Drought‐tolerant grassland species are generally more resistant to competition

Author:

Mount Hailey E.1ORCID,Smith Melinda D.2ORCID,Knapp Alan K.2ORCID,Griffin‐Nolan Robert J.3ORCID,Collins Scott L.4ORCID,Atkins David H.1ORCID,Stears Alice E.1ORCID,Laughlin Daniel C.1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Botany and Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming USA

2. Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA

3. Department of Biological Sciences California State University Chico California USA

4. Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico USA

Abstract

Abstract Plant populations are limited by resource availability and exhibit physiological trade‐offs in resource acquisition strategies. These trade‐offs may constrain the ability of populations to exhibit fast growth rates under water limitation and high cover of neighbours. However, traits that confer drought tolerance may also confer resistance to competition. It remains unclear how fitness responses to these abiotic conditions and biotic interactions combine to structure grassland communities and how this relationship may change along a gradient of water availability. To address these knowledge gaps, we estimated the low‐density growth rates of populations in drought conditions with low neighbour cover and in ambient conditions with average neighbour cover for 82 species in six grassland communities across the Central Plains and Southwestern United States. We assessed the relationship between population tolerance to drought and resistance to competition and determined if this relationship was consistent across a precipitation gradient. We also tested whether population growth rates could be predicted using plant functional traits. Across six sites, we observed a positive correlation between low‐density population growth rates in drought and in the presence of interspecific neighbours. This positive relationship was particularly strong in the grasslands of the northern Great Plains but weak in the most xeric grasslands. High leaf dry matter content and a low (more negative) leaf turgor loss point were associated with high population growth rates in drought and with neighbours in most grassland communities. Synthesis: A better understanding of how both biotic and abiotic factors impact population fitness provides valuable insights into how grasslands will respond to extreme drought. Our results advance plant strategy theory by suggesting that drought tolerance increases population resistance to interspecific competition in grassland communities. However, this relationship is not evident in the driest grasslands, where above‐ground competition is likely less important. Leaf dry matter content and turgor loss point may help predict which populations will establish and persist based on local water availability and neighbour cover, and these predictions can be used to guide the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in grasslands.

Funder

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Plant Science,Ecology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Reference62 articles.

1. Climate variability has a stabilizing effect on the coexistence of prairie grasses

2. Functional tradeoffs determine species coexistence via the storage effect

3. Baur L. Collins S. Muldavin E. Rudgers J. A. &Pockman W. T.(2021).Data from: Extreme drought in grassland ecosystems (EDGE) seasonal biomass and seasonal and annual NPP data at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico ver 209676. Environmental Data Initiativehttps://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/6d4a2def5f8f42866dc6c7d39740ee21

4. Contrasting adaptive strategies to terminal drought-stress gradients in Mediterranean legumes: phenology, productivity, and water relations in wild and domesticated Lupinus luteus L.

5. The fungal collaboration gradient dominates the root economics space in plants

Cited by 2 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3