Nitrogen and phosphorus effects on secondary succession dynamics on a semi-arid sagebrush site

A sagebrush steppe community in northwestern Colorado was disturbed in 1984 and subjected to annual applications of nitrogen and phosphorus, and successional responses were studied over a 5-yr period. Phosphorus was not found to be significant but nitrogen did significantly affect succession for all...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology (Durham) 1991-12, Vol.72 (6), p.2016-2024
Main Authors: McLendon, Terry, Redente, Edward F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABONOS FOSFATADOS
ABONOS NITROGENADOS
Annuals
ARTEMISIA
ARTEMISIA TRIDENTATA
BIOLOGICAL COMPETITION
BOTANICAL COMPOSITION
BROMUS TECTORUM
CHENOPODIACEAE
COLORADO
COMMUNAUTE VEGETALE
COMPETENCIA BIOLOGICA
COMPETITION BIOLOGIQUE
COMPOSICION BOTANICA
COMPOSITION BOTANIQUE
COMUNIDADES VEGETALES
DISPONIBILIDAD DE NUTRIENTES
Ecological competition
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
Ecology
ELEMENT NUTRITIF DISPONIBLE
ELYMUS
ELYMUS SMITHII
ENGRAIS AZOTE
ENGRAIS PHOSPHATE
Fertilizers
Flowers & plants
KOCHIA SCOPARIA
MALEZAS
MAUVAISE HERBE
Nitrogen
NITROGEN FERTILIZERS
NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY
Perennials
PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS
PLANT COMMUNITIES
PLANT COMPETITION
Plant ecology
PLANT SUCCESSION
Plants
SALSOLA
SALSOLA IBERICA
Species
SUCCESSION ECOLOGIQUE
SUCESION ECOLOGICA
Synecology
WEEDS
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A sagebrush steppe community in northwestern Colorado was disturbed in 1984 and subjected to annual applications of nitrogen and phosphorus, and successional responses were studied over a 5-yr period. Phosphorus was not found to be significant but nitrogen did significantly affect succession for all years except the first. Three seral groups developed on the non-fertilized plots, the first two dominated by annuals and lasting 3 yr, the third transitional and dominated by perennials. The addition of N altered this successional pattern by allowing annuals to remain as site dominants through the 5th yr. Results of this study suggest that dominance of a site by annuals in early stages of secondary succession is related to high nutrient availability.
ISSN:0012-9658
1939-9170
DOI:10.2307/1941556