Phosphorus Acquisition by Bromus madritensis spp. rubens from Soil Interspaces Shared with Mojave Desert Shrubs
Yoder CK and Nowak RS. 2000. Phosphorus Acquisition by Bromus madritensis spp. rubens from Soil Interspaces Shared with Mojave Desert Shrubs. Functional Ecology. 14(6):685-692
Exotic plants have significantly altered the ecology of North American deserts. Red brome (Bromus madritensis spp. rubens) is an invasive annual grass that is associated with increases in fire frequency and decreases in perennial plant diversity. The success of red brome has been attributed to its competitive ability. Below-ground competition between red brome and native shrubs has not been investigated previously. This study presents a modification of previous dual-isotope methods that assesses competitive interactions and responses among plants under field conditions. The modified method was used to determine if direct competition for phosphorus occurs between red brome and native shrubs; and evaluate the effectiveness of phosphate acquisition by red brome from soil interspaces shared with different Mojave Desert shrub species.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Yoder, C; Nowak, R
- Units
- MOJA
- Keywords
- Absence (Biodiversity), Abundance (Biodiversity), Ambrosia dumosa, Competition, Distribution (Biodiversity), invasive annual grass, Larrea tridentata, Lycium pallidum, Nevada Test Site, Observations, Plant diversity, Presence (Biodiversity), red brome