Use of dry-weight rank multipliers for desert vegetation

Abstract

The dry-weight rank technique has been used to measure vegetation in various habitats but has not been evaluated in desert shrub habitats. We sampled browse, forb, and grass in the palo-verde (Cercidium microphylum [Toff.] Rose and Johnston)-saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea [Engelm.) Britt and Rose) mountain slope vegetation association in the Sonoran Desert to determine if rank multipliers derived by 't Mannetje and Haydock differ from mean dry weights from different ranks. Previously derived multipliers were similar to those derived for mountain slope habitat.