Spatial heterogeneity in Chihuahuan Desert vegetation; implications for sampling methods in semi-arid ecosystems

摘要

Patchiness of above-ground vegetation, such as that in semi-arid grasslands and shrublands, can pose problems in sampling plant cover, biomass and productivity. We resent a method of measuring above-ground plant biomass and production that can be applied consistently among vegetation types and that generates seasonal, spatially-explicit results.