Abstract

VILLAMIL, MB; AMIOTTI, NM  and  PEINEMANN, N. Segregation of patches by patterns of soil attributes in a native grassland in central Argentina. Phyton (B. Aires) [online]. 2011, vol.80, n.2, pp.193-201. ISSN 1851-5657.

Demand for greater cattle production at the El Caldenal area in central Argentina has resulted in overgrazing in a patchy grassland structure. Patches are clearly identified on the basis of dominant plant species resulting from their grazing history. Our primary objective was to examine the influence of individual plants at each patch on the local multivariate pattern of soil nutrients, assessing the magnitude of the association between the concentration of nutrients in the plant and its underlying soil. Canonical discriminant analysis highlighted the important role of soil organic matter, available P, and Zn content of soils to segregate among patches. The canonical correlation analysis between soil and plant variables revealed a significant association (R2 0.97). Patches with a different grazing history may be identified not only by the dominant plant species but also by the underneath pattern of soil attributes. This information can help to device managerial tools to reclaim degraded patches.

Keywords : Canonical correlation; Overgrazing; Discriminant analysis; Plant chemistry; Soil chemistry; Soil-plant interactions.

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