Plant community patterns in a gypsum area of NE Spain. II. Effects of ion washing on topographic distribution of vegetation

Author: Guerrero-Campo J.   Alberto F.   Maestro M.   Hodgson J.   Montserrat-Martí G.  

Publisher: Academic Press

ISSN: 0140-1963

Source: Journal of Arid Environments, Vol.41, Iss.4, 1999-04, pp. : 411-419

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

A model, based on the physico-chemical properties of gypsum, is postulated in order to interpret the regular distribution of plant communities associated with the topography and the main environmental stresses to which each vegetation type is subjected in a landscape unit.The leaf chemical composition of 28 representative plant species supports the main predictions of the model: species from low areas present large concentrations of Na, N and ash but low contents of Ca. It is demonstrated that the strong nutrient and salt downwashing in the hilly terrain is an important cause of the vegetation segregation observed on a large spatial scale.