Playa surface conditions such as salinity, crusts, and smoothness prevent seed retention, germination and seedling establishment. Until these conditions are altered through surface cracking, erosion and deposition; very little vegetation is able to grow, survive and thrive.
State 2 represents the current range of variability for this site. Non-native annuals, including red brome, Mediterranean grass, Asian Mustard, prickly Russian thistle, and red-stem stork’s bill are naturalized in this plant community. Their abundance varies with precipitation, but they are at least sparsely present (as current year's growth or present in the soil seedbank).
Vegetation traps moving sediment and accumulation occurs beneath the vegetation. Changes in hydrology, climate and other types of upstream or upwind disturbances may accelerate sediment accumulation to the point of vegetation burial (Laity 2003). Accumulation could also be slow enough to allow some of the existing vegetation to survive while species typical of drier sites begin to establish on the semi-stable dunes.
Surface disturbance such as cracking, rill formation, tire tracks and sediment deposition provide a site for seed retention, germination and seedling establishment.
Restored hydrology or following years with above average precipitation, dunes and inter-dune areas are stabilized by a robust vegetation community.
Model keys
Briefcase
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.
) icon wherever it occurs. Drag and drop items to reorder. Cookies are used to store briefcase items between browsing sessions. Because of this, the number of items that can be added to your briefcase is limited, and briefcase items added on one device and browser cannot be accessed from another device or browser. Users who do not wish to place cookies on their devices should not use the briefcase tool. Briefcase cookies serve no other purpose than described here and are deleted whenever browsing history is cleared.
