Moorhead Daryl L., Reynolds James F., Whitford Walter G.
Biology Department, Box 3AF, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA.
Tree Physiol. 1986 Dec;2(1_2_3):215-222. doi: 10.1093/treephys/2.1-2-3.215.
The conceptual framework for a simulation model of primary productivity, decomposition and nitrogen cycling in a shrub-dominated desert ecosystem in southern New Mexico is presented. This model is based on our previous attempt to simulate carbon allocation patterns in the desert shrub Larrea tridentata Cov., which demonstrated that moisture patterns alone are insufficient to predict desert productivity. These results, as well as others, suggest that mineral nutrients, especially nitrogen, may also be an important determinant of productivity in arid environments. Our current research in the Chihuahuan desert is directed towards elucidating the numerous biotic and abiotic interactions that determine the rates and directions of carbon, nitrogen and water fluxes in this ecosystem. The development of this working model will serve as a tool to accomplish three major objectives: (1) to synthesize the large amount of existing data on decomposition and nitrogen cycling in deserts, (2) to quantify our present state of knowledge about the structure and function of ecosystem components important in carbon and nitrogen dynamics in deserts, and (3) to address hypotheses concerning the complex mechanisms of interactions and feedbacks among the organisms involved in carbon and nitrogen exchanges in deserts.
本文介绍了新墨西哥州南部灌木为主的沙漠生态系统中初级生产力、分解作用和氮循环模拟模型的概念框架。该模型基于我们之前对沙漠灌木三齿拉瑞阿（Larrea tridentata Cov.）碳分配模式的模拟尝试，该尝试表明仅水分模式不足以预测沙漠生产力。这些结果以及其他研究结果表明，矿质养分，尤其是氮，可能也是干旱环境中生产力的重要决定因素。我们目前在奇瓦瓦沙漠的研究旨在阐明决定该生态系统中碳、氮和水通量速率及方向的众多生物和非生物相互作用。这个工作模型的开发将作为一个工具来实现三个主要目标：（1）综合沙漠中关于分解作用和氮循环的大量现有数据；（2）量化我们目前对沙漠中碳和氮动态重要的生态系统组成部分的结构和功能的认识；（3）探讨关于沙漠中参与碳和氮交换的生物之间相互作用和反馈复杂机制的假设。
