Two grasses, Agropyron smithii and A. inerme , were planted in a seed mixture with Ceratoides lanata in 1977 on two soil disturbances. These grasses were selected to test their responses to the presence of C. lanata . Biomass of leaf, stem, crown and roots were measured for each grass alone, with other plants of the same species, and with C. lanata as nearest neighbor. Total non-structural carbohydrates were determined for all biomass samples. A. smithii produced the lowest amounts of stem and root biomass when grown in close association with another A. smithii plant. In contrast, this species produced the most shallow-root (0-20 cm) biomass when closely associated with C. lanata. A. inerme leaf biomass was lowest when C. lanata was [...]
