Plant-plant interactions affecting plant establishment and persistence on revegetated rangeland

At the intraspecific level the authors propose the development and use of density-yield diagrams for rangeland species, based on the self-thinning principle, that aboveground biomass is related to plant density and to the dynamic process of density-dependent mortality. The approach would be used to determine optimum seeding rates, and to predict future biomass of revegetated rangeland. At the interspecific level, competitive relationships of species used to reseed rangelands need to be identified to enhance the probability that species will coexist and thereby facilitate greater species diversity on the site. A diversity for species and growth forms may provide a more stable cover and productivity than the monoculture on sites characterized by environmental variability while potentially enhancing nutrient status for the site. -from Authors