Background - Biomass allocation of three sandhills grasses with spatially different nutrient regimes

Previous research has shown that some plants grown in nutrient Post burn sandhills vegetation

poor soils do benefit from spatial heterogeneity of nutrients by allocating root biomass to nutrient-rich patches (Humphrey and Pyke, 1997; Birch and Hutchings, 1994). Birch and Hutchings reasoned that this allocation plasticity promotes dominance of some species within a patchy environment. The three grasses chosen for our research are dominant species in the herbaceous layer of the sandhills. We asked if fire-generated soil nutrient heterogeneity could promote biomass response dominance of one or more of these grasses.


		Biomass allocation of three sandhills grasses with spatially different nutrient regimes
		Teresa L. Hock and Beverly Collins Background
		Previous research has shown that some plants grown in nutrient poor soils do benefit from spatial heterogeneity of nutrients by allocating root biomass to nutrient-rich patches (Humphrey and Pyke, 1997; Birch and Hutchings, 1994). Birch and Hutchings reasoned that this allocation plasticity promotes dominance of some species within a patchy environment. The three grasses chosen for our research are dominant species in the herbaceous layer of the sandhills. We asked if fire-generated soil nutrient heterogeneity could promote biomass response dominance of one or more of these grasses.
		Abstract \| Introduction \| Background \| Objectives \| Methods \| Results \| Conclusions \| Literature Cited