Correlation between Soils and Sagebrush-Dominated Plant Communities of Northeastern Nevada
1990
Relationships between sagebrush-dominated plant communities and soil-site variables were examined on 372 relatively undisturbed rangeland sites of the Humboldt National Forest in northeastern Nevada, USA. Site and soil-physical variables that best discriminated between the 15 community types studied included mollic epipedon thickness, elevation, subsoil clay content, total soil depth, subsoil thickness, total water holding capacity, A-horizon thickness, A-horizon rock content, rooting depth, and subsoil rock content. Discriminant analysis indicated that 68% of the rangeland sites sampled could be correctly assigned to their appropriate community type based on site and soil-physical variables. The percentage of sites correctly classified ranged from 25% within the Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. tridentata/Festuca idahoensis Elmer community type to 100% in the Ar. longifolia Nutt./F. idahoensis type. Soil-chemical variables effective in discriminating between community types included both surface (N, P, divalent/monovalent cation ratio, Ca, pH, base saturation, and organic-matter content) and subsoil (divalent/monovalent cation ratio, Ca, base saturation, and pH) variables. Based on soil-chemical criteria, only 32% of the study sites were correctly assigned to their appropriate community type. Results of this study suggest caution when inferring the soil properties of a site from plant community composition.
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