Frequency and Extent of Water Limitation to Primary Production in a Mesic Temperate Grassland

Knapp, Alan K.; Briggs, John M.; Koelliker, J. K.

doi:10.1007/s100210000057

Cited by 225 publications

(209 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…High interannual variation in total ANPP resulted from high variation in grass ANPP (Fig. 5a, b), which is consistent with previous studies (Briggs and Knapp, 1995;Knapp et al, 2001). In contrast, forb ANPP was relatively constant among years ( Fig.…”

Section: Interannual Variability Caused Greater Effects Than Increasesupporting

confidence: 91%

“…For example, several studies have linked 2-fold or more interannual variation in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) to interannual variability in precipitation (Briggs and Knapp, 1995;Knapp et al, 2001;Huxman et al, 2004). Variation in the size and spacing of precipitation events within a growing season also affects numerous processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relative effects of precipitation variability and warming on tallgrass prairie ecosystem function

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Precipitation and temperature drive many aspects of terrestrial ecosystem function. Climate change scenarios predict increasing precipitation variability and temperature, and long term experiments are required to evaluate the ecosystem consequences of interannual climate variation, increased growing season (intra-annual) rainfall variability, and warming. We present results from an experiment applying increased growing season rainfall variability and year round warming in native tallgrass prairie. During ten years of study, total growing season rainfall varied 2-fold, and we found ∼50-200 % interannual variability in plant growth and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), leaf carbon assimilation (A CO 2 ), and soil CO 2 efflux (J CO 2 ) despite only ∼40 % variation in mean volumetric soil water content (0-15 cm, 15 ). Interannual variation in soil moisture was thus amplified in most measures of ecosystem response. Differences between years in 15 explained the greatest portion (14-52 %) of the variation in these processes. Experimentally increased intra-annual season rainfall variability doubled the amplitude of intra-annual soil moisture variation and reduced 15 by 15 %, causing most ecosystem processes to decrease 8-40 % in some or all years with increased rainfall variability compared to ambient rainfall timing, suggesting reduced ecosystem rainfall use efficiency. Warming treatments increased soil temperature at 5 cm depth, particularly during spring, fall, and winter. Warming advanced canopy green up in spring, increased winter J CO 2 , and reduced summer J CO 2 and forb ANPP, suggesting that the effects of warming differed in cooler versus warmer parts of the year. We conclude that (1) major ecosystem processes Correspondence to: P. A. Fay (philip.fay@ars.usda.gov) in this grassland may be substantially altered by predicted changes in interannual climate variability, intra-annual rainfall variability, and temperature, (2) interannual climate variation was a larger source of variation in ecosystem function than intra-annual rainfall variability and warming, and (3) effects of increased growing season rainfall variability and warming were small, but ecologically important. The relative effects of these climate drivers are likely to vary for different ecosystem processes and in wetter or drier ecosystems.

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Section: Interannual Variability Caused Greater Effects Than Increasesupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative effects of precipitation variability and warming on tallgrass prairie ecosystem function

et al. 2011

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“…A suite of precipitation manipulation experiments have been conducted within a mesic grassland at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (Kansas, USA) (Knapp et al, 2001;Harper et al, 2005;Fay et al, 2008;. One redistribution experiment examined how variation in quantity, event size and interval between precipitation events influenced SWC, ANPP, respiration and photosynthesis of tallgrass prairie grasses and forbs .…”

Section: Extreme Precipitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of extreme precipitation and seasonal changes in precipitation on plants

2014

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Abstract. The global hydrological cycle is predicted to become more intense in future climates, with both larger precipitation events and longer times between events in some regions. Redistribution of precipitation may occur both within and across seasons, and the resulting wide fluctuations in soil water content (SWC) may dramatically affect plants. Though these responses remain poorly understood, recent research in this emerging field suggests the effects of redistributed precipitation may differ from predictions based on previous drought studies. We review available studies on both extreme precipitation (redistribution within seasons) and seasonal changes in precipitation (redistribution across seasons) on grasslands and forests.Extreme precipitation differentially affected above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP), depending on whether extreme precipitation led to increased or decreased SWC, which differed based on the current precipitation and aridity index of the site. Specifically, studies to date reported that extreme precipitation decreased ANPP in mesic sites, but, conversely, increased ANPP in xeric sites, suggesting that plant-available water is a key factor driving responses to extreme precipitation. Similarly, the effects of seasonal changes in precipitation on ANPP, phenology, and leaf and fruit development varied with the effect on SWC. Reductions in spring or summer generally had negative effects on plants, associated with reduced SWC, while subsequent reductions in autumn or winter had little effect on SWC or plants. Similarly, increased summer precipitation had a more dramatic impact on plants than winter increases in precipitation.The patterns of response suggest xeric biomes may respond positively to extreme precipitation, while comparatively mesic biomes may be more likely to be negatively affected. Moreover, seasonal changes in precipitation during warm or dry seasons may have larger effects than changes during cool or wet seasons. Accordingly, responses to redistributed precipitation will involve a complex interplay between plant-available water, plant functional type and resultant influences on plant phenology, growth and water relations. These results highlight the need for experiments across a range of soil types and plant functional types, critical for predicting future vegetation responses to future climates.

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“…The relatively low correlation for annual total precipitation may cause inaccuracy in the model simulations of productivity, because water availability could be a major factor limiting grass growth (e.g. in temperate regions; Le Houerou et al, 1988;Silvertown et al, 1994;Briggs and Knapp 1995;Knapp et al, 2001;Nippert et al, 2006;Harpole et al, 2007). Further, a similar mean belowground NPP and an overestimation of mean aboveground NPP by ORCHIDEE-GM v3.1 is found in Sect.…”

Section: Causes Of Regional Grass-biomass Production Deficitsmentioning

confidence: 70%

Combining livestock production information in a process-based vegetation model to reconstruct the history of grassland management

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Grassland management type (grazed or mown) and intensity (intensive or extensive) play a crucial role in the greenhouse gas balance and surface energy budget of this biome, both at field scale and at large spatial scale. However, global gridded historical information on grassland management intensity is not available. Combining modelled grass-biomass productivity with statistics of the grassbiomass demand by livestock, we reconstruct gridded maps of grassland management intensity from 1901 to 2012. These maps include the minimum area of managed vs. maximum area of unmanaged grasslands and the fraction of mown vs. grazed area at a resolution of 0.5 • by 0.5 • . The grassbiomass demand is derived from a livestock dataset for 2000, extended to cover the period 1901-2012. The grassbiomass supply (i.e. forage grass from mown grassland and biomass grazed) is simulated by the process-based model ORCHIDEE-GM driven by historical climate change, rising CO 2 concentration, and changes in nitrogen fertilization. The global area of managed grassland obtained in this study increases from 6

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Frequency and Extent of Water Limitation to Primary Production in a Mesic Temperate Grassland

Cited by 225 publications

References 41 publications

Relative effects of precipitation variability and warming on tallgrass prairie ecosystem function

Relative effects of precipitation variability and warming on tallgrass prairie ecosystem function

Impacts of extreme precipitation and seasonal changes in precipitation on plants

Combining livestock production information in a process-based vegetation model to reconstruct the history of grassland management

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