Factors Related to the Distribution of Prairie Plants along a Moisture Gradient

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Abstract
Environmental factors influencing the distribution of plant species at Goose Lake Prairie Nature Preserve, Morris, Illinois [USA], were studied. Polar and Gaussian ordination was applied to plant data from 40 stands located along a gentle slope that was 550 m long and varied in elevation only 2.1 m. Selected environmental parameters were measured in each stand. Community types studied varied from dry-mesic prairie to emergent aquatic vegetation. When species'' abundances were plotted over the ordered stands, a series of overlapping curves resulted that generally conformed to species sequences reported by other workers. Stand x-vectors determined by Gaussian ordination were significantly correlated with soil moisture (r = 0.86, P < 0.01). Application of stepwise multiple regression delineated drainage and elevation and, to a lesser extent, soil depth and texture, as being the environmental variables most important in predicting stand x-vector values and soil moisture. These 4 environmental variables accounted for 82% and 84% of the variance in moisture and x-vector values, respectively.

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