ABSTRACT In many Mojave Desert ecosystems, water infiltrates to root-zones in greatest proportion via washes. As such, washes have a pronounced effect on plant dispersion and size across these landscapes. Desert roads alter the natural spatial patterns of washes on alluvial fans (locally called bajadas) and potentially affect plant production and distribution. As a winter-rainfall dominated ecosystem, climate changes in the Mojave Desert that increase summer precipitation may also play an important role in altering vegetation processes influenced by washes. Road effects on the spatial distribution of desert plants on a Mojave Desert bajada were examined using remotely sensed LiDAR data and ground based measurements of plant size. Plant physiological responses to summer wash flow were also quantified by measuring gas exchange and water status of two dominant perennial species, Larrea tridentata and Ambrosia dumosa. Larrea and Ambrosia plants were nearly 7x and 4x larger where wash flow has been enhanced by road culverts, relative to undisturbed areas and areas where flow has been cut-off by the presence of a road/railroad. Clustering of large plants occurred along wash margins, with clustering most pronounced in areas of enhanced wash flow. No clustering was found where wash flow has been eliminated. For ecophysiological traits, both species showed pronounced responses to the pulse of water; however, these responses varied as a function of distance from wash. Larrea plants within 3 m and Ambrosia plants within ca. 2 m from the wash responded to the pulse of water. Leaf phenology dictated the timing ii of carbon gain as Larrea experienced a rapid but short-lived increase in stomatal conductance compared to a significant response for over a month following the pulse for Ambrosia. These results indicate that disturbance of desert washes has a pronounced impact on vegetation structure, and changing climatic conditions that impact plant function could potentially lead to even greater vegetation shifts through time. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. ii LIST OF ACRONYMS ................................................................................................ vi LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... viii LIST OF EQUATIONS ................................................................................................ x ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................ xi Chapter 1. OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................ 1 2. USE OF AIRBORNE LIDAR TO EVALUATE PLANT PROPERTIES IN THE MOJAVE DESERT AND THE INFLUENCE OF WASH FLOW DISTURBANCE ON THE DISPERSION AND PRODUCTION OF DOMINANT SHRUBS Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3 Airborne LiDAR ........................................................................................... 4 Spatial Pattern of Desert Plants .................................................................... 6 Experimental Goals ....................................................................................... 11 Methods ............................................................................................................... 14 Study Area .................................................................................................... 14 Data Acquisition and Processing .................................................................. 16 Validation Study ........................................................................................... 17 Spatial Analysis ............................................................................................ 19 Plant Size ...................................................................................................... 25 Results .................................................................................................................. 26 Validation Study ........................................................................................... 26 Spatial Analysis ............................................................................................ 32 Plant Size ...................................................................................................... 42 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 43 LiDAR’s Ability to Measure Plant Heights .................................................. 43 iv Spatial Patterns of Larrea tridentata ............................................................ 49 Sampling Errors ............................................................................................ 52 Plant Size ...................................................................................................... 54 Physical Disturbances in the Mojave Desert ................................................ 55 3. INFLUENCE OF SIMULATED SUMMER WASH FLOW ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF DOMINANT MOJAVE DESERT SHRUBS Introduction .......................................................................................................... 57 Precipitation and Runoff in the Mojave Desert ............................................ 58 Precipitation Changes in the Mojave Desert ................................................. 59 Experimental Goals ....................................................................................... 60 Hypotheses and Predictions .......................................................................... 61 Methods ............................................................................................................... 63 Study Site ...................................................................................................... 63 Experimental Design ..................................................................................... 66 Sampling and Measurements ........................................................................ 68 Data Analysis ................................................................................................ 69 Results .................................................................................................................. 71 Overall Treatment Effects ............................................................................. 71 Plant Water Status ......................................................................................... 72 Stomatal Conductance .................................................................................. 75 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 79 Short-Term Physiological Responses to Summer Precipitation ................... 81 Distance-from-Wash Effects on Water Status of Desert Shrubs .................. 84 Utilization of Wash Water by Desert Shrubs ................................................ 89 Growth and Phenology ................................................................................. 92 Influence of Increased Summer Precipitation Events in the Mojave Desert 92 4. CONCLUSIONS AND BROADER IMPLICATIONS ...................................... 97 APPENDIX: Characterization of Soils and Roots Under the Wash ............................. 100 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 102 v LIST OF ACRONYMS Acronym Page 1. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) .............................................................. 4 2. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) ......................................................................... 5 3. Canopy Height Model (CHM) ............................................................................ 5 4. Spatial Autocorrelation (SA) .............................................................................. 6 5. Field Measured Plant Heights (HField) ................................................................. 12 6. LiDAR-Measured Plant Heights (HLiDAR) .......................................................... 12 7. Digital Surface Model (DSM) ............................................................................ 16 8. Digital Terrain Model (DTM) ............................................................................. 16 9. Simple Linear Regression (SLR) ........................................................................ 19 10. Estimated Plant Heights (Hest) ............................................................................ 19 11. Complete Spatial Randomness (CSR) ................................................................ 22 12. Xylem Water Potential (!x) ................................................................................ 68 13. Leaf Stomatal Conductance (gs) ......................................................................... 68 14. Pre-Dawn Water Potential (!pd) ......................................................................... 69 15. Mid-Day Water Potential (!md) .......................................................................... 69 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Simple Linear Regression Results for Validation