Measurements of transient seedbanks mediated by shrub effects in the Mojave and San Joaquin Deserts

The biodiversity of annual plants in deserts are stored in seedbank waiting on precipitation events. Previous research has examined how shrubs interfere with seed flow in deserts, however, less examined are the indirect effects on seedbank densities. Shrubs facilitate plant densities within their canopy that can inhibit seed movement or that can produce greater seed rain. Herein, we chose two distinct desert ecosystems and established plots in shrub and open microsites to test how shrubs can facilitate seedbank densities. We included treatments that manipulated annual plant cover and persistent seedbank densities over two years (2013 and 2014). Four treatments were established in shrub and open microsites at three neighbouring sites at each of these deserts. No experiment was set up in Mojave Desert in 2014 because of extreme drought for that area. Ten replicates were used.