Although a substantial literature has demonstrated that disturbances can strongly influence communities, relatively few studies have examined how multiple disturbances influence community structure. This study examined the long-term response of an arid plant community to combinations of grazing by cattle and repeated fire to determine the effects of these disturbances alone and in combination on individual abundances, species richness, and diversity. Over an 8-year period, more species were affected significantly by fire than by grazing. Total abundance, species richness, and diversity of annuals were highest on plots subjected to both burning and grazing, but few significant interaction effects were observed. Thus, fire and grazing seem to affect this arid plant community independently.
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1 December 2003
EXAMINATION OF INTERACTION EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE DISTURBANCES ON AN ARID PLANT COMMUNITY
Thomas J. Valone
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The Southwestern Naturalist
Vol. 48 • No. 4
December 2003
Vol. 48 • No. 4
December 2003