Mediterranean grassland dynamics can be usefully understood as more closely fitting assumptions of non-equilibrium than equilibrium models. This implies that factors external to the system like low and erratic rainfall predominate, and factors like competition and grazing play lesser roles in determining community structure and diversity. Threshold models that include alternative stable states and persistent equilibria may incorporate assumptions leading to greater emphasis on control by biotic processes. The utility of models for predicting the relationships among drivers and grassland biodiversity are proposed to be highly dependent on drivers like topography, parent material, soils, and rainfall on more arid grassland sites. This contrasts to locally and/or seasonally mesic sites where biotic drivers like herbivory, reproductive output, and competition play a greater role. The choice of spatial and temporal scales upon which descriptive and explanatory models are built play an important role in determining how biodiversity drivers are explained.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.