Water and nitrogen shape winter annual plant diversity and community composition in near-urban Sonoran Desert preserves.

ABSTRACT: Increased nitrogen (N) deposition threatens global biodiversity, but its effects in arid urban ecosystems are not well studied. In addition to altered N availability, urban environments also experience increases in other pollutants, decreased population connectivity, and altered biotic interactions, which can further impact biodiversity. In deserts, annual plant communities make up most of the plant diversity, support wildlife, and contribute to nutrient cycling and ecosystem processes. Functional tradeoffs allowing coexistence of a diversity of annual plant species are well established, but maintenance of diversity in urban conditions and with increased availability of limiting nutrients has not been explored. We conducted a 13-year N and phosphorus (P) addition experiment in Sonoran Dese

SUBMITTER: Wheeler MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8931860 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature