Abiotic processes are insufficient for fertile island development: A 10‐year artificial shrub experiment in a desert grassland

William P. Gilhooly; Gregory S. Okin; John Blackwell

doi:10.1002/2016gl072068

journal article Mar 04, 2017

Abiotic processes are insufficient for fertile island development: A 10‐year artificial shrub experiment in a desert grassland

William P. Gilhooly Gregory S. Okin

John Blackwell

Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 44 No. 5 pp. 2245-2253 · American Geophysical Union (AGU)

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/2016gl072068

Abstract

AbstractThe relative importance of biotic and abiotic processes in the development of “fertile islands” in dryland systems has rarely been investigated. Here we approached this question by using artificial shrubs, which exclude plant litter production and soil nutrient uptake, but retain the functions of trapping windblown material, funneling of stemflow, and differential rain splash. We conducted a vegetation manipulation study more than a decade ago in the desert grassland of southern New Mexico and subsequently revisited the site in 2012 and 2015. The results show that no notable soil mounds were observed under the artificial shrubs; however, soil texture under the artificial shrubs has gradually changed to resemble the patterns of soil particle‐size distribution under natural shrubs. Our results highlight that with the exclusion of direct biotic additions, soils captured by shrub canopies are not necessarily fertile and thus do not themselves contribute to the development of fertile islands.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

42

[1]

10.1007/s10021-013-9711-y

[2]

Bagnold R. A. (1941)

[3]

10.1029/2009jf001543

[4]

10.1023/a:1009865020145

[5]

10.1002/eco.259

[6]

10.1006/jare.2000.0636

[7]

10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01630.x

[8]

10.1002/ecs2.1354

[9]

10.1890/090050

[10]

10.1016/j.jaridenv.2004.10.001

[11]

10.1029/97jd02252

[12]

10.2307/3670596

[13]

10.1038/nature00952

[14]

10.1002/esp.3875

[15]

10.1007/s10533-007-9142-y

[16]

10.1007/s10533-008-9195-6

[17]

10.1007/s11104-008-9850-7

[18]

10.1029/2008jg000903

[19]

10.1890/13-1698.1

[20]

10.1029/2001jd900052

[21]

10.1016/j.aeolia.2015.03.003

[22]

10.1016/s1352-2310(01)00139-x

[23]

10.1007/s10980-008-9307-7

[24]

10.1029/2007gl031023

[25]

10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02731.x

[26]

10.1029/2010rg000328

[27]

10.1890/0012-9615(1999)069[0069:iodods]2.0.co;2

[28]

10.5751/es-02302-130105

[29]

10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.08.016

[30]

10.1029/2012jg002002

[31]

10.1007/s10533-004-1718-1

[32]

10.1023/a:1005939924434

[33]

10.1126/science.247.4946.1043

[34]

10.2307/2265615

[35]

10.1023/a:1009874328546

[36]

10.1016/j.jaridenv.2004.09.013

[37]

10.1006/jare.2002.1010

[38]

Shrub Invasions of North American Semiarid Grasslands

O. W. Van Auken

Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.31.1.197

[39]

10.1006/jare.1999.0540

[40]

Walker L. R. "Experimental manipulations of fertile islands and nurse plant effects in the Mojave desert, USA" West. N. Am. Nat. (2001)

[41]

10.1016/j.jaridenv.2005.06.030

[42]

10.1006/jare.1999.0609

Cited By

41

Spatial patterns and drivers of ecosystem multifunctionality in China: Arid vs. humid regions

Shihang Zhang, Yusen Chen · 2024

Science of The Total Environment

Woody encroachment: social–ecological impacts and sustainable management

Jingyi Ding, David J. Eldridge · 2024

Biological Reviews

Metrics

41

Citations

42

References

Details

Published: Mar 04, 2017
Vol/Issue: 44(5)
Pages: 2245-2253
License: View

Authors

W

William P. Gilhooly

Department of Earth Sciences Indiana University‐Purdue University at Indianapolis Indianapolis Indiana USA

G

Gregory S. Okin

Department of Geography University of California Los Angeles California USA

J

John Blackwell

Department of Geosciences The University of Tulsa Tulsa Oklahoma USA

Funding

National Science Foundation Award: EAR‐1451489

Cite This Article

William P. Gilhooly, Gregory S. Okin, John Blackwell (2017). Abiotic processes are insufficient for fertile island development: A 10‐year artificial shrub experiment in a desert grassland. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(5), 2245-2253. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016gl072068

Abiotic processes are insufficient for fertile island development: A 10‐year artificial shrub experiment in a desert grassland

You May Also Like