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Social organization of the Gunnison's prairie dog, Cynomys gunnisoni, was studied in two populations in south-central Colorado. Gunnison's prairie dogs live in complex, interactive societies fitting current definitions of highly social ground squirrels. Members of harems (‘coteries’) cooperatively use and defend a common territory. Spatial overlap is extensive between the adult male(s) and adult females, and among adult females within the harem through the active season. Amicable behavioral interactions are frequent within the harem, whereas interactions between members of different harems are primarily agonistic and spatial overlap is minimal. Although their behavioral repertoire is more limited, social organization...
Arid and semi-arid ecosystems of the southwestern US are undergoing changes in vegetation composition and are predicted to experience shifts in climate. To understand implications of these current and predicted changes, we conducted a precipitation manipulation experiment on the Santa Rita Experimental Range in southeastern Arizona. The objectives of our study were to determine how soil surface and seasonal timing of rainfall events mediate the dynamics of leaf-level photosynthesis and plant water status of a native and non-native grass species in response to precipitation pulse events. We followed a simulated precipitation event (pulse) that occurred prior to the onset of the North American monsoon (in June) and...
In dryland ecosystems, the timing and magnitude of precipitation pulses drive many key ecological processes, notably soil water availability for plants and soil microbiota. Plant available water has frequently been viewed simply as incoming precipitation, yet processes at larger scales drive precipitation pulses, and the subsequent transformation of precipitation pulses to plant available water are complex. We provide an overview of the factors that influence the spatial and temporal availability of water to plants and soil biota using examples from western USA drylands. Large spatial- and temporal-scale drivers of regional precipitation patterns include the position of the jet streams and frontal boundaries, the...
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We contrasted the seasonal use of simulated large rain events (24 mm) by three native species of the arid Colorado Plateau: the perennial grass Hilaria jamesii and two shrubs Artemesia filifolia and Coleogyne ramosissima. Deuterium-enriched water was used to distinguish shallow "pulse" water from water in deeper soil layers that were unaffected by the water input. We also measured the leaf gas exchange rates of watered and unwatered control plants for 5 days after the rain event. H. jamesii had twice the pulse water proportion in its xylem than the two shrubs in spring (approx. 70% vs 35%). In summer, the pulse water proportions of all species were around 70%. The increase in the relative pulse water uptake of the...
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We conducted experiments to examine the quantitative relationships between rainfall event size and rainwater uptake and use by four common native plant species of the Colorado Plateau, including two perennial grasses, Hilaria jamesii (C(4)) and Oryzopsis hymenoides (C(3)), and two shrubs, Ceratoides lanata (C(3)), and Gutierrezia sarothrae (C(3)). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that grasses use small rainfall events more efficiently than shrubs and lose this advantage when events are large. Rainfall events between 2 and 20 mm were simulated in spring and summer by applying pulses of deuterium-labeled irrigation water. Afterwards, pulse water fractions in stems and the rates of leaf gas exchange were monitored...
Deuterated water absorbed by deep roots of Artemisia tridentata appeared in the stem water of neighboring Agropyron desertorum tussocks. This supports the hypothesis that water absorbed by deep roots in moist soil moves through the roots, is released in the upper soil profile at night, and is stored there until it is resorbed by roots the following day. This phenomenon is termed hydraulic lift. The potential for parasitism of the water stored in the upper soil layers by neighboring plant roots is also shown. The effectiveness of water absorption by deep roots was substantially improved with hydraulic lift as indicated by reductions of 25 to 50% in transpiration on days following experimental circumvention of hydraulic...
Freeze–thaw cycles can promote soil N losses as a result of microbial and root cell lysis; however, minimal freeze–thaw effects have typically been observed in studies that have imposed moderate temperature cycles. We conducted laboratory incubations on surface soil (top 3 cm) collected in a temperate old field from late fall through mid-winter to examine how variation in freeze–thaw amplitude, number, timing of collection, and freezing rate altered soil extractable N. We varied freeze–thaw amplitude by imposing minimum cycle temperatures of 0, −1, −2, −5, and −10°C for a series of either one or two cycles and held control samples constant at 3°C. We also examined the effects of freezing rates of 1, 3, and 30°C...
Physiological activity and structural dynamics in arid and semi-arid ecosystems are driven by discrete inputs or "pulses" of growing season precipitation. Here we describe the short-term dynamics of ecosystem physiology in experimental stands of native (Heteropogon contortus) and invasive (Eragrostis lehmanniana) grasses to an irrigation pulse across two geomorphic surfaces with distinctly different soils: a Pleistocene-aged surface with high clay content in a strongly horizonated soil, and a Holocene-aged surface with low clay content in homogenously structured soils. We evaluated whole-ecosystem and leaf-level CO2 and H2O exchange, soil CO2 efflux, along with plant and soil water status to understand potential...
Amino acids have been shown to be a potentially significant N source for the alpine sedge, Kobresia myosuroides. We hypothesised that freeze-thaw and dry-rewet events allow this plant species increased access to amino acids by disrupting microbial cells, which decreases the size of competing microbial populations, but increases soil amino acid concentrations. To test this hypothesis, we characterized freeze-thaw and dry-rewet events in the field and simulated them in laboratory experiments on plant-soil microcosms. In one experiment, 15N,13C-[2]-glycine was added to microcosms that had previously been subjected to a freeze-thaw or dry-rewet event, and isotopic concentrations in the plant and microbial fractions...
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Larrea tridentata is a xerophytic evergreen shrub, dominant in the arid regions of the southwestern United States. We examined relationships between gasexchange characteristics, plant and soil water relations, and growth responses of large versus small shrubs of L. tridentata over the course of a summer growing season in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico, USA. The soil wetting front did not reach 0.6 m, and soils at depths of 0.6 and 0.9 m remained dry throughout the summer, suggesting that L. tridentata extracts water largely from soil near the surface. Surface soil layers (max) occurred in early summer (21.3 � mol m-2 s-1), when pre-dawn xylem water potential (XWP) reached ca. -1 MPa. Although both...
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Leaf carbonisotope discrimination (?) was measured for three dominant, semi-arid woodland species along a summer monsoon gradient inthe southwestern United States over a 2-year period. We tested the hypothesis that decreased humidity levels during the growing season along this gradient resulted in lower leaf ? values. Sites of similar elevation along the transect were selected and the range in monsoon contribution to overall annual precipitation varied from 18 to 58%, while total annual precipitation differed by a maximum of only 25% across this gradient. Leaf ? values in Quercus gambelii were negatively correlated with ?, a seasonally-weighted estimate of the evaporative humidity gradient, suggesting that stomatal...
Patterns of nitrogen (N) accumulation and turnover in riparian systems in semi-arid regions are poorly understood, particularly in those ecosystems that lack substantial inputs from nitrogen fixing vegetation. We investigated sources and fluxes of N in chronosequences of riparian forests along the regulated Green River and the free-flowing Yampa River in semi-arid northwestern Colorado. Both rivers lack significant inputs from N-fixing vegetation. Total soil nitrogen increased through time along both rivers, at a rate of about 7.8 g N m(-2) year(-1) for years 10-70, and 2.7 g N m(-2)year(-1) from years 70-170. We found that the concentration of N in freshly deposited sediments could account for most of the soil...
Freeze–thaw cycles can promote soil N losses as a result of microbial and root cell lysis; however, minimal freeze–thaw effects have typically been observed in studies that have imposed moderate temperature cycles. We conducted laboratory incubations on surface soil (top 3 cm) collected in a temperate old field from late fall through mid-winter to examine how variation in freeze–thaw amplitude, number, timing of collection, and freezing rate altered soil extractable N. We varied freeze–thaw amplitude by imposing minimum cycle temperatures of 0, −1, −2, −5, and −10°C for a series of either one or two cycles and held control samples constant at 3°C. We also examined the effects of freezing rates...
Small precipitation events account for a large proportion of the precipitation received in semiarid regions, and their potential ecological importance has previously been ignored. We investigated the effect of a small rainfall event (5 mm) upon Bouteloua gracilis, the dominant grass species of the central and southern Great Plains of North America. An effect of a small event on leaf water potential and leaf conductance to water vapor was observed in less than 12 h and lasted for up to two days. The remarkable short response time of Bouteloua gracilis to a rainfall stimulus enables this species to utilize small events and, therefore, may influence its persistence as a dominant species in the steppe region. We proposed...
The demographic consequences of a severe drought year were examined for two experimental plantings of the herbaceous desert perennial Cryptantha flava(Boraginaceae) in northeastern Utah, United States. A total of 6680 nutlets were planted individually or in clusters of four both under shrubs and in open microhabitats within two natural populations. Survival, growth, and flowering as a function of density and microhabitat were followed for 7 years, including 1 year when precipitation just before and during the growing season was 74.5% below normal. The design permitted assessment of how intraspecific density and shrub cover affect demographic response to drought. Mortality increased and flowering decreased dramatically...
Diel soil water potential fluctuations reflected daytime depletion and nocturnal resupply of water in upper soil layers. Transpiration suppression experiments demonstrated that water absorption by roots caused the daytime depletion. The soil water potential data and experimental results suggest that at night water absorbed from moist soil by deeper roots is transported to and lost from roots into drier upper soil layers. The deeper roots appear to absorb and transport water both day and night. Implications for the efficiency of deep roots and water storage, nutrient uptake and water parasitism in upper soil layers are discussed. Published in Oecologia, volume 73, issue 4, on pages 486 - 489, in 1987.
Post-fire changes in desert vegetation patterns are known, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. Theory suggests that pulse dynamics of resource availability confer advantages to invasive annual species, and that pulse timing can influence survival and competition among species. Precipitation patterns in the American Southwest are predicted to shift toward a drier climate, potentially altering post-fire resource availability and consequent vegetation dynamics. We quantified post-fire inorganic N dynamics and determined how annual plants respond to soil inorganic nitrogen variability following experimental fires in a Mojave Desert shrub community. Soil inorganic N, soil net N mineralization, and production of...
In the arid and semiarid regions of North America, discrete precipitation pulses are important triggers for biological activity. The timing and magnitude of these pulses may differentially affect the activity of plants and microbes, combining to influence the C balance of desert ecosystems. Here, we evaluate how a "pulse" of water influences physiological activity in plants, soils and ecosystems, and how characteristics, such as precipitation pulse size and frequency are important controllers of biological and physical processes in arid land ecosystems. We show that pulse size regulates C balance by determining the temporal duration of activity for different components of the biota. Microbial respiration responds...
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In water-limited environments of the intermountain region of North America, summer precipitation may play a role in the structure and function of aridland communities and ecosystems. This study examined the potential reliance on summer precipitation of two widespread, coexisting woody species in the southwestern United States, Pinus edulis Englmn. (Colorado piñon) and Juniperus osteosperma (Torr) Little (Utah juniper). The current distributions of P. edulis and J. osteosperma are highly suggestive of different dependencies on summer rainfall. We hypothesized that P. edulis was dependent on summer precipitation, utilizing summer precipitation even during extremely dry summers, whereas J. osteosperma was not dependent,...
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Common generalizations concerning the ecologic significance of C4 photosynthesis were tested in a study of plant gas exchange, productivity, carbon balance, and water use in monospecific communities of C3 and C4 salt desert shrubs. Contrary to expectations, few of the hypotheses concerning the performance of C4 species were supported. Like the C3 species, Ceratoides lanata, the C4 shrub, Atriplex confertifolia, initiated growth and photosynthetic activity in the cool spring months and also exhibited maximum photosynthetic rates at this time of year. To compete successfully with C3 species, Atriplex may have been forced to evolve the capacity for photosynthesis at low temperatures prevalent during the spring when...
map background search result map search result map Social organization and space-use in Gunnison's prairie dog Dominant cold desert plants do not partition warm season precipitation by event size Carbon balance, productivity, and water use of cold-winter desert shrub communities dominated by C3 and C4 species Effects of plant size and water relations on gas exchange and growth of the desert shrub Larrea tridentata Deuterium enriched irrigation indicates different forms of rain use in shrub/grass species of the Colorado Plateau Carbon isotope discrimination in three semi-arid woodland species along a monsoon gradient Seasonal variations in moisture use in a pinon-juniper woodland. Social organization and space-use in Gunnison's prairie dog Effects of plant size and water relations on gas exchange and growth of the desert shrub Larrea tridentata Dominant cold desert plants do not partition warm season precipitation by event size Deuterium enriched irrigation indicates different forms of rain use in shrub/grass species of the Colorado Plateau Seasonal variations in moisture use in a pinon-juniper woodland. Carbon balance, productivity, and water use of cold-winter desert shrub communities dominated by C3 and C4 species Carbon isotope discrimination in three semi-arid woodland species along a monsoon gradient