Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Theses/Dissertations

Life Sciences

1977

Plant communities

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Plant Communities Of Arches National Park, John Stevens Allan Aug 1977

The Plant Communities Of Arches National Park, John Stevens Allan

Theses and Dissertations

Arches National Park, located in southeastern Utah, lies in a transition zone between the southwestern hot desert and the western cold desert, but it is floristically most similar to the hot desert. The major plant communities are as follows: Juniper-pinyon, blackbrush, grasslands and sand dune association. Other community types occur but occupy very limited areas. All of the communities studied have a high degree of uniqueness and merit recognition as separate entities. Blackbrush showed the greatest overall similarity to other communities and was most similar to the sand dune communities. The hanging gardens were the most distinctive and covered the …


Canopy Influence As A Factor In Determining Understory Community Composition, Richard B. Wilcox Apr 1977

Canopy Influence As A Factor In Determining Understory Community Composition, Richard B. Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Four tree species (i.e. Pinus ponderosa, Juiperus scopulorum, Quercus Gambelii, and Ceanothus velutinus were chosen for this study. Ten individuals of each species were selected and their associated understory communities and adjacent non-understory communities sampled. Data taken included biotic and abiotic parameters. The data was subjected to similarity index analysis, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and x^2 analysis. The results were confirmed by all tests. The forest canopy was shown to directly influence the understory community. The understory community is a shrub-grass dominated type while the non-understory community is an annual-forb dominated type. The different tree species were also shown to …


Certain Edaphic And Biotic Factors Affecting Vegetation In The Shadscale Community Of The Kaiparowits Area, Vane Orlan Campbell Mar 1977

Certain Edaphic And Biotic Factors Affecting Vegetation In The Shadscale Community Of The Kaiparowits Area, Vane Orlan Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

A study area on the southern extensions of the Great Basin cold desert (Kaiparowits Basin, Utah) was selected which has had varying amounts of disturbance. Areas with similar slope and exposure in the Shadscale community were sampled. At each site, soil samples were collected and percent sand, percent clay, percent silt, soluble salts, and hydrogen ion concentrations were measured. Cluster analysis based on percent frequency of the perennial species showed that eight groups or sub-communities were definable within the area sampled. Patterns within the vegetation were shown to be independent with the use of cluster analysis. Discriminant analysis on soil …