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Published on: November 21, 2015
Altered rainfall patterns increase forb abundance and richness in native tallgrass prairie
Sydney K Jones1, Scott L Collins1, John M Blair2
1Department of Biology, MSC03-2020, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, United States.
Climate change may increase rainfall variability. A 15-year grassland experiment showed that while plant communities were resistant, increased precipitation variability led to greater forb abundance after a decade.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Climate Change Science
- Plant Community Dynamics
Background:
- Climate models predict increased precipitation variability.
- Understanding grassland responses to altered rainfall is crucial for conservation.
- Tallgrass prairies are important ecosystems sensitive to environmental changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of altered precipitation regimes on native tallgrass prairie plant community structure.
- To assess the resistance and resilience of grassland communities to changes in rainfall timing and amount.
Main Methods:
- A 15-year field experiment manipulating growing season rainfall patterns.
- Comparison of plant community composition under ambient versus altered precipitation treatments.
- Measurement of soil water content and plant cover over time.
Main Results:
- Altered precipitation, with fewer, larger events, significantly reduced mean soil water content.
- The plant community exhibited high resistance to altered precipitation, with stable species composition.
- A significant increase in forb cover and richness, and a decrease in grass cover, was observed after a 10-year lag period.
Conclusions:
- Native tallgrass prairies show resistance to altered precipitation regimes.
- Increased precipitation variability may favor forb abundance in these ecosystems over the long term.
- Future climate change scenarios with higher precipitation variability could lead to shifts in grassland plant community composition.
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