Coupling of primary producers, detritus, decomposer organisms and nitrogen availability during secondary succession: Progress report for period September 28, 1987-September 27, 1988

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:7243564

Redente, E F

Secondary succession is a consequence of the interactions among primary producers, decomposers, detritus and abiotic components of the system over time. This study focuses on the interrelationships among above- and below-ground processes involved in semiarid ecosystem development. We found that the addition of nitrogen and phosphorus significantly reduced the production of perennial species while significantly increasing the production of annual and biennial plants. Three years of N addition have altered plant community composition, slowed the rate of secondary succession, and reduced the fungal component, of the microbial community. Early- and late-successional plant species differ in their maintenance of rhizosphere microbial communities. Under nutrient-limited conditions, early-successional species maintain larger microbial biomasses than late-successional species. This strategy may cause early-successional species to be less competitive than late-successional species under nutrient poor conditions because of the need for a greater amount of carbon to be released by early-successional species to maintain a rhizosphere community. Using P/N ratios we have demonstrated that mycorrhizal grasses in the field have enriched relative P nutrition. 52 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Dept. of Range Science
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-87ER60612
• OSTI ID: 7243564
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60612-1; ON: DE88011500
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
140504* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
510100 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ARID LANDS
DETRITUS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FERTILIZERS
GRASS
MYCORRHIZAS
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
PHOSPHORUS
PLANTS
PROGRESS REPORT
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS