Vegetation and climate characteristics of and and semi-arid grasslands in North America and their biome transition zone

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship among species richness, functional group composition, and climate for three sites representing the shortgrass steppe, the Chihuahuan desert grasslands and their biome transition zone. We found that perennial species richness increased as the climate became more favorable for plant growth. The biome transition zone was more similar to the Chihuahuan desert grassland site in most climate and vegetation characteristics, partly because of the shorter biogeographic distance between the two sites. This study clarified the ecological position of the biome transition zone site with respect to the adjacent biomes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.