Tree-Grass Interactions and Water Use in Silvopastoral Systems in N.W. Patagonia

Balance between facilitation and competition interactions in plants changes with species characteristics and environmental conditions (Callaway and Walker, 1997; Holmgren et al., 1997). In natural ecosystems, such as savannas, shrublands, or salt marshes, facilitation effects have been reported as a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEcological Basis of Agroforestry pp. 187 - 196
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published United Kingdom CRC Press 2008
Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects
Agricultural science
Biodiversity
Forestry & silviculture: practice & techniques
Radiation Interception
Open Grassland
Forested Plots
Growing Season
Predawn Water Potential
Lower Tree Densities
Net Tree Effects
Biomass Allocation
Agroforestry Technologies
Austrocedrus Chilensis
Universidad Nacional Del Comahue
Evaporative Demand
Soil Depth
TDR
Silvopastoral Systems
Ponderosa
High Evaporative Demand
Plant Water Status
Drought Tolerant Species
Tree Crowns
Open Grassland Area
High Soil Water Content
Midday Water Potential
Soil Water
Soil Water Content
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Summary:Balance between facilitation and competition interactions in plants changes with species characteristics and environmental conditions (Callaway and Walker, 1997; Holmgren et al., 1997). In natural ecosystems, such as savannas, shrublands, or salt marshes, facilitation effects have been reported as a frequent interaction, particularly in stressful environments (Belsky, 1994; Pugnaire and Luque, 2001; Bertness and Ewanchuk, 2002), as in dry years within a site (Frost and McDougald, 1989; Bertness and Ewanchuk, 2002). All these findings described for natural plant associations may suggest that the same balances in artificial agroecosystems, such as agroforestry systems, may be expected. However, Ong and Leakey (1999) have pointed out that agroforestry systems behave in a different way from savanna ecosystems in spite of being composed of both trees and grasses. These authors suggested that high density of trees in agroforests increases their negative effects over grasses or crops due to rainfall and radiation interception, and competition for soil water. Thus, negative effects may be stronger than beneficial ones, such as decrease in evaporative demand.
ISBN:9781420043273
1420043277
DOI:10.1201/9781420043365-15