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Abstract
We studied factors that restrict colonization of grassland by
Quercus durata Jeps., an oak commonly found in chaparral on serpentine soils. The study site contained a chaparral/ grassland border that had been stable for at least 50 years. Monitoring of acorns planted in the chaparral understory and grassland revealed that, although initial seedling emergence was similar in the different sites, seedling survival was much higher in the chaparral. No seedling in the open grassland survived beyond the third year of the study, while 25 percent in the chaparral understory were still alive at the end of 6 years. The differences in survival could not be explained by differences in animal activity and herbivory. Rather, the high solar radiation load on seedlings in the grassland appeared to play a major role in mortality. Experimental shading of seedlings in the grassland with light shade cloth increased seedling survival.
Parent Publication
Citation
Williams, Kimberlyn; Davis, Stephen D.; Gartner, Barbara L.; Karlsson, Staffan. 1991. Factors Limiting the Establishment of a Chaparral Oak,
Quercus durata Jeps., in Grassland. In: Standiford, Richard B., tech. coord. 1991. Proceedings of the symposium on oak woodlands and hardwood rangeland management; October 31 - November 2, 1990; Davis, California. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-126. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 70-73
