Long-Term Change in Desert Annuals during Restoration, Joshua Tree National Park

It is not well understood whether desert plantings can facilitate recruitment of other natives (or mainly just non-natives), or whether facilitation changes through time as a restoration site matures. To address these uncertainties, we partnered with the National Park Service to study plant community change below planted perennials and in interspaces (areas between perennials) during 12 years (2009-2020) in Joshua Tree National Park, California, in the southern Mojave Desert.

View Research Brief PDF >

View Full Article (open access) >

Abella, S.R., L.P. Chiquoine, M.A. Balogh, A.J. Taylor, and S.M. Munson. 2023. Do nurse plants strengthen over time? Results from 12 years of desert habitat restoration. Plant Ecology 224:299-314.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-023-01297-2