Abstract
We used an ecosystem coupled to a Geographic Information System (GIS) to simulate spatial variability in storage and fluxes of C and N within grassland ecosystems. The GIS contained information on driving variables required to run the model. These were soil texture, monthly precipitation and monthly minimum and maximum temperatures. We overlayed polygon maps of the above variables to produce a driving variable map of our study region. The final map had 768 polygons in 160 unique classes. The ecosystem model was run to a steady state for each class and NPP, soil organic matter (SOM), net N mineralization and trace gas emission were mapped back into the GIS for display. Variation in all of the above propertiees occurred within the region. NPP was primarily controlled by climate and patterns followed spatial variation in precipitation closely. Soil organic matter, in contrast, was controlled largely by soil texture within this climatic range. Error associated with aggregation within the study area showed that spatial averages over the study area could be used to drive simulations of NPP, which is linearly related to rainfall. More spatial detail had to be preserved for accurate simulation of SOM, which is nonlinearly related to texture. Mechanistic regional models form a valuable link between process studies and global models.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alway, F.J. 1909. Changes in the composition of the loess soil of Nebraska caused by cultivation. Bull. No. 111, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station.
Bolin, B. and Cook, R.B. (eds) 1983 The major biogeochemical cycles and their interactions.In: SCOPE 21. Edited by P.G. Risser, John Wiley and Sons, New York, ICSU Press, Paris France.
Bowden, W.B. 1986. Gaseous nitrogen emissions from undisturbed terrestrial ecosystems: an assessment of their impacts on local and global nitrogen budgets. Biogeochemistry 2, 249–280.
Burke, I.C., Yonker, C.M., Parton, W.J., Cole, C.V., Flach, K. and Schimel, D.S. 1989. Texture, climate, and cultivation effects on soil organic matter content in U.S. grassland soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 53(3): 800–805.
Cole, C.V., Burke, I.C., Parton, W.J., Schimel, D.S. and Stewart, J.W.B. 1989. Analysis of historical changes in soil fertility and organic matter levels of the North American Great Plains. Edited by P.W. Unger, J.V. Sneed and R.W. Jensen. Proceedings of the International Conference on Dryland Farming, Bushland Texas, August 1988. Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX.
Dodd, J.L. and Lauenroth, W.K. 1979. Analysis of the response of a grassland ecosystem to stress.In: Perspectives in Grassland Ecology. pp. 48–53. Edited by N.R. French. Ecological Studies, Volume 32, Springer-Verlag, New York, New York.
Folorunso, O.A. and Rolston, D.E. 1984. Spatial variability of field measured denitrification gas fluxes. Soil Science Society of America Journal 48: 1214–1219.
Haas, H.J., Evans, C.E. and Miles, E.R. 1957. Nitrogen and carbon changes in soils as influenced by cropping and soil treatments. Bull. No. 1164, USDA.
Hide, J.C. and Metzger, W.H. 1939. The effect of cultivation and erosion on the nitrogen and carbon of some Kansas soils. Agronomy Journal 31: 625–632.
Holland, E.A. 1988. Plant carbon allocation and nitrogen cycling in a perennial grassland: the role of herbivory. Ph.D. Thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Jenkinson, D.S. 1977. Studies on the decomposition of plant material in soil. V. The effects of plant cover and soil type on the loss of carbon from14C-labelled rye grass decomposing under field conditions. Journal of Soil Science 28: 424–494.
Jenny, H. 1941. Factors of soil formation. McGraw-Hill, New York, 281 p.
Lauenroth, W.K., Dodd, J.L. and Sims, P.L. 1978. The effects of water and nitrogen induced stresses on plant community structure in a semi-arid grassland. Oecologia 36: 211–222.
Lauenroth, W.K. 1979. Grassland primary production: North American grasslands in perspective.In: Perspectives in Grassland Ecology. pp. 3–24. Edited by N.R. French, Ecological Studies, Volume 32, Springer-Verlag, New York, USA.
Muhs, D.R. 1985. Age and paleoclimatic significance of Holocene sand dunes in northeastern Colorado. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 75(4): 566–583.
Parton, W.J., Mosier, A.R. and Schimel, D.S. 1988. Rates and pathways of nitrous oxide production in a shortgrass steppe. Biogeochemistry 6: 45–58.
Parton, W.J., Schimel, D.S., Cole, C.V. and Ojima, D.S. 1987. Analysis of factors controlling soil organic matter levels in Great Plains Grasslands. Soil Science Society of America Journal 51(5): 1173–1179.
Pastor, J., Aber, J.D., McClaugherty, C.A. and Mellilo, J.M. 1984. Aboveground production and N and P cycling along a nitrogen mineralization gradient on Blackhawk Island, Wisconsin. Ecology 65(1): 256–268.
Pielke, R.A. and Avissar, R. Influence of landscape structure on local and regional climate. Landscape Ecology (submitted).
Post, W.M., Pastor, J., Zinke, P.J. and Stangenberger, A.G. 1985. Global patterns of soil nitrogen storage. Nature 317: 613–616.
Russel, J.C. 1929. Organic matter problems under dry-farming conditions. Agronomy Journal 21: 960–969.
Rosswall, T., Woodmansee, R.G., Woodmansee and Risser, P.G. 1988. Scales and global changes: spatial and temporal variability in biospheric and geospheric processes. 1988 Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE). John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Sala, O.E., Parton, W.J., Joyce, L.A. and Lauenroth, W.K. 1988. Primary production of the central grassland region of the United States. Ecology 69: 40–45.
Schimel, D.S. 1986. Carbon and nitrogen turnover in adjacent grassland and cropland ecosystems. Biogeochemistry 2: 345–357.
Schimel, D.S., Stillwell, M.A. and Woodmansee, R.G. 1985. Biogeochemistry of C, N, and P on a catena of the shortgrass steppe. Ecology 66(1): 276–282.
Schimel, D.S., Simkins, S.S., Rosswall, T., Mosier, A.R. and Parton, W.J. 1988. Scale and the measurement of nitrogen gas fluxes from terrestrial ecosystems.In: Scales and Global Changes: Spatial and Temporal Variability in Biospheric and Geospheric Processes. pp. 179–193. Edited by T. Rosswall, R.G. Woodmansee and R.G. Risser. 1988 Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Schimel, D.S., Parton, W.J., Cole, C.V., Ojima, D.S. and Kittel, T.G.F. 1989. Grassland biogeochemistry: links to atmospheric processes. Climatic Changes (in press).
Sims, P.L. and Singh, J.S. 1978. The structure and function of ten western North American grasslands. III. Net primary production, turnover and efficiencies of energy capture and water use. Journal of Ecology 66: 573–597.
Soil Conservation Service. 1984. National Soils Handbook. Amendment 1, April 1984.
Soil Survey Staff. 1982. Soil Survey Manual. USDA-SCS Agricultural Handbook 18. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Sorenson, L.H. 1981. Carbon-nitrogen relationships during the humification of cellulose in soils containing different amounts of clay. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 13: 313–321.
Yonker, C.M., Schimel, D.S., Parnoussis, E. and Heil, R.D. 1988. Patterns of organic carbon accumulation in a semiarid shortgrass steppe. Soil Science Sciety of America Journal 52(2): 478–483.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Burke, I.C., Schimel, D.S., Yonker, C.M. et al. Regional modeling of grassland biogeochemistry using GIS. Landscape Ecol 4, 45–54 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02573950
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02573950