Hydrological and topographic determinants of biomass and species richness in a Mediterranean-climate shrubland.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In arid and semiarid shrublands, water availability directly influences ecosystem properties. However, few empirical tests have determined the association between particular soil and hydrology traits with biodiversity and ecosystem biomass at the local scale.

Methods

We tested if plant species richness (S) and aboveground biomass (AGB) were associated with soil and topographic properties on 36 plots (ca. 12.5 m2) in 17 hectares of chaparral in the Mediterranean-climate of Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, México. We used close-to-the-ground aerial photography to quantify sky-view cover per species, including all growth forms. We derived an elevation model (5 cm) from other aerial imagery. We estimated six soil properties (soil water potential, organic matter co

SUBMITTER: Diaz de Leon-Guerrero S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8158923 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature