Spatial scale influence on longterm temporal patterns of a semi-arid grassland
Citation
Fred E Smeins, and Samuel D Fuhlendorf, Spatial scale influence on longterm temporal patterns of a semi-arid grassland: .
Summary
Longterm (45 years) temporal data were used to assess the influence of spatial scale on temporal patterns of a semi-arid west Texas grassland. Temporal basal area dynamics of common curlymesquite (Hilaria belangeri (Steud.) Nash) collected from permanent plots within two areas that were released from disturbance (longterm overgrazing and drought), were evaluated at two spatial scales (quadrat, site). Wiens (1989) proposed hypotheses to characterize the influence of scale on variability, predictability, and equilibrium. These hypotheses were tested for this grassland and temporal patterns observed were different for each spatial scale. The large scale (site) was characterized by low variation between units, high variation within units, [...]
Summary
Longterm (45 years) temporal data were used to assess the influence of
spatial scale on temporal patterns of a semi-arid west Texas grassland.
Temporal basal area dynamics of common curlymesquite (Hilaria belangeri
(Steud.) Nash) collected from permanent plots within two areas that were
released from disturbance (longterm overgrazing and drought), were
evaluated at two spatial scales (quadrat, site). Wiens (1989) proposed
hypotheses to characterize the influence of scale on variability,
predictability, and equilibrium. These hypotheses were tested for this
grassland and temporal patterns observed were different for each spatial
scale. The large scale (site) was characterized by low variation between
units, high variation within units, high potential predictability, and
possible movement toward a fluctuating but relatively stable or
equilibrial state. At the small scale (quadrat), variation between units
was high, predictability low, and there was no indication of movement
toward a stable state; chaotic behavior may be expressed at this scale
although the length of the temporal record may not be sufficient to
evaluate this phenomenon. Published in Landscape Ecology, volume 11,
issue 2, on pages 107 - 113, in 1996.
