Two types of desert sites are envisioned as occurring subsequent to construction of the solar facility (a) a site which has been completely cleared and possibly graded and (b) one in which care has been taken to retain in an undisturbed condition as much of the original desert habitat as possible without significantly hampering construction activities. Assuming that plant succession will be allowed to proceed regardless of initial site condition (barring heliostat interference), then hypotheses advanced concerning changes in abiotic parameters on a moderate to long term basis should not be significantly influenced by initial site condition. However, due to the time consuming and variable nature of biotic succession in desert ecosystems, initial site condition is an important consideration when formulating hypotheses pertaining to biotic changes occurring due to presence and operation of the solar facility. As a result, hypotheses advanced concerning the distribution, abundance, and function of organisms occurring in solar collector arrays will depend on site condition at the onset of operation of the facility. Specific discussions of hypotheses concerning biotic changes in collector areas will therefore be separated into different sections, depending on whether the site will be partially or completely cleared. General biotic changes will be discussed prior to advancing specific testable hypotheses. Biotic Hypotheses: General Changes in plant and animal composition in solar collector arrays is the primary concern of future monitoring and manipulative studies. It is important to realize that the driving variables governing these biotic changes are largely changes in abiotic variables. As a result there is a need to
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