Facebook
X (Twitter)
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
Delicious
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
Annual grassland ecosystem model
Authors
Dennis F. PendletonWilliam A. Williams
Robert G. Woodmansee
John W. Menke
Authors Affiliations
Dennis F. Pendleton was Program Specialist, University Extension, Davis; William A. Williams was Professor, Department of Agronomy and Range Science, Davis; Robert G. Woodmansee was Associate Professor, Department of Range Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins; John W. Menke was Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Range Science, Davis.Publication Information
Hilgardia 51(1):1-44. DOI:10.3733/hilg.v51n01p044. April 1983.
PDF of full article, Cite this article
Abstract
A dynamic computer model of the annual grassland ecosystem of California (ELMAGE) has been developed through the adaptation of ELM, a compartment/flow computer model constructed in the US/IBP Grassland Biome. The modeling effort was part of a larger project involving an interdisciplinary team of researchers with the objective of compiling and synthesizing diverse information on the annual grassland ecosystem. Primary data from the San Joaquin Experimental Range and other information from published and unpublished sources were used in developing the model.
The general objective was to simulate the seasonal dynamics of biomass in the annual grassland on a daily basis. The components of the grassland ecosystem—weather factors, primary producers, decomposers, nutrients, and mammalian consumers—are described in linked submodels. Process mechanisms in each of the submodels control flow rates of carbon (biomass), nutrients, and water through the simulated system. Driving variables are temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, and cloud cover.
Specific model objectives included assessment of the effect of changes in weather factors, fertilization practices, seeding practices, and stocking level of livestock on forage production and botanical composition of a simulated site. Implicit goals of the work included the use of the model to facilitate organization of information on the annual grassland, to test hypotheses concerning poorly understood biological phenomena, and to suggest future research needs.
Literature Cited
ALTMAN P. L., DITTMER D. S. Biology data book 1964. p.633. Fed. Amer. Soc. Exp. Biol. Washington, D.C.:
ANWAY J. C., Innis G. S. A mammalian consumer model for grasslands. Grassland simulation model. 1978. New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 89-125. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4612-9929-5_4 [CrossRef]
ASHER C. J., OZANNE P. G. Root growth in seedlings of annual pasture species. Plant and Soil. 1966. 24:423-36. DOI: 10.1007/BF01374049 [CrossRef]
BARTOLOME J. W. Germination and establishment of plants in California annual grassland 1976. p.187. Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. Calif., Berkeley
BENNETT O. L., DOSS B. D. The effect of soil moisture level on root distribution of cool season forage grasses. Agron. J. 1960. 52:204-07.
BENTLEY J. R., TALBOT M. W. Efficient use of annual plants on cattle ranges in the California foothills 1951. p.52. USDA Circ. No. 870 DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.64546 [CrossRef]
BISWELL H. H., GRAHAM C. A. Plant counts and seed production on California annual-type ranges. J. Range Manage. 1956. 9:116-18. DOI: 10.2307/3894229 [CrossRef]
BLACK C. A. Soil-plant relationships. 1968. 2nd Ed. New York: Wiley. 792p. DOI: 10.1097/00010694-195803000-00023 [CrossRef]
BLACK J.N. Competition between plants of different initial seed sizes in swards of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) with particular reference to leaf area and the light microclimate. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1958. 9:299-318.
BLACK T. A., GARDNER W. R., THURTELL G. W. The prediction of evaporation, drainage and soil water storage for a bare soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Proc. 1969. 33:655-60.
BRENNAN R. D., de WIT C. T., WILLIAMS W. A., QUATTRIN E. V. The utility of a digital simulation language for ecological modeling. Oecologia. 1970. 4:113-32. DOI: 10.1007/BF00377096 [CrossRef]
BRIX H. The effect of water stress on the rates of photosynthesis and respiration in tomato plant and loblolly pine seedlings. Physiol. Plant. 1962. 15:10-20. DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1962.tb07982.x [CrossRef]
BRODY S. Bioenergetics and growth. 1945. New York: Reinhold Publ. Co. 1023p. New York: DOI: 10.1021/j150446a008 [CrossRef]
BROUGHAM R. W. Leaf development in swards of white clover (Trifolium repens L.). N.Z. J. Agric. Res. 1958. 1:707-18.
BROUWER R., Milthorpe F. L., Ivins J. D. Root growth of grasses and cereals. The growth of cereals and grasses, Proceedings of the 12th Easter School of Agricultural Science. 1966. Butterworths, London: Univ. Nottingham. p. 153-66.
BROUWER R., de WIT C. T., Whittington W. J. A simulation model of plant growth with special attention to root growth and its consequences. Root growth, Proceedings of the 15th Easter School of Agricultural Science. 1969. London: Univ. Nottingham. Butterworths. p. 224-44.
CAMPBELL C. A., PAUL E. A., RENNIE D. A., MCCALLUM K. J. Applicability of the carbon-dating method of analysis to soil humus studies. Soil Sci. 1967. 104:217-24. DOI: 10.1097/00010694-196709000-00010 [CrossRef]
CENTER D. M. Resource allocation in a Sierra-Nevada foothill beef cow-calf operation through linear programming 1981. p.221. Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. Calif., Davis
CLARK F. E., PAUL E. A. The microflora of grasslands. Adv. Agron. 1970. 22:375-435. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60273-4 [CrossRef]
COLE C. V., INNIS G. S., STEWART J. W. B. Simulation of phosphorus cycling in semiarid grasslands. Ecology. 1977. 58:1-15. DOI: 10.2307/1935104 [CrossRef]
COLE C. V., OLSEN S. R. Phosphorus solubility in calcareous soils. I. Dicalcium phosphate activities in equilibrium solutions. Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Proc. 1959a. 23:116-18.
COLE C. V., OLSEN S. R. Phosphorus solubility in calcareous soils. II. Effects of exchange phosphorus and soil texture on phosphorus solubility. Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Proc. 1959b. 23:119-21.
COLE G. W., Cole G. W. Nutrient submodels. ELM: version 2.0. Range Sci. Dept. Sci. Ser. No. 20. 1976. Fort Collins: Colorado State Univ. p. 304-97. 663 p
CONNOR D. J., BROWN L. F., TRLICA M. J. Plant cover, light interception, and photosynthesis of shortgrass prairie—a functional model. Photosynthetica. 1974. 8:18-27.
CORBETT E. S., CROUSE R. P. Rainfall interception by annual grass and chaparral … losses compared. USDA Forest Serv. Res. Paper. 1968. PSW-48:12
CRAFTS E. C. Height-volume distribution in range grasses. J. Forestry. 1938. 36:1182-185.
DAVIDSON R. L. Effects of soil nutrients and moisture on root/shoot ratios in Lolium perenne L. and Trifolium repens L. Ann. Bot. 1969. 33:571-72.
de WIT C. T. Photosynthesis of leaf canopies. Agric. Res. Rep. No. 663. 1965. The Netherlands: Centre for Agric. Pub. and Doc. Wageningen. 57p.
DONALD C. M. Competition among crop and pasture plants. Adv. Agron. 1963. 15:1-118. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60397-1 [CrossRef]
ERICKSON R. O. Integration of plant growth processes. Am. Natur. 1959. 93:225-35. DOI: 10.1086/282080 [CrossRef]
FELBECK G. T. Jr., McLaren A. D., Skujins J. Chemical and biological characterization of humic matter. Soil biochemistry. 1971. 2: New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. p. 36-59.
FLOATE M. J. S. Decomposition of organic materials from hill soils and pastures. II. Comparative studies on the mineralization of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from plant materials and sheep faeces. Soil Biol. Biochem. 1970. 2:173-85.
FORRESTER J. W. Industrial dynamics. 1961. Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press. 464p. DOI: 10.1038/sj.jors.2600946 [CrossRef]
FORRESTER J. W. Principles of systems. 1968. Cambridge, Mass.: Wright-Allen Press. 400p.
FRIEND D. J. C., Milthorpe J. L., Ivins J. D. The effects of light and temperature on the growth of cereals. The growth of cereals and grasses, Proceedings of the 12th Easter School of Agricultural Science. 1965. Butterworths, London: Univ. Nottingham. p. 181-99.
FULWOOD P. G., PUCKRIDGE D. W. Photosynthesis of Wimmera ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) in the field 1970. pp.530-34. Proc. 11th Int. Grassl. Cong
GERAKIS P. A., GUERRERO F. P., WILLIAMS W. A. Growth, water relations, and nutrition of three grassland annuals as affected by drought. J. Appl. Ecol. 1975. 12:125-35. DOI: 10.2307/2401722 [CrossRef]
GLADSTONES J. S., LONERAGAN J. F. Nitrogen in temperate crop and pasture plants. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1975. 26:103-12. DOI: 10.1071/AR9750103 [CrossRef]
GORDON A., SAMPSON A. W. Composition of common California foothill plants as a factor in range management. California Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. 1939. 627:95 http://www.archive.org/details/compositionofcom627gord DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.59156 [CrossRef]
GUSTAFSON J.D., Innis G. S. SIMCOMP 3.0 (Appendix 1.A.). Grassland simulation model. 1978. New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 22-30.
HANNAPEL R. J., FULLER W. H., FOX R. H. Phosphorus movement in a calcareous soil: II. Soil microbial activity and organic phosphorus movement. Soil Sci. 1964. 97:421-27. DOI: 10.1097/00010694-196406000-00009 [CrossRef]
HARPER J. L. Population biology of plants. 1977. New York: Academic Press. 892p.
HAURWITZ B. Dynamic meterology. 1941. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. 365p.
HEADY H. F. Studies on bluebunch wheatgrass in Montana and height-weight relationships of certain range grasses. Ecol. Monogr. 1950. 20:55-81. DOI: 10.2307/1943523 [CrossRef]
HEADY H. F. The measurement and value of plant height in the study of herbaceous vegetation. Ecology. 1957. 38:313-20. DOI: 10.2307/1931691 [CrossRef]
HEADY H. F. Vegetational changes in the California annual type. Ecology. 1958. 39:402-16. DOI: 10.2307/1931750 [CrossRef]
HESS S. L. Introduction to theoretical meterology. 1959. New York: Holt. 362p. DOI: 10.1063/1.3062773 [CrossRef]
HUNT H. W., Cole G. W. Overview of ELM. ELM: version 2.0. 1976. Fort Collins: Colorato State Univ. p. 5-11. Range Sci. Dept. Sci. Ser. No. 20. 663 pp
Innis G. S. A simulation model for decomposition in grasslands. Grassland simulation model. 1978. New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 155-84.
HUNT W. F. Leaf death and decomposition during pasture regrowth. N.Z. J. Agric. Res. 1971. 14:208-18. DOI: 10.1080/00288233.1971.10421316 [CrossRef]
INNIS G. S. Grassland simulation model. 1978. New York: Springer-Verlag. 298p. DOI: 10.1097/00010694-197811000-00010 [CrossRef]
JONES M. B. Yield, percent nitrogen, and total nitrogen uptake of various Californa annual grassland species fertilized with increasing rates of nitrogen. Agron. J. 1963. 55:254-57. DOI: 10.2134/agronj1963.00021962005500030014x [CrossRef]
JONES M. B., RUCKMAN J. E., LAWLER P. W. Critical levels of P in subclover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Agron. J. 1972. 64:695-98.
KRAMER P. J. Plant and soil water relationships: a modern synthesis. 1969. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc. 482p.
LAUDE H. M. Germination of freshly harvested seed of some western range species. J. Range Manage. 1956. 9:126-29. DOI: 10.2307/3894232 [CrossRef]
LEMON E. R. The potentialities for decreasing soil moisture evaporative loss. Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Proc. 1956. 20:120-25.
LOOMIS R. S., WILLIAMS W. A. Maximum crop productivity: an estimate. Crop Sci. 1963. 3:67-72.
LUDLOW M., WILSON G. Photosynthesis of tropical pasture plants. I. Illuminance, carbon dioxide concentration, leaf temperature, and leaf-air vapour pressure difference. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 1971. 24:449-70.
MARTIN W. E. Sulfur deficiency widespread. Calif. Agric. 1958. 12:10-12.
MCCOWN R. L., WILLIAMS W. A. Competition for nutrients and light between the annual grassland species Bromus mollis and Erodium botrys. Ecology. 1968. 49:981-90.
MCCREE K. J. An equation for the rate of respiration of white clover plants grown under controlled conditions. Prediction and measurement of photosynthetic productivity 1970. pp.221-29. Setlik I. (ed.) Proc. IBP/PP Tech. meeting, Trebon. Centre for Agric. Publ. and Doc., Wageningen
MCGOWAN A. A., WILLIAMS W. A. Growth of subterranean clover established with a cereal companion crop. Agron. J. 1971. 63:643-46.
MCKELL C. M., JONES M. B., PERRIER E. R. Root production and accumulation of root material on fertilized annual range. Agron. J. 1962. 54:459-62.
MILTHORPE F. L., MOORBY J. An introduction to crop physiology. 1974. London: Cambridge Univ. Press. 202p. DOI: 10.1097/00010694-197506000-00019 [CrossRef]
MOEN A. N. Wildlife ecology. 1973. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman &; Company. 458p.
MOONEY H. A., WRIGHT R. D., STRAIN B. P. The gas exchange capacity of plants in relation to vegetation zonation in the white mountains of California. Am. Midl. Nat. 1964. 72:281-97. DOI: 10.2307/2423505 [CrossRef]
MUNN R. E. Descriptive micrometeorology. 1966. New York: Academic Press, Inc. 245p.
OZANNE P. G., KEAY J., BIDDISCOMBE E. F. The comparative applied phosphate requirements of eight annual pasture species. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1969. 20:809-18. DOI: 10.1071/AR9690809 [CrossRef]
PARTON W. J., Innis G. S. Abiotic section of ELM. Grassland simulation model. 1978. New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 31-54. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4612-9929-5_2 [CrossRef]
PENMAN H. L. Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass. Royal Soc. (London), Proc. A. 1948. 193:120-45. DOI: 10.1098/rspa.1948.0037 [CrossRef]
PERRIER G. K., WILLIAMS W. A., MENKE J. W. Tarweed, an unloved annual-type range plant. Rangelands. 1982. 4:149-50.
PETERS D. B., RUNKLES J. R. Shoot and root growth as affected by water availability. Irrigation of agricultural lands 1967. pp.373-89. Hagan R. M. Haise H. R. Edminister T. W. (ed.) American Society of Agronomy Monogr. No. 11, Madison, WI
REUSS J.O., INNIS G. S. A grassland nitrogen flow simulation model. Ecology. 1977. 58:379-88. DOI: 10.2307/1935612 [CrossRef]
ROBSON M. J. The growth and development of simulated swards of perennial ryegrass. I. Leaf growth and dry weight change as related to the ceiling yield of a seedling sward. Ann. Bot. 1973. 37:387-500.
ROSS M. A., HARPER J. L. Occupation of biological space during seedling establishment. J. Ecol. 1972. 60:77-88. DOI: 10.2307/2258041 [CrossRef]
ROSSITER R. C. Ecology of the Mediterranean annual-type pasture. Adv. Agron. 1966. 18:1-56. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2113(08)60647-1 [CrossRef]
RYLE G. J. A. Physiological aspects of seed yield in grasses. The growth of cereals and grasses 1965. pp.106-18. Milthorpe F. L. Ivins J. D. (ed.). Proceedings of the 12th Easter School of Agricultural Science, Univ. Nottingham. Butterworths, London
SAUER R. H., Innis G. S. A simulation model for grassland primary producer phenology and biomass dynamics. Grassland simulation model. 1978. New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 55-88. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4612-9929-5_3 [CrossRef]
SELIGMAN N. G., VAN KEULEN H., GOUDRIAAN J. An elementary model of nitrogen uptake and redistribution by annual plant species. Oecologia. 1975. 21:243-61. DOI: 10.1007/BF02404675 [CrossRef]
SELLERS W. D. Physical climatology. 1965. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press. 272p.
SINGH B. N., LAL K. N. Investigations of the effect of age on assimilation of leaves. Ann. Bot. 1935. 49:291-307.
SMITH C. G., WILLIAMS W. A. Model development for a deferred-grazing system. J. Range Manage. 1973. 26:454-60. DOI: 10.2307/3896986 [CrossRef]
STERN W. R. The effect of density on the performance of individual plants in subterranean clover swards. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1965. 16:541-55. DOI: 10.1071/AR9650541 [CrossRef]
STERN W. R., DONALD C. M. Light relationships in grass-clover swards. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1962. 13:599-614. DOI: 10.1071/AR9620599 [CrossRef]
THORNE G. N. Physiological aspects of grain yield in cereals. The growth of cereals and grasses 1966. pp.88-105. Milthorpe F. L. Ivins J. D. (ed.) Proceedings of the 12th Easter School of Agricultural Science, Univ. Nottingham. Butterworths, London
WILLIAMS W. A. Competition for light between annual species of Trifolium during the vegetative phase. Ecology. 1963. 44:475-85. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01810.x [CrossRef]
WILLIAMS W. A., BLACK J. N., DONALD C. M. Effect of seed weight on the vegetative growth of competing annual Trifolium. Crop Sci. 1968. 8:660-63.
WILLIAMS W. A., JONES M. B., DELWICHE C. C. Clover N-fixation measurement by total-N difference and 15N A-values in lysimeters. Agron. J. 1977. 69:1023-24. DOI: 10.2134/agronj1992.00021962008400050030x [CrossRef]
YOUNG J. A., EVANS R. A., KAY B. L. Germination characteristics of range legumes. J. Range Manage. 1970. 23:98-103. DOI: 10.2307/3896108 [CrossRef]
YOUNG J. A., EVANS R. A., KAY B. L. Temperature requirements for seed germination in an annual-type rangeland community. Agron. J. 1973. 65:656-59.
Also in this issue:
Future trends challenge irrigated agricultureWaters recede, damage estimates soar
Post-fire herbicide sprays enhance native plant diversity
Apple russetting influenced by more than copper sprays
Cover crops can increase lettuce drop
Sulfur can suppress mite predators in vineyards
Africanized bees, 1990–1995: Initial rapid invasion has slowed in the U.S.
Oaks grown from nursery stock have better survival rate
Workers prefer growers over FLCs