Publication Date
1997
Description
Atriplex canescens is a relatively widespread shrub in rangelands of the western United States,with a longstanding reputation as a valuable browse resource for ruminants. The breeding system of tetraploid populations has been extensively studied both in common gardens and in natural populations. However, browser-driven alterations of shrub sex ratios, and the probable mechanisms involved in such processes, have received relatively little attention in these populations. We report results from a preliminary study conducted in a stand of A. canescens at a site on the shortgrass steppe. Numbers of young shrubs decreased with increasing shrub density. Sex ratios did not differ from the expected 55:35:10 pistillate : staminate : monecious ratio in grazed plots, but did differ significantly from this ratio in exclosures, where they were clearly more female-biased. We discuss probable grazing-related mechanisms that could account for these results.
Citation
Cibils, A F.; Swift, D M.; and Hart, R H., "Animal-Plant Interactions in an Atriplex canescens Dominant Community Browsed by Cattle" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 12.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session21/12
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Animal-Plant Interactions in an Atriplex canescens Dominant Community Browsed by Cattle
Atriplex canescens is a relatively widespread shrub in rangelands of the western United States,with a longstanding reputation as a valuable browse resource for ruminants. The breeding system of tetraploid populations has been extensively studied both in common gardens and in natural populations. However, browser-driven alterations of shrub sex ratios, and the probable mechanisms involved in such processes, have received relatively little attention in these populations. We report results from a preliminary study conducted in a stand of A. canescens at a site on the shortgrass steppe. Numbers of young shrubs decreased with increasing shrub density. Sex ratios did not differ from the expected 55:35:10 pistillate : staminate : monecious ratio in grazed plots, but did differ significantly from this ratio in exclosures, where they were clearly more female-biased. We discuss probable grazing-related mechanisms that could account for these results.
