Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
Survival and growth of five collections of big sagebrush were compared in reciprocal transplant gardens. The study was designed to further the understanding of seedling ecology of this important rangeland plant. Survival of transplanted seedlings was not tied to their origin, but antagonism for collection site in survival was apparent for some collections. The site with the highest environmental potential as indexed by native plant community, soil development, and precipitation had the poorest seedling survival. The site with the lowest environmental potential produced seedlings that had the highest survival across all reciprocal gardens. The average mortality level after 3 yr was 11%, indicating that seedlings of big sagebrush can be transplanted successfully. In dry years, the collection from the driest location had the highest amount of juvenile biomass accumulation. However, during a season with much above-normal precipitation this was reversed and the amount of growth for this source was below levels observed for the dry years. The relation between subspecies of big sagebrush and survival or growth of the collections used in this study was not clear. Because collections were made on arid extremes of the subspecies they may reflect introgressive populations among subspecies.
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