Soil resource heterogeneity in the Mojave Desert

doi:10.1006/jare.2002.1010

Journal of Arid Environments

Volume 52, Issue 3, November 2002, Pages 269-292

https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2002.1010 Get rights and content

Abstract

Heterogeneity of soil resources was investigated in the Mojave Desert to better understand spatial variability of soil attributes in a Larrea tridentata–Ambrosia dumosa community. Six soil samples were collected at each of eight microsites, with this sampling scheme replicated for three sites that were 0·7 km apart on a 10-km long bajada. The eight microsites were: five different shrub types (individual shrubs of L. tridentata, individual shrubs ofLycium pallidum , individual shrubs of A. dumosa, mixtures of shrub species with small mammal burrows, and mixtures of shrubs without small mammal burrows), a grass microsite (around individual plants of the tussock grass Pleuraphis rigida), and two microsites without perennial vegetation (one within small washes and the other within the interspace between perennial plants). Fifteen soil parameters were assessed, and all were found to differ among microsites. Nutrients were assessed as the pools extractable by vegetation. Mineral nutrients except for Ca, organic matter, and litter were higher in soils collected from shrub microsites compared to the others. Shrub microsites with small mammal burrows had significantly more N and P than those without burrows. Non-vegetated microsites in washes and plant interspaces contained very low N and P levels. Mg, Na, pH and cation exchange capacity were highest in soils under Lycium shrubs, while Ca levels were highest in wash soils. Arbuscular mycorrhizal spore densities were generally low (0–0·2 spores g⁻¹ soil) except for Lycium soils, which contained 1·8 spores g⁻¹ soil. Wash and interspace soils lacked spores but had mycorrhizal inoculum potential values similar to the other microsites, indicating that mycorrhizal propagules were present. Thus, the presence of perennial shrubs strongly influenced microsite soil characteristics and resulted in higher nutrient levels. Small mammal burrows further enhanced the mineral nutrient content of soils. In addition, all soil characteristics except for spore density differed among the three sites across the bajada, and interactions between microsite and site were common. Clearly, soil resources for plants are spatially heterogeneous in this desert ecosystem and differ greatly between adjacent micro- and macrosites in thisL. tridentata–A. dumosa community.

References (136)

M.R. Aguiar et al.
Patch structure, dynamics and implications for the functioning of arid ecosystems
Trends in Ecology and Evolution
(1999)
M.A. Bowers
Precipitation and the relative abundances of desert winter annuals, a 6-year study in the northern Mojave Desert
Journal of Arid Environments
(1987)
M. Brundrett
Mycorrhizas in natural ecosystems
Advances in Ecological Research
(1991)
R.M. Chew et al.
A long-term positive effect of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) on creosotebushes (Larrea tridentata)
Journal of Arid Environments
(1992)
C.F. Friese et al.
The spatial dispersion of spores of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a sand dune, microscale patterns associated with the root architecture of American beachgrass
Mycological Research
(1991)
W. Garner et al.
A proposed mechanism for the formation of ‘fertile islands’ in the desert ecosystem
Journal of Arid Environments
(1989)
J.N. Gemma et al.
Seasonal dynamics of selected species of V–A mycorrhizal fungi in a sand dune
Mycological Research
(1989)
J.W. Gerdemann et al.
Spores of mycorrhizal Endogone species extracted from soil by wet sieving and decanting
Transactions of the British Mycological Society
(1963)
L.H. Gile et al.
Soil induced variability in root systems of creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) and tarbush (Flourensia cernua)
Journal of Arid Environments
(1998)
P.A. McGee
Variation in propagule numbers of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a semi-arid soil
Mycological Research
(1989)

A.M. Martensson et al.

Impact of phosphorus fertilization on VAM diasopres in two Swedish long-term field experiments

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

(1994)

E. Martinez-Meza et al.

Stemflow, throughfall and channelization of stemflow by roots in three Chihuahuan desert shrubs

Journal of Arid Environments

(1996)

J. Navar et al.

Interception loss and rainfall redistribution by three semi-arid growing shrubs in northeastern New Mexico

Journal of Hydrology

(1990)

L.W. Parker et al.

The effects of subterranean termite removal on desert soil nitrogen and ephemeral flora

Journal of Arid Environments

(1982)

A.J. Parsons et al.

Microtopography and soil-surface materials on semi-arid piedmont hillslopes, southern Arizona

Journal of Arid Environments

(1992)

C.M. Rostagno et al.

The influence of shrubs on some chemical and physical properties of an acidic soil in north-eastern Patagonia, Argentina

Journal of Arid Environments

(1991)

I.R. Sanders et al.

Evidence for differential responses between host–fungus combinations of vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizas from a grassland

Mycological Research

(1992)

A.K. Al-Agely et al.

Inland sand dune mycorrhizae: Effects of soil depth, moisture, and pH on colonization of Oryzopsis hymenoides

Mycologia

(1995)

E.B. Allen et al.

Disturbance and seasonal dynamics of mycorrhizae in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico

Biotropica

(1998)

R.C. Anderson et al.

Interactions of vascular plants and vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across a soil moisture–nutrient gradient

Oecologia

(1984)

R.C. Barth et al.

Shrub-induced spatial patterns of dry matter, nitrogen, and organic carbon

Soil Science Society of America Journal

(1978)

J.C. Beatley

Survival of winter annuals in the northern Mojave Desert

Ecology

(1967)

J.C. Beatley

Vascular Plants of the Nevada Test Site and Central–southern Nevada, Ecological and Geographical Distributions

(1976)

D.J. Bedunah et al.

Influence of mesquite control on soil erosion on a depleted range site

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

(1986)

G.J. Bethlenfalvay et al.

Mycorrhizae in a southern California desert, ecological implications

Canadian Journal of Botany

(1984)

P. Binet

Short-term dynamics of minerals in arid ecosystems

W.H. Blackburn et al.

Infiltration rates and sediment production of selected plant communities in Nevada

Journal of Range Management

(1974)

J. Blaszkowski

Arbuscular fungi and mycorrhizae (Glomales) of the Hel Peninsula, Poland

Mycorrhiza

(1994)

H.E. Bloss

Studies of the symbiotic microflora and their role in the ecology of desert plants

Desert Plants

(1985)

H.E. Bloss et al.

Some endogenous mycorrhizal fungi of the Santa Catalina mountains in Arizona

Mycologia

(1987)

J. Brisson et al.

The effect of neighbors on root distribution in a creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) population

Ecology

(1994)

Brooks, P. C. Powlson, D. S. Jenkinson, D. S. 1985, The microbial biomass in the soil, Fitter, A. H. Ecological...

M.C. Brundrett et al.

Mycorrhizas in the Kakadu region of tropical Australia

Plant and Soil

(1996)

M.C. Brundrett et al.

Practical Methods in Mycorrhiza Research

(1994)

M.M. Caldwell et al.

Hydraulic lift, water efflux from upper roots improves effectiveness of water uptake by deep roots

Oecologia

(1989)

A. Carrillo-Garcia et al.

Nurse plants, mycorrhizae, and plant establishment in a disturbed area of the Sonoran Desert

Restoration Ecology

(1999)

J.L. Charley et al.

Plant-induced soil chemical patterns in some shrub-dominated semi-desert ecosystems of Utah

Journal of Ecology

(1975)

K.D. Coppinger et al.

Net erosion on a sage brush steppe landscape as determined by cesium-137 distribution

Soil Science Society of America Journal

(1991)

J.R. Cox et al.

The initial growth of two range grasses on nonfertilized and fertilized soils collected from creosotebush communities in the Southwestern United States

Journal of Range Management

(1983)

C.S. Crawford et al.

Desert ecosystems, their resources in space and time

Environmental Conservation

(1982)

A.F. Cross et al.

Plant regulation of soil nutrient distribution in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Plant Ecology

(1999)

M. Cui et al.

Nutrient status, water uptake and gas exchange for three desert succulents infected with mycorrhizal fungi

New Phytologist

(1992)

S.S. Dhillion

Environmental heterogeneity, animal disturbances, microsite characteristics, and seedling establishment in a Quercus havardii community

Restoration Ecology

(1999)

D. Dunkerly

Hydrologic effects of dryland shrubs, defining the spatial extent of modified soil water uptake rates at an Australian desert site

Journal of Arid Environments

(2000)

D.J. Eldridge et al.

Bladeploughing and exclosure influence soil properties in a semi-arid Australian woodland

Journal of Range Management

(1997)

A.A. El-Ghonemy et al.

Nutrient concentrations in the natural vegetation of the Mojave Desert

Soil Science

(1978)

N.G. Elkins et al.

The influence of subterranean termites on the hydrological characteristics of a Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem

Oecologia

(1986)

F.M. Fisher et al.

Water and nitrogen effects on growth and allocation patterns of creosote bush in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Journal of Range Management

(1988)

A.C. Franco et al.

Effect of nurse plants on the microhabitat and growth of cacti

Journal of Ecology

(1989)

E. Garcia-Moya et al.

Contribution of shrubs to the nitrogen economy of a desert-wash plant community

Ecology

(1970)

Cited by (195)

“Fertile islands” beneath three desert vegetation on soil phosphorus fractions, enzymatic activities, and microbial biomass in the desert-oasis transition zone
2022, Catena
Desertification poses a perpetual threat to the security of desert ecosystems. Perennial desert vegetation plays a crucial role in maintaining the structure and function of a desert ecosystem and slowing down its desertification process by creating “fertile islands” beneath their canopy. Yet, how these fertile islands affect the transformation of soil phosphorus (P) fractions and the relationship between soil P fractions and enzymatic activities or microbial biomass beneath differing plant species and across soil depths still remains uncertain. Here we collected and analyzed soil P fractions (Hedley P pools), enzymatic activities (alkaline phosphatase [ALP] and β-glucosidase), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), nitrogen (MBN), and phosphorus, in addition to other soil properties, beneath three typical perennial species (Alhagi sparsifolia, Karelinia caspia, Tamarix ramosissima) and in interspace area soils over a 0–100 cm soil profile, under the desert-oasis transition zone of hyper-arid and soil P-impoverished. We found that soil P fractions, especially soil labile-P, soil enzymatic activities, soil water content (SWC), NH₄⁺-N and NO₃⁻-N concentration were closely related to the soils beneath canopy than interspace area. Soil depth and plant species also significantly affected soil labile-P and other soil properties, with the highest being topsoil beneath the canopy. Soil labile-P increased substantially beneath the canopy and was positively related to the activities of ALP and β-glucosidase and the concentrations of soil MBC and MBN, while negatively related to SWC and electrical conductivity. We also observed that the fertile island effect was generally consistent with canopy size and ranked as follows: T. ramosissima > K. caspia > A. sparsifolia. This comprehensive field study advances our current understanding of the transformation of soil P fractions vis-à-vis the fertile island effect in desert ecosystems, which could be useful for mitigating desertification by improving soil protection and greening the desert landscape.
High fire frequency reduces soil fertility underneath woody plant canopies of Mediterranean ecosystems
2021, Science of the Total Environment
Spatial heterogeneity of soil properties plays a major role in regulating ecosystem structure and functioning. In general, soil resources accumulate beneath woody plant-covered patches more than in the open interspace, making them function as fertility islands. Whilst wildfire is a common disturbance, little information is available on the role of particular plant species in maintaining soil fertility underneath in areas that are subjected to recurrent fires. This is an important issue given that land abandonment, together with a warmer and drier climate, is increasing fire danger in regions such as the Mediterranean. We determined whether increasing fire frequency, producing changes from a Quercus ilex L., woodland to a shrubland, modifies the effect of woody plant canopy on soil fertility. Additionally, the effect of fire history on species-specific leaf and litter nutrient concentration was assessed. Areas affected by none, one, two or three fires were selected. Within each area, soil fertility was measured underneath Cistus ladanifer L., Retama sphaerocarpa L., Phillyrea angustifolia L. and Quercus ilex canopies and in open interspace. Unburned soils located underneath P. angustifolia and Q. ilex canopies were significantly more fertile than in open interspaces. The microsite effect on soil fertility was fire frequency dependent. As fire frequency increased, the plant canopy microsite effect decreased for soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), total C, P, Ca, K and Mg, labile phosphate, arylsulfatase and acid phosphatase activities. Total N, ammonium, nitrate and β-glucosidase activity decreased with increasing fire frequency, but their spatial variability was maintained along all fire frequency scenarios. Fire frequency decreased foliar N concentration but increased P concentration in some species, leading to a decrease in their N:P ratio. Our findings suggest that soil fertility heterogeneity will be reduced with increasing fire frequency. This could compromise the recovery of soil and ecosystem functioning.
Effects of shrub revegetation on ground-active arthropod diversity and trophic structure in the Tengger desert
2020, European Journal of Soil Biology
Shrub vegetation and plant species can enhance the abundance and richness of ground-active arthropods. Yet surprisingly little is known about how the distribution and diversity of ground-active arthropods are influenced by plant species used for shrub revegetation in desert ecosystems. In this study, ground-active arthropods were collected using the pitfall trapping method in Caragana korshinskii (CP), Hedysarum scoparium (HP), and Artemisia ordosica (AP) plantations, for which an adjacent mobile sand land (MS) served as the control in the Tengger desert (northwestern China). We found no significant differences in the total abundance of arthropods among the four habitats, whereas the taxonomic richness and Shannon index of ground-active arthropods were significantly (P < 0.05) greater in all three plantations when compared to the MS. The herbivore arthropods were significantly (P < 0.001) more abundant in the AP and MS than either the HP or CP. The predator abundances were significantly (P < 0.05) greater in all three shrub plantations compared with the MS. The detritivore abundances also differed (P < 0.05) across habitats, in the order of HP > CP > AP > MS. The dominant groups in MS, including Tenebrionidae and Buprestidae, were replaced by Formicidae, Melandryidae, and Carabidae in HP; by Formicidae, Carabidae, Chrysomeloidea, and Melandryidae in AP; and by Formicidae and Carabidae in CP. Our results suggested that shrub crown diameter, shrub density, and herbaceous richness together explained the different responses of ground-active arthropod communities to revegetation, highlighting the importance of shrub individual traits in this process for the maintenance of arthropod diversity and trophic structure in desert ecosystems.
Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change
2020, Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change
A new method for revealing spatial relationships between shrubs and soil resources in arid regions
2019, Catena
Solving scientific and applied problems in restoration ecology requires the use of methodologies that can unravel the relationship between different plant species and the distribution of relevant soil resources. This study proposes a new method to accurately quantify the relationship between plants and soil resource patterns by integrating geostatistics, point pattern analysis, and spatial comparison (IGPS). IGPS was used to analyze the relationship between different shrub species and soil resources in an arid area near Wuhai City in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China. The relationships between several dominant species and soil resources have been evaluated, thus providing a reference point for the selection of suitable species for ecological restoration in this particular region. The results indicate that IGPS can identify the main plant species that affect the distribution of soil resources, determine which patterns in the distribution of soil resources are caused by plants, determine the number of plants that directly affect soil patches, and quantify the spatial relationship between plants and soil resources. This method is useful for both theoretical research and practical applications and is suitable for use in ecosystems all over the world.
Local soil hydrological effects of nebkha creation in a degraded artificial Caragana shrubland
2019, Ecological Engineering
Nebkhas play a key role in the regulation of soil moisture in arid regions. In this study, we monitored the responses of soil hydrological processes to the developed nebkhas by adding sand to the origin dune in a degraded artificial Caragana shrubland from 2012 to 2016. No physical properties but infiltration rate were affected by sand addition in surface soils (0–10 cm soil layer). More specifically, soils in the 0–5 cm layer exhibited a greater cumulative infiltration and higher water holding capacity in response to sand addition. Compared to CK (nebkhas without sand addition), water stored in the 0–100 cm soil layer was greater in Sb (nebkhas with sand addition) at the end of each growing season in four out of the five years. However, greater local infiltration rates did not give rise to an increase in the depth of water recharge, but actually weakened the hydrological connections between the upper and lower soil layers. The changes in hydrological processes induced by sand addition indicated that there remains the question whether sand addition should be useful in the management of degraded Caragana forests, emphasizing the urgent need for further studies.

View all citing articles on Scopus

^*: Corresponding author. Current address: Biosphere 2 Center, 32540 S. Biosphere Rd., Oracle, AZ 85623, U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected]

View full text

Regular ArticleSoil resource heterogeneity in the Mojave Desert

Abstract

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Journal of Arid Environments

Advances in Ecological Research

Journal of Arid Environments

Mycological Research

Journal of Arid Environments

Mycological Research

Transactions of the British Mycological Society

Journal of Arid Environments

Mycological Research

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

Journal of Arid Environments

Journal of Hydrology

Journal of Arid Environments

Journal of Arid Environments

Journal of Arid Environments

Mycological Research

Inland sand dune mycorrhizae: Effects of soil depth, moisture, and pH on colonization of Oryzopsis hymenoides

Mycologia

Disturbance and seasonal dynamics of mycorrhizae in a tropical deciduous forest in Mexico

Biotropica

Interactions of vascular plants and vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across a soil moisture–nutrient gradient

Oecologia

Shrub-induced spatial patterns of dry matter, nitrogen, and organic carbon

Soil Science Society of America Journal

Survival of winter annuals in the northern Mojave Desert

Ecology

Vascular Plants of the Nevada Test Site and Central–southern Nevada, Ecological and Geographical Distributions

Influence of mesquite control on soil erosion on a depleted range site

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Mycorrhizae in a southern California desert, ecological implications

Canadian Journal of Botany

Short-term dynamics of minerals in arid ecosystems

Infiltration rates and sediment production of selected plant communities in Nevada

Journal of Range Management

Arbuscular fungi and mycorrhizae (Glomales) of the Hel Peninsula, Poland

Mycorrhiza

Studies of the symbiotic microflora and their role in the ecology of desert plants

Desert Plants

Some endogenous mycorrhizal fungi of the Santa Catalina mountains in Arizona

Mycologia

The effect of neighbors on root distribution in a creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) population

Ecology

Mycorrhizas in the Kakadu region of tropical Australia

Plant and Soil

Practical Methods in Mycorrhiza Research

Hydraulic lift, water efflux from upper roots improves effectiveness of water uptake by deep roots

Oecologia

Nurse plants, mycorrhizae, and plant establishment in a disturbed area of the Sonoran Desert

Restoration Ecology

Plant-induced soil chemical patterns in some shrub-dominated semi-desert ecosystems of Utah

Journal of Ecology

Net erosion on a sage brush steppe landscape as determined by cesium-137 distribution

Soil Science Society of America Journal

The initial growth of two range grasses on nonfertilized and fertilized soils collected from creosotebush communities in the Southwestern United States

Journal of Range Management

Desert ecosystems, their resources in space and time

Environmental Conservation

Plant regulation of soil nutrient distribution in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Plant Ecology

Nutrient status, water uptake and gas exchange for three desert succulents infected with mycorrhizal fungi

New Phytologist

Environmental heterogeneity, animal disturbances, microsite characteristics, and seedling establishment in a Quercus havardii community

Restoration Ecology

Hydrologic effects of dryland shrubs, defining the spatial extent of modified soil water uptake rates at an Australian desert site

Journal of Arid Environments

Bladeploughing and exclosure influence soil properties in a semi-arid Australian woodland

Journal of Range Management

Nutrient concentrations in the natural vegetation of the Mojave Desert

Soil Science

The influence of subterranean termites on the hydrological characteristics of a Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem

Oecologia

Water and nitrogen effects on growth and allocation patterns of creosote bush in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Journal of Range Management

Effect of nurse plants on the microhabitat and growth of cacti

Journal of Ecology

Contribution of shrubs to the nitrogen economy of a desert-wash plant community

Ecology

Regular Article
Soil resource heterogeneity in the Mojave Desert