A root study was undertaken to learn about bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC) and cliffrose (Cowania stansburiana torr.) to gain some clues, perhaps, as to the causes of their present distribution. In a period extending from July 1959 to July 1960, twenty-four plants were excavated on six different sites in the Wasatch foothill belt in Utah County, Utah. Root and some soil characteristics were analyzed, described and compared.

Uncertainty of predicted change in precipitation frequency and intensity motivates the scientific community to better understand, quantify, and model the possible outcome of dryland ecosystems. In pulse dependent ecosystems (i.e. monsoon driven) soil moisture is tightly linked to atmospheric processes. Here, I analyze three overarching questions; Q1) How does soil moisture presence or absence in a shallow or deep layer influence the surface energy budget and planetary boundary layer characteristics?, Q2) What is the role of vegetation on ecosystem albedo in the presence or absence of deep soil moisture?, Q3) Can we develop empirical relationships between soil moisture and the planetary boundary layer height to help evaluate the role of future precipitation changes in land surface atmosphere interactions?. To address these questions I use a conceptual framework based on the presence or absence of soil moisture in a shallow or deep layer. I define these layers by using root profiles and establish soil moisture thresholds for each layer using four years of observations from the Santa Rita Creosote Ameriflux site. Soil moisture drydown curves were used to establish the shallow layer threshold in the shallow layer, while NEE (Net Ecosystem Exchange of carbon dioxide) was used to define the deep soil moisture threshold. Four cases were generated using these thresholds: Case 1, dry shallow layer and dry deep layer; Case 2, wet shallow layer and dry deep layer; Case 3, wet shallow layer and wet deep layer, and Case 4 dry shallow and wet deep layer. Using this framework, I related data from the Ameriflux site SRC (Santa Rita Creosote) from 2008 to 2012 and from atmospheric soundings from the nearby Tucson Airport; conducted field campaigns during 2011 and 2012 to measure albedo from individual bare and canopy patches that were then evaluated in a grid to estimate the influence of deep moisture on albedo via vegetation cover change; and evaluated the potential of using a two-layer bucket model and empirical relationships to evaluate the link between deep soil moisture and the planetary boundary layer height under changing precipitation regime. My results indicate that (1) the presence or absence of water in two layers plays a role in surface energy dynamics, (2) soil moisture presence in the deep layer is linked with decreased ecosystem albedo and planetary boundary layer height, (3) deep moisture sustains vegetation greenness and decreases albedo, and (4) empirical relationships are useful in modeling planetary boundary layer height from dryland ecosystems. Based on these results we argue that deep soil moisture plays an important role in land surface-atmosphere interactions.

Human activities are changing wildfire regimes globally through ignition, spread of invasive species, fire suppression, and climate change. Because of this, ecosystems are experiencing novel fire regimes that may alter plant growth and patterns of succession. Annual growth rings are one metric that can track changes in tree and shrub growth patterns over time in response to changing fire frequency. In Chapter 1 we explored the effects of fire on resprouting native shrubs in the Mojave Desert. Fires are becoming increasingly frequent due to the spread of highly flammable invasive grasses in the region. We monitored growth and fruit production of Larrea tridentata D.C. (creosote bush) on burned and unburned transects from three independent 2005 wildfires. Even though creosote has a high fire mortality rate, we found that resprouting creosote produced 4.7 times the amount of fruit and had stems that grew nearly twice as fast compared to creosote in unburned areas. Our data suggest that creosote can resprout after fire and thrives in its growth rates and reproduction in post-fire environments. In Chapter 2 we used annual Basal Area Increment to investigate how fire suppression has altered facilitation and competition interactions through stages of succession in mixed aspen-conifer forests. We found that aspen had lower growth rates in mixed aspen-conifer stands compared to aspen dominant stands. We also found that aspen growing with an associated fir tree due to facilitation had increasingly lower growth rates over time than those growing independently. Fir trees in mixed stands were facilitated over time by associated aspen trees while fir trees growing in association and independently in aspen stands showed no statistical difference from each other but grew better than independent fir trees in mixed stands. Our data suggest that restoring a more frequent fire regime will balance competitive interactions between aspen and conifer in subalpine forests.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-24T19:38:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Raquel Simioni.pdf: 2107045 bytes, checksum: 0dadb3940e17669ea7a07463fcfe1389 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research aimed to chemically study the secondary metabolites from inflorescences and leaves of male and female specimens of three species from the genus Baccharis: B. rufescens, B. pentodonta and B. tridentata. The plant materials were hydrodistilled for the collection and analysis of the obtained essential oils by GC/MS/FID, UV-Vis, IR and 1H and 13C NMR. The column chromatographic fractionation of the essential oil from male specimens of B. rufescens led to the isolation of two sesquiterpene alcohols, namely spathulenol and (E)-nerolidol, and the ketone 4,7(11)-amorphadien-8-one, which was obtained for the first time making it possible to study its structure using 2D NMR techniques. The essential oils of female specimens of B. rufescens were analyzed by 13C NMR, confirming the presence of (E)-nerolidol and the absence of the mentioned ketone. The oils of male and female specimens of B. pentodonta were very similar, presenting the major sesquiterpenes spathulenol, epiglobulol, viridiflorol, (+)-torreyol and α-cadinol. Likewise, the compositions of the essential oils from male and female specimens of B. tridentata were very similar, showing spathulenol as the major component, followed by caryophyllene oxide and (+)-torreyol. The aqueous extract remaining after the steam distillation of essential oils from B. tridentata was subjected to extraction with chloroform and then with ethyl acetate at pH 8 and pH 4. The extract obtained with ethyl acetate at pH 8 was analyzed by UV-Vis and shift reagents were added, making it possible to observe the presence of a flavanone whose 1H and 13C NMR spectra indicate that this substance is eriodictyol. The extract was chromatographed on a column of silica and structure of eriodictyol was carried out by UV-Vis, IR and 1H and 13C NMR. The ethyl acetate extract at pH 4 was analyzed by UV-Vis and 1H and 13C NMR, verifying the likely presence of 3-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid. / O presente estudo teve como objetivo estudar quimicamente os metabólitos secundários de inflorescências e folhas de espécimes masculinos e femininos de três espécies do gênero Baccharis: B. rufescens, B. pentodonta e B. tridentata. Os materiais vegetais foram hidrodestilados para a obtenção e análise dos óleos essenciais por técnicas de CG-EM-DIC, UV-Vis, IV e RMN de 1H e de 13C. O fracionamento em coluna cromatográfica do óleo essencial de espécimes masculinos de B. rufescens levou ao isolamento de dois álcoois sesquiterpênicos, espatulenol e (E)-nerolidol, e da cetona 4,7(11)-amorfadien-8-ona, que foi obtida pela primeira vez em quantidade suficiente para estudos detalhados sobre sua estrutura com uso de técnicas de RMN 2D. Os óleos essenciais de espécimes femininos de B. rufescens foram analisados por RMN de 13C, confirmando a presença majoritária de (E)-nerolidol e ausência da mencionada cetona. Os óleos de espécimes masculinos e femininos de B. pentodonta mostraram-se muito similares entre si, identificando-se como majoritários os sesquiterpenos espatulenol, epiglobulol, viridiflorol, (+)-torreiol e α-cadinol. Da mesma forma, as composições dos óleos essenciais de espécimes masculinos e femininos de B. tridentata mostraram-se muito similares, identificando-se o espatulenol como componente majoritário, seguido de óxido de cariofileno e (+)-torreiol. O extrato aquoso restante após a hidrodestilação dos óleos essenciais de B. tridentata foi submetido à extração com clorofórmio e em seguida com acetato de etila em pH 8 e em pH 4. O extrato obtido com acetato de etila em pH 8 foi analisado por UV-Vis com adição de reagentes de deslocamento, tornando possível observar a presença de uma flavanona cujos espectros de RMN de 1H e de 13C indicaram tratar-se de eriodictiol. O extrato foi cromatografado em coluna de sílica e a estrutura do eriodictiol foi assegurada por UV-Vis, IV e RMN de 1H e de 13C. O extrato acetato de etila em pH 4 foi analisado por UV-Vis e RMN de 1H e de 13C, verificando-se a provável presença do ácido 3-cafeoilquínico, ácido 3,5-dicafeoilquínico e ácido 4,5-dicafeoilquínico.

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