Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34043686›Full record

ArticlePloS one2021

Hydrological and topographic determinants of biomass and species richness in a Mediterranean-climate shrubland.

Samantha Díaz de León-Guerrero, Rodrigo Méndez-Alonzo, Stephen H Bullock, Enrique R Vivoni

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In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Samantha Díaz de León-GuerreroDepartamento de Biología de la Conservación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California., México.
Rodrigo Méndez-AlonzoDepartamento de Biología de la Conservación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California., México.ORCID 0000-0002-0282-2329
Stephen H BullockDepartamento de Biología de la Conservación, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California., México.
Enrique R VivoniSchool of Earth and Space Exploration & School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-2659-9459

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn arid and semiarid shrublands, water availability directly influences ecosystem properties. However, few empirical tests have determined the association between particular soil and hydrology traits with biodiversity and ecosystem biomass at the local scale.

methodsWe tested if plant species richness (S) and aboveground biomass (AGB) were associated with soil and topographic properties on 36 plots (ca. 12.5 m2) in 17 hectares of chaparral in the Mediterranean-climate of Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, México. We used close-to-the-ground aerial photography to quantify sky-view cover per species, including all growth forms. We derived an elevation model (5 cm) from other aerial imagery. We estimated six soil properties (soil water potential, organic matter content, water content, pH, total dissolved solids concentration, and texture) and four landscape metrics (slope, aspect, elevation, and topographic index) for the 36 plots. We quantified the biomass of stems, leaves, and reproductive structures, per species.

results86% of AGB was in stems, while non-woody species represented 0.7% of AGB but comprised 38% of S (29 species). Aboveground biomass and species richness were unrelated across the landscape. S was correlated with aspect and elevation (R = 0.53, aspect P = 0.035, elevation P = 0.05), while AGB (0.006-9.17 Kg m-2) increased with soil water potential and clay content (R = 0.51, P = 0.02, and P = 0.04). Only three species (11% of total S) occupied 65% of the total plant cover, and the remaining 26 represented only 35%. Cover was negatively correlated with S (R = -0.38, P = 0.02). 75% of AGB was concentrated in 30% of the 36 plots, and 96% of AGB corresponded to only 20% of 29 species. DISCUSSION: At the scale of small plots in our studied Mediterranean-climate shrubland in Baja California, AGB was most affected by soil water storage. AGB and cover were dominated by a few species, and only cover was negatively related to S. S was comprised mostly by uncommon species and tended to increase as plant cover decreased.

Indexed as

ClimateEcosystemGrasslandPlantsMexicoSoilWaterSoilWater

Identifiers

PMID34043686
PMCPMC8158923

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.