and moderate-term changes on these sites will undergo "old field" type succession, which takes many years in desert ecosystems. Biotic Hypotheses: Site Cleared Hypothesis: Animal populations will largely be removed. This change especially applies to the larger animals, and can be tested by periodic monitoring of the site for animal recolonization. Presence of fencing will again be important and will control any form of large animal migration. Hypothesis: Initial plant oommuni ties will be ephemeral and weedy in nature. Density and species composition is easily monitored. This community type may exist for some time depending on the degree of continuing surface disturbance. Hypothesis: Plant production will increase with time. Photosynthetic rates on a leaf area basis within the array will be greater than at adjacent open desert sites. Productivity increases will be due to an ameliorated microclimate. Herbaceous plants may be very productive in wet seasons. Hypothesis: Animal species composition will be significantly different than in the open desert. The presence of a denser herbaceous plant community within the array is probably the main reason for this, providing different food sources and microhabitats. Abiotic Hypotheses Changes in abiotic variables should be monitored at the solar conversion facilities not in order to examine abiotic changer per se, but to understand the effects on plant and animal populations of complex microenvironmental changes produced by arrays of large solar collectors. Dynamics of the biotic component of the ecosystem will be highly correlated to dynamics of the abiotic environment. Priority of addressing and testing abiotic hypotheses will be due to their relative importance in producing significant biotic changes in the desert environment.
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