Microhabitats associated with solar energy development alter demography of two desert annuals.

ABSTRACT: Political and economic initiatives intended to increase energy production while reducing carbon emissions are driving demand for solar energy. Consequently, desert regions are now targeted for development of large-scale photovoltaic solar energy facilities. Where vegetation communities are left intact or restored within facilities, ground-mounted infrastructure may have negative impacts on desert-adapted plants because it creates novel rainfall runoff and shade conditions. We used experimental solar arrays in the Mojave Desert to test how these altered conditions affect population dynamics for a closely related pair of native annual plants: rare Eriophyllum mohavense and common E. wallacei. We estimated aboveground demographic rates (seedling emergence, survivorship, and fecundity) over 7

SUBMITTER: Tanner KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8459290 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature