Contrasting shrub and grass hydraulic responses to experimental drought.
Oecologia
; 204(4): 931-941, 2024 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38607552
ABSTRACT
Whole-plant hydraulics provide important information about responses to water limitation and can be used to understand how plant communities may change in a drier climate when measured on multiple species. Here, we measured above- and belowground hydraulic traits in Cornus drummondii, an encroaching shrub within North American tallgrass prairies, and Andropogon gerardii, a dominant C4 grass, to assess the potential hydraulic responses to future drought as this region undergoes woody expansion. Shelters that reduced precipitation by 50% and 0% were built over shrubs and grasses growing in sites that are burned at 1-year and 4-year frequencies. We then measured aboveground (Kshoot), belowground (Kroot), and whole-plant maximum hydraulic conductance (Kplant) in C. drummondii and Kroot in A. gerardii. We also measured vulnerability to embolism (P50) in C. drummondii stems. Overall, we show that (1) A. gerardii had substantially greater Kroot than C. drummondii; (2) belowground hydraulic functioning was linked with aboveground processes; (3) above- and belowground C. drummondii hydraulics were not negatively impacted by the rainfall reductions imposed here. These results suggest that a multi-year drought will not ameliorate rates of woody expansion and highlight key differences in aboveground and belowground hydraulics for dominant species within the same ecosystem.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Sequías
/
Poaceae
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Oecologia
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Alemania