Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
C. Beier, P. Gundersen, K. Hansen, L. Rasmussen (2004)
Experimental manipulation of water and nutrient input to a Norway spruce plantation at Klosterhede, DenmarkPlant and Soil, 168-169
P. Hatfield, G. Wright, W. Tapsall (1990)
A Large, Retractable, Low Cost and Re-Locatable Rain Out Shelter DesignExperimental Agriculture, 26
D. Upchurch, J. Ritchie, M. Foale (1983)
Design of a large dual-structure rainout shelterAgronomy Journal, 75
F. Fisher, W. Whitford (1995)
Field simulation of wet and dry years in the Chihuahuan desert: soil moisture, N mineralization and ion-exchange resin bagsBiology and Fertility of Soils, 20
J. Paruelo, M. Aguiar, R. Golluscio (1988)
Soil water availability in the Patagonian arid steppe: Gravel content effectArid Land Research and Management, 2
K. Hansen, C. Beier, P. Gundersen, L. Rasmussen (2004)
Experimental manipulations of water and nutrient input to a Norway spruce plantation at Klosterhede, DenmarkPlant and Soil, 168-169
E. Jobbágy, O. Sala (2000)
CONTROLS OF GRASS AND SHRUB ABOVEGROUND PRODUCTION IN THE PATAGONIAN STEPPEEcological Applications, 10
Christian Pilon, B. Côté, J. Fyles (1996)
Effect of an artificially induced drought on leaf peroxidase activity, mineral nutrition and growth of sugar maplePlant and Soil, 179
J. Reynolds, R. Virginia, P. Kemp, A. Soyza, D. Tremmel (1999)
Impact of drought on desert shrubs : Effects of seasonality and degree of resource island developmentEcological Monographs, 69
E. Jobbágy, O. Sala, J. Paruelo (2002)
PATTERNS AND CONTROLS OF PRIMARY PRODUCTION IN THE PATAGONIAN STEPPE: A REMOTE SENSING APPROACH†Ecology, 83
M. Foale, R. Davis, D. Upchurch (1986)
The design of rain shelters for field experimentation: a reviewJournal of Agricultural Engineering Research, 34
W. Dugas, D. Upchurch (1984)
Microclimate of a Rainfall Shelter1Agronomy Journal, 76
P. Jacoby, R. Ansley, B. Lawrence (1988)
Design of rain shelters for studying water relations of rangeland shrubs.Journal of Range Management, 41
T. Svejcar, R. Angell, Richard Miller (1999)
Fixed location rain shelters for studying precipitation effects on rangelandsJournal of Arid Environments, 42
Alan Knapp, J. Briggs, J. Koelliker (2001)
Frequency and Extent of Water Limitation to Primary Production in a Mesic Temperate GrasslandEcosystems, 4
P. Fay, J. Carlisle, A. Knapp, J. Blair, S. Collins (2000)
Altering Rainfall Timing and Quantity in a Mesic Grassland Ecosystem: Design and Performance of Rainfall Manipulation SheltersEcosystems, 3
K. Clawson, B. Blad, J. Specht (1986)
Use of portable rainout shelters to induce water stressAgronomy Journal, 78
H. Odum, H. Lieth, R. Whittaker (1978)
Primary Productivity of the BiospherePedobiologia
I. Noy‐Meir (1973)
Desert Ecosystems: Environment and ProducersAnnual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 4
W. Webb, S. Szarek, W. Lauenroth, R. Kinerson, Milton Smith (1978)
Primary Productivity and Water Use in Native Forest, Grassland, and Desert EcosystemsEcology, 59
W. Lauenroth (1979)
Grassland Primary Production: North American Grasslands in Perspective
P. Hanson (2000)
Large-Scale Water Manipulations
A. Knapp, Melinda Smith (2001)
Variation among biomes in temporal dynamics of aboveground primary production.Science, 291 5503
J. Paruelo, O. Sala (1995)
Water losses in the Patagonian steppe: A modelling approachEcology, 76
H. Houérou, R. Bingham, W. Skerbek (1988)
Relationship between the variability of primary production and the variability of annual precipitation in world arid landsJournal of Arid Environments, 15
T. Boutton, L. Tieszen, S. Imbamba (1988)
Biomass dynamics of grassland vegetation in KenyaAfrican Journal of Ecology, 26
W. Lauenroth, O. Sala (1992)
Long-Term Forage Production of North American Shortgrass Steppe.Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America, 2 4
J. Briggs, A. Knapp (1995)
Interannual variability in primary production in tallgrass prairie: climate, soil moisture, topographic position, and fire as determinants of aboveground biomassAmerican Journal of Botany, 82
T. Reeves, M. Smith (1992)
Time domain reflectometry for measuring soil water content in range surveys.Journal of Range Management, 45
S. Smoliak (1986)
Influence of climatic conditions on production of Stipa-Bouteloua prairie over a 50-year period.Journal of Range Management, 39
O. Sala, W. Parton, L. Joyce, W. Lauenroth (1988)
Primary Production of the Central Grassland Region of the United StatesEcology, 69
J. Paruelo, E. Jobbágy, O. Sala, W. Lauenroth, I. Burke (1998)
FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL CONVERGENCE OF TEMPERATE GRASSLAND AND SHRUBLAND ECOSYSTEMSEcological Applications, 8
G. Arkin, J. Ritchie, M. Thompson, R. Chaison (1976)
A Rainout Shelter Installation for Studying Drought Stress1Agronomy Journal, 68
A. Starfield, F. Chapin (1996)
Model of Transient Changes in Arctic and Boreal Vegetation in Response to Climate and Land Use ChangeEcological Applications, 6
Field manipulative experiments represent a straightforward way to explore temporal relationships between annual precipitation and productivity. Water exclusion usually involves the use of rainout shelters, which are in general formed by a complete roof that intercepts 100% of the rainfall and require complicated mechanisms to move the shelter into place. The rainout-shelter design described here is a fixed-location shelter with a roof consisting of bands of transparent acrylic that blocks different amounts of rainfall while minimally affecting other environmental variables. We constructed thirty 3.76-m2 shelters in an arid steppe near Río Mayo, Argentina (at 45°41′S, 70°16′W), to impose 30%, 55%, and 80% of rainfall interception. We tested the effectiveness of the design by collecting all the intercepted water in storage tanks and we evaluated changes in soil water content with the time domain reflectometry technique. We also measured soil water content in regular grids to assess the magnitude of the edge effect. We analysed the microclimate impact of the shelters by measuring photosynthetically active radiation and air and soil temperature inside and outside shelters. We did not detect significant differences between the observed and the expected rainfall interception for the 30% and 55% interception treatments but the 80% shelters intercepted 71% of incoming rainfall, which was significantly (P<0.05) lower than the expected value. Soil water content was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the control plots than in the plots with rainout shelter at all dates, except in January (summer). Radiation was not affected by the 30% interception treatment, but the roof with the largest number of acrylics bands (80% interception treatment) reduced incident radiation throughout the day by 10%. Air and soil temperatures were lower under than outside the shelters during the period of highest radiation but the opposite occurred with low radiation but with smaller differences. The two characteristics of the shelter, fixed design and low cost, allow for proper replication in space, which is required in ecological field experiments.
Oecologia – Springer Journals
Published: Oct 1, 2002
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.