| Abstract Detail
Biology of Dryland Plants Davis, Stephen D. [1]. Ecophysiology of Chaparral: California's Dryland Shrub Community. Southern California chaparral occurs in a Mediterranean-type climate region characterized by an unusually consistent summer rainless period, often 6 to 8 months in length. Thick, nearly impenetrable stands of evergreen chaparral shrubs accumulate fuel with age and are especially combustible during extreme weather events, in the direst months of fall. Chaparral species at inland valleys, away from the coastline, may experience winter nighttime temperatures of -10 to -12 C. Differential susceptibilities of chaparral species to drought (water stress-induced xylem cavitation and water stress-induced seedling mortality), wildfire (post-fire sprouting success), and freezing (injury to leaves and freezing-induced xylem cavitation of stems) are consistent with plant distribution patterns. Furthermore, there is growing evidence of interactions among physiological susceptibility to water stress, wildfire, and freezing as a suite of factors that combine to determine final community structure in chaparral.
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1 - Pepperdine University, Natural Sciences Division, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, 90263-4321, USA
Keywords:
chaparral
water stress
wildfire
freezing
cavitation.
Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: 41-9
Location: Salon K - Austin Grand Ballroom/Hilton
Date: Wednesday, August 17th, 2005
Time: 11:15 AM
Abstract ID:35 |
