Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Litter Decomposition in a Sermiarid Grassland

Vossbrinck, Charles R.; Coleman, David C.; Woolley, Tyler A.

doi:10.2307/1937654

Cited by 141 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Vossbrinck et al ( 1979), Rausher and Feeny (1980), and Warwick et al (1982) provide three examples. Presumably persons perceptive enough to see the need for physically independent replicates also will recognize the need for treatment interspersion.…”

Section: Modes Of Spatial Interspersion and Segregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pseudoreplication and the Design of Ecological Field Experiments

Hurlbert¹

1984

Ecological Monographs

7,193

4,399

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Abstract. Pseudoreplication is defined as the use of inferential statistics to test for treatment effects with data from experiments where either treatments are not replicated (though samples may be) or replicates are not statistically independent. In ANOVA terminology, it is the testing for treatment effects with an error term inappropriate to the hypothesis being considered. Scrutiny of 176 experimental studies published between 1960 and the present revealed that pseudoreplication occurred in 27% of them, or 48% of all such studies that applied inferential statistics. The incidence of pseudoreplication is especially high in studies of marine benthos and small mammals. The critical features of controlled experimentation are reviewed. Nondemonic intrusion is defined as the impingement of chance events on an experiment in progress. As a safeguard against both it and preexisting gradients, interspersion of treatments is argued to be an obligatory feature of good design. Especially in small experiments, adequate interspersion can sometimes be assured only by dispensing with strict randomization procedures. Comprehension of this conflict between interspersion and randomization is aided by distinguishing pre-layout (or conventional) and layout-specific alpha (probability of type I error). Suggestions are offered to statisticians and editors of ecological journals as to how ecologists' understanding of experimental design and statistics might be improved.

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Section: Modes Of Spatial Interspersion and Segregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pseudoreplication and the Design of Ecological Field Experiments

Hurlbert¹

1984

Ecological Monographs

7,193

4,399

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“…High temperatures and intense ultraviolet light cause the breakdown of organic matter in deserts (Pauli, 1964). Empirical studies of abiotic breakdown of organic materials showed that approximately 15% of the original mass of grass and shrub leaves was lost in a 90 day period as a result of abiotic decomposition (Vossbrinck et al, 1979, MacKay et al, 1994. Photooxidation of structural elements of wheat straw, weaken the straw sufficiently for rain drop impact or wind impact to cause the straw to shatter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of termites and straw mulch on soil nitrogen in a creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) dominated Chihuahuan desert ecosystem

Brown

Whitford

2003

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…This might be expected because the leaves are more easily fragmented and, therefore, more susceptible to decomposition. Hunt (1977) and Vossbrinck et al (1979) indicate that initial weight losses can be substantial and are caused by leaching of the labile mineral content.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weathering losses of forage species on the fescue grassland in southwestern Alberta

Willms¹,

King²,

Dormaar³

1998

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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Weathering losses of forage species on the fescue grassland in southwestern Alberta. Can. J. Plant Sci. 78: 265-272. Rough fescue grasslands are readily damaged by heavy grazing pressure in the summer but tolerate grazing in winter. The grasslands have physical and nutritive properties that make them suitable for winter grazing by cattle thereby reducing the cost of winter feeding while preserving the integrity of the grasslands. However, their forage value declines during winter through the degradation of biomass yield and quality. This study took place at the Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, Range Research Substation located on the Porcupine Hills in southwest Alberta. The objectives of this study were to determine the dynamics of litter biomass for important forage species over winter, to examine the role of leaf position in the plant on biomass loss from leaves, and to determine the associated changes in crude protein, phosphorus, and acid detergent fibre of the leaves, and carbon and nitrogen. Leaves of Parry oat grass (Danthonia parryi Scribn.), Idaho fescue (F. idahoensis Elmer), and rough fescue (F. campestris Rydb.) were sampled at monthly intervals from August to March over 3 yr to determine weight and chemical composition. Decomposition of these species, together with smooth aster (Aster laevis L.), was also tested for decomposition in the litter mass using nylon bags. Degradation of standing litter was most rapid in late summer and tended to decline toward stability by December. Biomass losses in leaves from August to March were similar (P > 0.05) among grass species. Overwinter losses in the litter mass tended to be greatest for smooth aster. Changes in the mineral and fibre concentrations of the herbage were typical of the trends expected for the period, that included late senescence and weathering, and followed closely the losses of biomass for the period. Forage decomposition is an important ecological process in mineral cycling and affects the quantity and quality of forage available for delayed grazing. Il reste que leur valeur fourragère baisse durant l'hiver, à la fois en quantité qu'en qualité. Nos expériences avaient lieu à la Sous-station de recherches sur les parcours (ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Agroalimentaire du Canada) dans les Porcupine Hills au sud-ouest de l'Alberta. Nos objectifs étaient d'établir la dynamique de la formation de la litière à partir des espèces fourragères importantes durant l'hiver, d'examiner le rôle de la position des feuilles sur la tige sur les pertes de biomasse foliaire et d'élucider les modifications concomittantes des teneurs en protéine brute, en P et en lignocellulose des feuilles ainsi que celle du bilan du carbone et de l'azote. Les feuilles de la danthonie de Parry (Danthonia parryi Scribn.), de la fétuque de l'Idaho (F. idahoensis Elmer) et de la fétuque rude (F. campestris Rydb.) étaient prélevées tous les mois à partir d'août jusqu'en mars pendant 3 ans, pour en mesurer le poids et la composition chimique. La décomposition de ces espèces ain...

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Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Litter Decomposition in a Sermiarid Grassland

Cited by 141 publications

References 19 publications

Pseudoreplication and the Design of Ecological Field Experiments

Pseudoreplication and the Design of Ecological Field Experiments

The effects of termites and straw mulch on soil nitrogen in a creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) dominated Chihuahuan desert ecosystem

Weathering losses of forage species on the fescue grassland in southwestern Alberta

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