium pallidum_ Miers, had higher maximum rates and greater water loss than the evergreen, _Larrea tridentata_ Munz, and summer green _Krameria parvifolia_ Benth., species. Moisture status was the most critical factor determining gas exchange rates and affected temperature optima and acclimation as the season progressed. Because of a dry spring season, the drought-deciduous species became dormant in late May-early June; the other two species exhibited by mid-June a small positive CO2 uptake during the morning period. Desert plant species, with few exceptions, are extremely labile and exhibit large variability and different adaptive strategies.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bamber, S.; Kleinkopf, G.; Wallace, A.; Vollmer, A.
- Units
- SODN
- Keywords
- Inventory and Monitoring (I&M), Plant Communities, Plant Studies