Fringed sagebrush response to sward disturbances: Seedling dynamics and plant growth
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Authors: Y. Bai, J. T. Romo
Date: 1996
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 49
Number: 3
Pages: 228-233
Summary of Methods: To determine the response of fringed sagebrush (Artemisia frigida Willd.) to different types of disturbance, vegetation and soil measurements were recorded for two years following tilling, clipping, litter removal, and a combination of clipping and litter removal. In general, precipitation and coinciding soil moisture levels played the most important role in the emergence and survival of fringed sagebrush seedlings. When precipitation was low, emergence and survival of fringed sagebrush seedlings was also low, even in disturbed areas. While there was no significant effect due to the other disturbances, tilling greatly increasing seedling emergence and growth of fringed sagebrush plants. Tilling may have been most successful method in increasing growth and emergence of this species because it caused severe disturbance. The authors suggest that fringed sagebrush may respond to the specific level of severity of a disturbance event, rather than to the presence of disturbance alone.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: artemisia frigida willd., fringed sagebrush, northern mixed prairie, patch dynamics, population dynamics, safe sites, seed reserves, seedling emergence
Annotation: All plants in experimental plots, except fringed sagebrush, were clipped one time in April to ground level and all clipped material was removed from the plot. There was an undisturbed, no-clipping control. Survival of seedlings over the first 2 growing seasons and winters after disturbance was determined. Plant growth was measured at weekly intervals from May through August. Air temperatures and soil water were determined weekly from May to August.
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