Topographical Location Has Little Effect on <em>Andropogon gerardii</em> and <em>Sorghastrum nutans</em>

Abstract

Based on the logic that water can be found at lower elevations, we hypothesized that the dominant prairie plants Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans would grow larger and more abundantly at lower elevations. We analyzed soil samples and measured plant characteristics on three different slopes at the CERA prairie and cultivated specimens in a greenhouse from soil at different elevations. Using ANOVA we discovered that the only significant differences were that Andropogon gerardii grew taller at the base of hills than at the top, and that greenhouse cultivated Andropogon gerardii grew taller in soil from the bottom of slopes than in soil from the top. This may be explained by the flow of water and nutrients downhill.