Precipitation, Temperature, and the Standing Crop of Some Southern California Grassland Species

Abstract

A strong relationship between precipitation (but not temperature) and standing crop is evident for the dominant species of a southern California grassland. The sub-dominant species showed no relationship to either precipitation or temperature. It was hypothesized that competition for light and variable germination times acts to limit the sub-dominant species. Differential success of sub-dominant species may account for much of the variability in California grasslands.