Jinwei Zhang1, Xiangjin Shen2, Bifan Mu3, Yujie Shi1, Yuheng Yang1, Xuefeng Wu1, Chunsheng Mu4, Junfeng Wang5. 1. Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China. 2. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102, P.R. China. 3. School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China. 4. Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China. mucs821@nenu.edu.cn. 5. Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, P.R. China. wangjf150@nenu.edu.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Climate change is predicted to lead to changes in the amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing seasonal. This "repackaging" of rainfall could be particularly important for grassland productivity. Here, we designed a two-factor full factorial experiment (three levels of precipitation amount and six levels of dry intervals) to investigate the effect of precipitation patterns on biomass production in Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. (a dominant species in the Eastern Eurasian Steppe). RESULTS: Our results showed that increased amounts of rainfall with prolonged dry intervals promoted biomass production in L. chinensis by increasing soil moisture, except for the longest dry interval (21 days). However, prolonged dry intervals with increased amount of precipitation per event decreased the available soil nitrogen content, especially the soil NO3--N content. For small with more frequent rainfall events pattern, L. chinensis biomass decreased due to smaller plant size (plant height) and fewer ramets. Under large quantities of rain falling during a few events, the reduction in biomass was not only affected by decreasing plant individual size and lower ramet number but also by withering of aboveground parts, which resulted from both lower soil water content and lower NO3--N content. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that prolonged dry intervals between rainfall combined with large precipitation events will dramatically change grassland productivity in the future. For certain combinations of prolonged dry intervals and increased amounts of intervening rainfall, semi-arid grassland productivity may improve. However, this rainfall pattern may accelerate the loss of available soil nitrogen. Under extremely prolonged dry intervals, the periods between precipitation events exceeded the soil moisture recharge interval, the available soil moisture became fully depleted, and plant growth ceased. This implies that changes in the seasonal distribution of rainfall due to climate change could have a major impact on grassland productivity.
BACKGROUND: Climate chanpan>ge is predicted to lead to chanpan>ges inpan> the amounpan>t anpan>d distribution of precipitation durinpan>g the growinpan>g seasonal. This "repackaginpan>g" of rainpan>fall could be particularly importanpan>t for grasslanpan>d productivity. Here, we designpan>ed a two-factor full factorial experimenpan>t (three levels of precipitation amounpan>t anpan>d six levels of dry inpan>tervals) to inpan>vestigate the effect of precipitation patternpan>s on biomass production inpan> pan> class="Species">Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. (a dominant species in the Eastern Eurasian Steppe). RESULTS: Our results showed that increased amounts of rainfall with prolonged dry intervals promoted biomass production in L. chinensis by increasing soil moisture, except for the longest dry interval (21 days). However, prolonged dry intervals with increased amount of precipitation per event decreased the available soil nitrogen content, especially the soil NO3--N content. For small with more frequent rainfall events pattern, L. chinensis biomass decreased due to smaller plant size (plant height) and fewer ramets. Under large quantities of rain falling during a few events, the reduction in biomass was not only affected by decreasing plant individual size and lower ramet number but also by withering of aboveground parts, which resulted from both lower soil water content and lower NO3--N content. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that prolonged dry intervals between rainfall combined with large precipitation events will dramatically change grassland productivity in the future. For certain combinations of prolonged dry intervals and increased amounts of intervening rainfall, semi-arid grassland productivity may improve. However, this rainfall pattern may accelerate the loss of available soil nitrogen. Under extremely prolonged dry intervals, the periods between precipitation events exceeded the soil moisture recharge interval, the available soil moisture became fully depleted, and plant growth ceased. This implies that changes in the seasonal distribution of rainfall due to climate change could have a major impact on grassland productivity.
Authors: Alessandra Fravolini; Kevin R Hultine; Enrico Brugnoli; Rico Gazal; Nathan B English; David G Williams Journal: Oecologia Date: 2005-05-11 Impact factor: 3.225
Authors: Amy E Zanne; David C Tank; William K Cornwell; Jonathan M Eastman; Stephen A Smith; Richard G FitzJohn; Daniel J McGlinn; Brian C O'Meara; Angela T Moles; Peter B Reich; Dana L Royer; Douglas E Soltis; Peter F Stevens; Mark Westoby; Ian J Wright; Lonnie Aarssen; Robert I Bertin; Andre Calaminus; Rafaël Govaerts; Frank Hemmings; Michelle R Leishman; Jacek Oleksyn; Pamela S Soltis; Nathan G Swenson; Laura Warman; Jeremy M Beaulieu Journal: Nature Date: 2013-12-22 Impact factor: 49.962