Plant and animal density and diversity should increase with time while plant productivity is increasing. Density of soil organisms should also increase over time. Diurnal animal behavior should be altered. Plant and animal responses will vary depending on whether the desert community was preserved or the site was cleared. Abiotic hypotheses are based on the premise that solar radiation or energy input will be altered and air movement will be changed. It is hypothesized that more of the radiation available to organisms will be diffuse, soil will be compacted changing soil moisture availability, and air temperatures should be cooler on the average within the collector array. Other hypotheses are related to these. The research needed to test these hypotheses is designed around sampling changes in plant and animal processes and monitoring the abiotic changes within and outside of a solar collector array. There are established techniques for measuring the suggested biotic and abiotic changes and these should be used. 5. The short and long range research program to establish the impacts of solar energy conversion is based on background studies and the hypotheses on potential impacts. The research program is considered in two parts, the first a chronological sequence of events that should lead to an adequate understanding of the environmental problems resulting from various solar conversion systems and the second, a presentation of specific types of research manipulation and monitoring to be done at various solar conversion facilities and/or collector simulation sites. The chronological research program is a six step sequence. The first step is to develop a theoretical base of ecosystem parameters that might be altered due to construction and maintenance of solar collectors. This theoretical base is presented in the body of this report and should be used as a background when considering any further research or monitoring program. The second step is validating the theoretical responses proposed in step one. This could be done, in part, as actual solar energy conversion systems are constructed but it would be better to be able to project potential environmental changes prior to establishing a monitoring system
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==