ENCS406 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Hesperostipa Comata, Agropyron Cristatum, Pascopyrum

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Environmental and Conservation Sciences
• Course: ENCS406
• Professor: Edward Bork

Document Summary

Low ppt (~300mm), most of which falls during the growing season. Highest summer temperatures in ab evaporation needs are higher. Large moisture deficits are common: frequent droughts (high cv) Protective snow cover can be limited, so plants need to be tolerant of extreme conditions. Pm: glacial tills (loams), scattered lakebed lowlands (silts, clays), sandy areas. Tree/shrub cover limited to alluvial floodplains and moisture seeps. Root:shoot ratio is ~13:1 ~93% of biomass is belowground!! Important management implications: underground biomass being eaten and turned over by nematodes, bacteria, microfauna, macrofaunal, etc. Note that s-b-a site will lose stipa with moderate grazing and will become a b-a. You can tell the difference from a climax b-a by looking at the soil because b-a i(cid:374) this syste(cid:373) is a (cid:862)blowout(cid:863) rt on solonetzic soils. Stipa-agropyro(cid:374): bouteloua is (cid:374)o lo(cid:374)ger do(cid:373)i(cid:374)a(cid:374)t o(cid:374) this site (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause it"s (cid:373)ore (cid:373)oist (cid:894)(cid:374)orth- facing) Clay lakebeds: leftover from glacial lakes, non-saline, relatively productive (1300 kg/ha)