Abstract
Climatic and edaphic factors combine to form the distinctive environment of the annual grassland ecosystem of California. Seasonal distributions of precipitation and temperature have the inverse relationship typical of mediterranean climates, dramatically affecting composition of grassland communities. Mesoscale weather, as altered by topography, creates distinct environments supporting variation in the annual grassland. The mosaic of soils within these various environments produces still greater variability within the ecosystem. This chapter discusses interrelationships between climate and soil characteristics, with emphasis on how these abiotic factors influence structure, composition, and productivity of plant communities of the grasslands.
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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht
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Evans, R.A., Young, J.A. (1989). Characterization and Analysis of Abiotic Factors and Their Influences on Vegetation. In: Huenneke, L.F., Mooney, H.A. (eds) Grassland structure and function. Tasks for vegetation science, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3113-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3113-8_2
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