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Structural and functional attributes of the vegetation of northern mixed prairie of North America

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Summary

This paper reviews and interprets the structural and functional attributes of the vegetation of northern mixed prairie and examines the productivity of the northern sites in the perspective of other related grasslands in North America.

The northern mixed prairie is dominated primarily by cool-season species (C3), although the existence of two temporal guilds, one of coolseason and the other of warm-season (C4) species, is a characteristic feature. Because of the different amounts of cool-and warm-season components, the period of peak growth varies among sites. The differential seasonal expression of these species causes plant diversity to vary with time, with a maximum value during the midseason. Further, topography, climate, soil and grazing modify the balance between the two guilds, and consequently there may be a considerable amount of dissimilarity among the communities developed on different sites. Aboveground net production for the majority of sites is in the range of 100 to 300 g-m−2.y−1; however, the communities transitional to true prairie may yield ≥500 g.m−2.y−1.

Zusammenfassung

Die Arbeit referiert und interpretiert die strukturellen und funktionellen Eigenschaften der Vegetation nördlicher gemischter Prärie und überprüft die Produktivität dieser nördlichen Standorte unter dem Aspekt anderer, ähnlicher Grasländer in Nordamerika.

Die nördliche gemischte Prärie wird in erster Linie von kaltgemäßigten Arten (C3) dominiert, obwohl auch die Existenz zweier temporaler Gesellschaften (guilds) mit dominierenden Arten für kühlere und wärmere Zeiten (C4) charakteristisch ist. Die unterschiedlichen Mengen der mehr Kühle oder Wärme liebenden Arten an den Standorten führen zu verschiedenen Hauptwachstumsperioden. Das saisonbedingte Vorherrschen verschiedener Arten erreicht seine größte Vielfalt in der Mitte der Vegetationsperiode. Die Balance zwischen den beiden erwähnten Gesellschaften wird durch Topographie, Klima, Boden und durch Herbivoren so modifiziert, daß beträchtliche Unterschiede zwischen den Gesellschaften an verschiedenen Standorten bestehen können. Die Netto-Produktivität über dem Boden liegt für die Mehrzahl der Standorte zwischen 100–300 g.m−2-y−1; Gesellschaften im Übergang zur echten Prärie können sogar über 500 gm−2y−1 produzieren. [German version of abstract courtesy of H. Lorenzen, University of Göttingen.]

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, Colorado

    J. S. Singh, W. K. Lauenroth, R. K. Heitschmidt & J. L. Dodd

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  3. R. K. Heitschmidt
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  4. J. L. Dodd
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Singh, J.S., Lauenroth, W.K., Heitschmidt, R.K. et al. Structural and functional attributes of the vegetation of northern mixed prairie of North America. Bot. Rev 49, 117–149 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02861010

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