3 - Tropical tussocks (Mexico, Pico de Orizaba 4050 m)
 

Is their monthly productivity comparable to temperate zone alpine grassland? Possibly it is lower. Do you recall why? Could you design a study protocol for tropical grassland productivity? Remember that the key problem is that there is no beginning or end of the season. Just take the above tussock: How much biomass does it produce in a month? A hint: the technique you will have to employ does not require any high tech equipment. In fact, you can do it with simple equipment you alreday have ...

Answer: The most practical procedure is a study of tiller turnover (the birth and length growth of tillers). If you have a conversion of tiller size to tiller weight you can estimate biomass production (we call this a demographic approach). What you need are tags, a meter-stick, a field book, a string with a few pegs to define the unit area, and time. This is for above ground productivity. There is no simple solution for below ground productivity because root demography is tricky.

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