Structure and Function in California Grasslands

Abstract

Functional and floristic properties of annual grasslands on serpentine and sandstone soils at an elevation of 180 m on Stanford University's Jasper Ridge were determined along an intuitive habitat gradient from northeast to southwest exposures. The most frequent species contributed the most to peak standing crop in only half the stands. Stipa pulchra, the only native species among the important species, was more important on serpentine than on sandstone sites. Bromus mollis, the other consistently important species, increased in importance with decreasing moisture supply on both soils. The sandstone grasslands sustained a greater biomass, were more productive, and were less diverse than serpentine grasslands. Within the grasslands as a whole, productivity was inversely related to diversity and positively related to dominance. Stability, however, was related to neither productivity, diversity, or dominance. Thus productivity may increase in such a system with no sacrifice in stability. Properties of sandstone grasslands were clearly related to the habitat gradient from cool, moist sites to warm, dry sites. There was no such relationship in serpentine grasslands. Dominance—diversity curves generally fit previously described models, except on southwestern serpentine exposures. The annual grassland vegetation is a mosaic of floristic composition and ecological properties, shifting in response to habitat patterns but without abrupt discontinuities.