Keeping the Rain Out!
One of the challenges of living and working in the Great Basin is the variable
rainfall. However, there has been surpisingly little research on the effect of
weather variation on rangeland plants. One of the reasons for the lack of
research on this topic is that we cannot change the weather!
In this study we chose to focus on one question, "How does rainfall timing
influence Great Basin vegetation?" This is a difficult subject to study
because we cannot easily manipulate rainfall timing. Our approach was to
exclude all rain with the help of rainout shelters (large sheds with a clear
roof to keep rain out and let in sunlight) and use an overhead
sprinkler system to "rain on" three different zones under each rain shelter at
the desired time.
Our three rainfall treatments (zones) are : 1)
average current rainfall, 2) a higher amount of rainfall
during winter, and 3) a higher amount of rainfall during the spring. All
three treatments recieve the same amount of water.
Every year we measure variables such as plant development and productivity,
plant species composition and cover, plant rooting activity, and soil
moisture and nitrogen to see how the different rainfall treatments effect the
plants.
We hope the results of this study will help land managers better understand the
impacts of weather on vegetation changes. Managers are faced with the challenge
of separating the effects of weather from those caused by management. We also
know that the Great Basin has undergone large changes in weather patterns in
the past and will likely do so in the future. The results of this study might
help us predict how climatic shifts will influence vegetation.
If you would like more information on this study feel free to contact
EOARC
.
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