Marine Zwicke1, Catherine Picon-Cochard2, Annette Morvan-Bertrand3, Marie-Pascale Prud'homme3, Florence Volaire4. 1. INRA, UR874, Grassland Ecosystem Research Team, 5 chemin de Beaulieu, F-63039 Clermont-Ferrand, France. 2. INRA, UR874, Grassland Ecosystem Research Team, 5 chemin de Beaulieu, F-63039 Clermont-Ferrand, France, catherine.cochard@clermont.inra.fr. 3. Normandie Université, France, UCBN, UMR 950 Ecophysiologie Végétale and Agronomie, Nutritions NCS, F-14032 Caen, France, INRA, UMR 950 EVA, F-14032 Caen, France and. 4. INRA, USC 1338, CEFE UMR 5175, Université de Montpellier-Université Paul Valéry-EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Extreme climatic events such as severe droughts are expected to increase with climate change and to limit grassland perennity. The present study aimed to characterize the adaptive responses by which temperate herbaceous grassland species resist, survive and recover from a severe drought and to explore the relationships between plant resource use and drought resistance strategies. METHODS: Monocultures of six native perennial species from upland grasslands and one Mediterranean drought-resistant cultivar were compared under semi-controlled and non-limiting rooting depth conditions. Above- and below-ground traits were measured under irrigation in spring and during drought in summer (50 d of withholding water) in order to characterize resource use and drought resistance strategies. Plants were then rehydrated and assessed for survival (after 15 d) and recovery (after 1 year). KEY RESULTS: Dehydration avoidance through water uptake was associated with species that had deep roots (>1·2 m) and high root mass (>4 kg m(-3)). Cell membrane stability ensuring dehydration tolerance of roots and meristems was positively correlated with fructan content and negatively correlated with sucrose content. Species that survived and recovered best combined high resource acquisition in spring (leaf elongation rate >9 mm d(-1) and rooting depth >1·2 m) with both high dehydration avoidance and tolerance strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the native forage species, dominant in upland grassland, were able to survive and recover from extreme drought, but with various time lags. Overall the results suggest that the wide range of interspecific functional strategies for coping with drought may enhance the resilience of upland grassland plant communities under extreme drought events.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Extreme climatic events such as severe droughts are expected to increase with climate change and to limit grassland perennity. The present study aimed to characterize the adaptive responses by which temperate herbaceous grassland species resist, survive and recover from a severe drought and to explore the relationships between plant resource use and drought resistance strategies. METHODS: Monocultures of six native perennial species from upland grasslands and one Mediterranean drought-resistant cultivar were compared under semi-controlled and non-limiting rooting depth conditions. Above- and below-ground traits were measured under irrigation in spring and during drought in summer (50 d of withholding water) in order to characterize resource use and drought resistance strategies. Plants were then rehydrated and assessed for survival (after 15 d) and recovery (after 1 year). KEY RESULTS:Dehydration avoidance through water uptake was associated with species that had deep roots (>1·2 m) and high root mass (>4 kg m(-3)). Cell membrane stability ensuring dehydration tolerance of roots and meristems was positively correlated with fructan content and negatively correlated with sucrose content. Species that survived and recovered best combined high resource acquisition in spring (leaf elongation rate >9 mm d(-1) and rooting depth >1·2 m) with both high dehydration avoidance and tolerance strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the native forage species, dominant in upland grassland, were able to survive and recover from extreme drought, but with various time lags. Overall the results suggest that the wide range of interspecific functional strategies for coping with drought may enhance the resilience of upland grassland plant communities under extreme drought events.
Authors: S Joseph Wright; Kaoru Kitajima; Nathan J B Kraft; Peter B Reich; Ian J Wright; Daniel E Bunker; Richard Condit; James W Dalling; Stuart J Davies; Sandra Díaz; Bettina M J Engelbrecht; Kyle E Harms; Stephen P Hubbell; Christian O Marks; Maria C Ruiz-Jaen; Cristina M Salvador; Amy E Zanne Journal: Ecology Date: 2010-12 Impact factor: 5.499
Authors: Dirk K Hincha; David P Livingston; Ramaswamy Premakumar; Ellen Zuther; Nicolai Obel; Constança Cacela; Arnd G Heyer Journal: Biochim Biophys Acta Date: 2007-03-24
Authors: Roberta Calone; Diana-Maria Mircea; Sara González-Orenga; Monica Boscaiu; Carla Lambertini; Lorenzo Barbanti; Oscar Vicente Journal: Plants (Basel) Date: 2022-04-13