Longterm monitoring of serpentine grassland in relation to disturbance and annual climate

Richard Hobbs (Murdoch University)

View of exclosures from fire road. Rabbit/deer exclosure on right; gopher exclosure on left.

Summary

This long-term experiment involves replicated plots in serpentine grassland that have been monitored annually since 1983 to assess the impact of gopher disturbance and rainfall variability on the composition of serpentine vegetation. In this experiment, a group of 3 adjacent plots--a gopher exclosure, an above-ground mammal exclosure, and a control-is replicated three times. In each plot, 24 quadats are surveyed each April to determine the plant cover and density of 20 plant species. In addition, gopher mounds have been marked each year since 1987, and the plant community on them has been censused. Publications to date have emphasized the importance of weather variation in determining the abundance of certain species, but historical factors are also important and most species defy simple generalizations. Hobbs is currently completing an analysis of the 20-year record.

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JRBP Affiliates Log-In JRBP Research Projects Longterm monitoring of serpentine grassland in relation to disturbance and annual climate Richard Hobbs (Murdoch University) Enlarge View of exclosures from fire road. Rabbit/deer exclosure on right;