Table 4 — Plant classes: nutrient and mineral values, with significant differences for study areas. Different letters in the same row 

 indicate a significant difference in mean value 



Plant class^ 







Annual 



Perennial 



Annual 



Perennial 















grasses 



grasses 



forbs 





forbs 





Shrubs 



Succulents 



Nutrient 



Units 



(n = 41) 



(n=139) 



(n = 43) 



(n = 143) 



(n = 181) 



(n = 66) 





Moisture^ 



Percent 



on QO 



A 



07 Q7 



Mb 



QQ 70 



D 

 D 



47 A1 



b 



4'l-.bD 



b 



72.93 



c 



Nitrooen 



Percent 



1 .bi 



Q 



1 oo 



A 

 A 



1 Q/l 



b 



1 QO 



b 



1 QK 



b 



1.1 1 



A 



Pho^nhoru^ 



Pprcent 



1 d WW 1 1 1 







0.09 



A 



0.19 



D 



nit; 



uu 



n 1 "3 



bU 



0.1 1 



AB 



Pnta^^iiim 



Pprppnt 



1 Wl WW 1 1 1 



1 . 1 y 



b 



0.75 



A 



1.52 



BCD 



1 CO 



bU 



1 Qc; 

 1 .00 





2.10 



D 



Zinc 



ODm 

 HP" 



17 17 



□ 



D 



12.89 



A 



24.10 



C 



1 fl 41 



bVy 



1 R 40 



AO 

 Mb 



19.23 



BC 



Iron 



onm 

 rH'" 



bo4. lb 





357.94 



BC 



1 ,050.23 



D 



O 1 y.DU 



b 



OIK cn 



A 

 M 



148.09 



A 



Manaanp^p 



IVmi I^Cal lu^^ 



Dom 



51.51 



AB 



37.34 



A 



68.40 



B 



40.10 



A 



36.56 



A 



101.57 



C 



CoDDsr 



Dom 



7.51 



B 



5.74 



A 



8.15 



B 



6.75 



AB 



5.83 



A 



5.52 



A 



OalHiim 



1 w 1 V^w 1 1 I 



0.68 



A 



0.51 



A 



2.61 



C 



1.36 



B 



1.61 



B 



4.00 



D 



Magnesium 



Percent 



0.19 



A 



0.14 



A 



0.41 



BC 



0.38 



B 



0.47 



C 



1.20 



D 



Sulfur 



Percent 



0.26 



AB 



0.24 



A 



0.37 



BCD 



0.40 



CD 



0.44 



D 



0.25 



AB 



Sodium 



Percent 



0.009 



AB 



0.005 A 



0.008 AB 



0.016 



C 



0.013 



BC 



0.0105 A 



ADF3 



Percent 



37.76 



C 



44.51 



D 



34.89 



BC 



36.64 



C 



31.45 



B 



23.87 



A 



TNC 



Percent 



9.33 



A 



6.40 



A 



9.61 



A 



8.09 



A 



8.12 



A 



6.89 



A 



Fat 



Percent 



7.85 



AB 



6.57 



A 



8.32 



B 



8.12 



B 



8.52 



B 



7.64 



AB 



Study areas^ 



Units 



City Creek 



Woodbury-Hardy 



Moisture 



Perennial forbs 

 Nitrogen 



Shrubs 

 Phosphorus 



Shrubs 

 Zinc 



Shrubs 

 Manganese 



Perennial forbs 



Shrubs 



Succulents 

 Copper 



Perennial grasses 



Shrubs 

 Magnesium 



Perennial grasses 



Annual forbs 

 Sulfur 



Shrubs 



Percent 



Percent 



Percent 



ppm 



ppm 



ppm 



Percent 



Percent 



41.57 A 



1.13 A 



0.10 B 



9 A 



48 B 



37 AB 



56 A 



4 A 



6 AB 



0.11 A 



0.28 A 



0.34 A 



42.25 A 



1.14 B 



0.06 A 



13 AB 



33 A 

 41 A 

 122 B 



6 AB 

 3 A 



0.15 B 

 0.48 B 



0.43 AB 



Littlefield 



55.74 B 



1.16 B 



0.09 AB 



18 B 



41 AB 



31 A 



125 B 



7 B 



9 B 



0.16 B 



0.44 B 



0.54 B 



'Sample numbers for the following analyses were reduced: annual grasses (moisture 39, fat 36), perennial grasses (fat 126), perennial forbs 

 (fat 122), shrubs (moisture 179, fat 162), succulents (TNC and ADF 64, fat 46). 

 ^Based on fresh weight; all other values are based on dry weight. 

 ^Acid detergent fiber. 

 *Total nonstructural carbohydrates. 



'This portion of the table illustrates the 1 2 significant differences among sites out of 90 comparisons made. 



magnesium, sulfur, and sodium are essentially stable; 

 however, iron increases in forbs and succulents, cal- 

 cium increases in succulents, magnesium increases 

 in perennial forbs, and sodium decreases in perennial 

 grasses. The TNC trends down seasonally in every 

 case, but significantly so only for perennial forbs. The 

 ADF increases seasonally, significantly so except for 

 annual forbs and succulents. 



The five perennial grasses included in our study 

 differ in moisture content, potassium, iron, manga- 

 nese, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, and ADF 

 but not in nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, copper, TNC, 

 and fat (table 6). Aristida purpurea is low in potas- 

 sium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur and high in 

 iron and ADF. Erioneuron pilosum is low in moisture 

 content and potassium and high in iron, manganese. 



5 



