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Mu X, Zheng X, Huang G, Tang L, Li Y. Responses of Ephemeral Plants to Precipitation Changes and Their Effects on Community in Central Asia Cold Desert. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2841. [PMID: 37570995 PMCID: PMC10421208 DOI: 10.3390/plants12152841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
In the context of global climate change, changes in precipitation patterns will have profound effects on desert plants, particularly on shallow-rooted plants, such as ephemeral plants. Therefore, we conducted an experiment on artificial control of precipitation for four dominant ephemeral plants, Erodium oxyrhinchum, Alyssum linifolium, Malcolmia scorpioides, and Hyalea pulchella, in the southern edge of Gurbantunggut Desert. We measured the importance value and some growth parameters of the four species under increased or decreased precipitation and constructed trait correlation networks for each of the four species. We also compared the response of increased or decreased precipitation to vegetation coverage. The results show that drought significantly reduced the survival rate, seed production and weight, and aboveground biomass accumulation of ephemeral plants. The four ephemeral plants showed different tolerance and response strategies to precipitation changes. E. oxyrhinchum and M. scorpioides can avoid drought by accelerating life history, and E. oxyrhinchum, A. linifolium, and H. pulchella can alleviate the negative effects of drought by adjusting leaf traits. However, the response of different species to the wet treatment was not consistent. Based on the results of the trait correlation network, we consider A. linifolium belongs to the ruderal plant, E. oxyrhinchum and M. scorpioides belong to the competitive plants, and H. pulchella belongs to the stress-tolerant plant. The outstanding trait coordination ability of E. oxyrhinchum makes it show absolute dominance in the community. This indicate that ephemeral plants can adapt to precipitation changes to a certain extent, and that distinct competitive advantages in growth or reproduction enabled species coexistence in the same ecological niche. Nevertheless, drought significantly reduces their community cover and the ecological value of ephemeral plants. These findings established the basis to predict vegetation dynamics in arid areas under precipitation changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (X.M.)
| | - Xinjun Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (X.M.)
| | - Gang Huang
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
| | - Lisong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (X.M.)
| | - Yan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; (X.M.)
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Bishop TBB, Lee Molinari R, St. Clair SB. Post‐fire restoration seeding success increases with early fall seeding and simulated precipitation in the Great Basin Desert of North America. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tara B. B. Bishop
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University, 4124 LSB Provo UT 84602 USA
- US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, 720 North 500 East Provo UT 84604 USA
| | - Rebecca Lee Molinari
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University, 4124 LSB Provo UT 84602 USA
| | - Samuel B. St. Clair
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University, 4124 LSB Provo UT 84602 USA
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3
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Climate change and grassland management interactively influence the population dynamics of Bromus erectus (Poaceae). Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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4
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The role of disturbance in invasive plant establishment in a changing climate: insights from a drought experiment. Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02478-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractClimate change and disturbance are two major factors affecting the establishment of invasive species, yet few studies to date have assessed the individual and interactive effects of these two factors in a common setting. Disturbance has often been found to facilitate the establishment of invading species, while climate change may affect them positively or negatively through altering abiotic conditions, or indirectly by modifying species interactions. In a full-factorial field experiment in a semiarid temperate grassland in Central Hungary, we studied the effects of drought (40% rain exclusion throughout the year) and soil disturbance on the emergence, survival and aboveground biomass of four invasive plant species that represent different life forms and that are of concern in the region and at a broader scale. We added seeds of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (annual forb), Cenchrus incertus (annual grass), Asclepias syriaca (perennial forb) and Ailanthus altissima (deciduous tree) in drought and non-drought plots with and without soil disturbance. Ailanthus germinated poorly irrespective of treatments. Disturbance facilitated while drought suppressed seedling emergence in the other three species. Ambrosia was more sensitive to disturbance, while Cenchrus was more responsive to drought. Asclepias achieved substantial emergence in disturbed non-drought plots only, as drought strongly suppressed its emergence even in the presence of disturbance. Seedling survival and late-season aboveground biomass of Ambrosia and Cenchrus were positively affected by disturbance but were unaffected by drought, while no Asclepias seedling survived until late summer. Our results highlight that both drought and disturbance may considerably impact the establishment of invasive plants, with potential interactive effects, but responses may greatly differ among species and life stages. Overall, our findings in this study suggest that although drought may negatively affect seedling establishment, a drier climate may not suppress or eliminate invasive species if soil disturbance is present. They also highlight the importance of including disturbance in studies assessing the potential effects of climate change on plant invasions.
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Garbowski M, Johnston DB, Baker DV, Brown CS. Invasive annual grass interacts with drought to influence plant communities and soil moisture in dryland restoration. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Magda Garbowski
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University 102 Johnson Hall Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
- Department of Agricultural Biology Colorado State University 307 University Ave Fort Collins Colorado80521USA
| | - Danielle B. Johnston
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife 711 Independent Ave Grand Junction Colorado81505USA
| | - Dirk V. Baker
- Campbell Scientific, Inc. 815 W. 1800 N. Logan Utah84321USA
| | - Cynthia S. Brown
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University 102 Johnson Hall Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
- Department of Agricultural Biology Colorado State University 307 University Ave Fort Collins Colorado80521USA
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Mu XH, Huang G, Li Y, Zheng XJ, Xu GQ, Wu X, Wang Y, Liu Y. Population Dynamics and Life History Response to Precipitation Changes for a Desert Ephemeral Plant With Biseasonal Germination. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:625475. [PMID: 33633767 PMCID: PMC7901992 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.625475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The changing availability of water resources and frequent extreme drought events in the context of global change will have a profound impact on desert vegetation, especially on herbaceous populations such as ephemerals. Erodium oxyrrhynchum is the dominant species in the Gurbantunggut Desert. It can germinate both in spring and autumn, which is important for herbaceous layer coverage and productivity. Therefore, we tracked and recorded the survival and reproduction of the E. oxyrrhynchum population under different precipitation treatments and established a population matrix model, monitored the allometry and leaf traits of the plants, and compared the performance of spring-germinating and autumn-germinating plants. Our results showed that: (1) The population dynamics were significantly affected by precipitation changes; (2) drought reduced the survival rate of the plants and accelerated the completion of their life history; (3) precipitation had a significant effect on seed production and growth rate, but not on plant height and allometry; (4) biomass, leaf area, specific leaf area, and 100-grain weight of E. oxyrrhynchum also responded to changes in precipitation; and (5) autumn-germinated plants had higher productivity, whereas spring-germinated plants exhibited higher reproductive efficiency, indicating that they had difference life history strategies. In conclusion, our results suggested that, although frequent or prolonged drought can significantly inhibit population growth, species with biseasonal germination are likely to be less affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Han Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Gang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Yan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Xin-Jun Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Gui-Qing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Xue Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yugang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Yan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology/Fukang Station of Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
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Ploughe LW, Carlyle CN, Fraser LH. Priority effects: How the order of arrival of an invasive grass, Bromus tectorum, alters productivity and plant community structure when grown with native grass species. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:13173-13181. [PMID: 33304527 PMCID: PMC7713915 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Theories and models attempt to explain how and why particular plant species grow together at particular sites or why invasive exotic species dominate plant communities. As local climates change and human-use degrades and disturbs ecosystems, a better understanding of how plant communities assemble is pertinent, particularly when restoring grassland ecosystems that are frequently disturbed. One such community assembly theory is priority effects, which suggests that arrival order of species into a community alters plant-plant interactions and community assembly. Theoretically, priority effects can have lasting effects on ecosystems and will likely be altered as the risk of invasion by exotic species increases. It is difficult to predict how and when priority effects occur, as experimental reconstruction of arrival order is often difficult in adequate detail. As a result, limited experimental studies have explored priority effects on plant community assembly and plant invasions. To determine if and how priority effects affect the success of invasive species, we conducted a greenhouse study exploring how the arrival order of an invasive grass, Bromus tectorum, affects productivity and community composition when grown with native grasses. We found evidence for priority effects, as productivity was positively related to dominance of B. tectorum and was greater the earlier B. tectorum arrived. This suggests that priority effects could be important for plant communities as the early arrival of an invasive species drastically impacted the productivity and biodiversity of our system at the early establishment stages of plant community development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Weber Ploughe
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesThompson Rivers UniversityKamloopsBCCanada
| | - Cameron N. Carlyle
- Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional ScienceUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Lauchlan H. Fraser
- Department of Natural Resource SciencesThompson Rivers UniversityKamloopsBCCanada
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Bishop TBB, Nusink BC, Lee Molinari R, Taylor JB, St. Clair SB. Earlier fall precipitation and low severity fire impacts on cheatgrass and sagebrush establishment. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tara B. B. Bishop
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo Utah USA
- Southwest Biological Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Moab Utah USA
| | - Baylie C. Nusink
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo Utah USA
| | - Rebecca Lee Molinari
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo Utah USA
| | - Justin B. Taylor
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo Utah USA
| | - Samuel B. St. Clair
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo Utah USA
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Gilbert JA, Corbin JD. Biological soil crusts inhibit seed germination in a temperate pine barren ecosystem. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212466. [PMID: 30785942 PMCID: PMC6382267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are known to affect plants’ germination and seedling establishment in arid ecosystems, but their ecological role in more mesic climates is not so well-known. We tested the effects of moss-crusted versus uncrusted soils on seed germination dynamics in a temperate pine barren ecosystem. We conducted a 35-day laboratory assay of seed germination on moss-crusted soils versus uncrusted soils from the Albany (NY) Pine Bush Preserve. We compared total seed germination and the number of days to 50% of total germination of two herbaceous perennial forb species in each soil type. Three and five times more seeds germinated on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil for bush clover (Lespedeza capitata) and wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), respectively. Seeds of both species also germinated approximately 10 days earlier on uncrusted soil than on crusted soil. This study, and others in similar habitats, show that BSCs in mesic climates can influence germination and other early life-history stages of plants. We hope that further study of the interactions between BSCs and vascular plants in mesic climates will contribute to our understanding of the ecology of BSCs outside the arid and semiarid climates where they are more extensively studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Gilbert
- Department of Biological Sciences, Union College, Schenectady, New York, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey D. Corbin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Union College, Schenectady, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Larson CD, Lehnhoff EA, Noffsinger C, Rew LJ. Competition between cheatgrass and bluebunch wheatgrass is altered by temperature, resource availability, and atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Oecologia 2018; 186:855-868. [PMID: 29273835 PMCID: PMC5829107 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-4046-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Global change drivers (elevated atmospheric CO2, rising surface temperatures, and changes in resource availability) have significant consequences for global plant communities. In the northern sagebrush steppe of North America, the invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is expected to benefit from projected warmer and drier conditions, as well as increased CO2 and nutrient availability. In growth chambers, we addressed this expectation using two replacement series experiments designed to test competition between B. tectorum and the native perennial bunchgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata. In the first experiment, we tested the effects of elevated temperature, decreased water and increased nutrient availability, on competition between the two species. In the second, we tested the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 and decreased water availability on the competitive dynamic. In both experiments, under all conditions, P. spicata suppressed B. tectorum, though, in experiment one, warmer and drier conditions and elevated nutrient availability increased B. tectorum's competitiveness. In experiment two, when grown in monoculture, both species responded positively to elevated CO2. However, when grown in competition, elevated CO2 increased P. spicata's suppressive effect, and the combination of dry soil conditions and elevated CO2 enhanced this effect. Our findings demonstrate that B. tectorum competitiveness with P. spicata responds differently to global change drivers; thus, future conditions are unlikely to facilitate B. tectorum invasion into established P. spicata communities of the northern sagebrush steppe. However, disturbance (e.g., fire) to these communities, and the associated increase in soil nutrients, elevates the risk of B. tectorum invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian D. Larson
- Weed and Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Group, Land Resources and Environmental Science Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Erik A. Lehnhoff
- Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 USA
| | - Chance Noffsinger
- Weed and Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Group, Land Resources and Environmental Science Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Lisa J. Rew
- Weed and Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Group, Land Resources and Environmental Science Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
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Crandall RM, Knight TM. Role of multiple invasion mechanisms and their interaction in regulating the population dynamics of an exotic tree. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raelene M. Crandall
- Biology Department University of Missouri‐St. Louis St. Louis MO USA
- School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Tiffany M. Knight
- Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research‐UFZ Halle (Saale) Germany
- Institute of Biology Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
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Larson CD, Lehnhoff EA, Rew LJ. A warmer and drier climate in the northern sagebrush biome does not promote cheatgrass invasion or change its response to fire. Oecologia 2017; 185:763-774. [PMID: 29038863 PMCID: PMC5681598 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3976-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Dryland shrub communities have been degraded by a range of disturbances and now face additional stress from global climate change. The spring/summer growing season of the North American sagebrush biome is projected to become warmer and drier, which is expected to facilitate the expansion of the invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) and alter its response to fire in the northern extent of the biome. We tested these predictions with a factorial experiment with two levels of burning (spring burn and none) and three climate treatments (warming, warming + drying, and control) that was repeated over 3 years in a Montana sagebrush steppe. We expected the climate treatments to make B. tectorum more competitive with the native perennial grass community, especially Pseudoroegneria spicata, and alter its response to fire. Experimental warming and warming + drying reduced B. tectorum cover, biomass, and fecundity, but there was no response to fire except for fecundity, which increased; the native grass community was the most significant factor that affected B. tectorum metrics. The experimental climate treatments also negatively affected P. spicata, total native grass cover, and community biodiversity, while fire negatively affected total native grass cover, particularly when climate conditions were warmer and drier. Our short-term results indicate that without sufficient antecedent moisture and a significant disruption to the native perennial grass community, a change in climate to a warmer and drier spring/summer growing season in the northern sagebrush biome will not facilitate B. tectorum invasion or alter its response to fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian D Larson
- Weed and Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Group, Land Resources and Environmental Science Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA.
| | - Erik A Lehnhoff
- Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA
| | - Lisa J Rew
- Weed and Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Group, Land Resources and Environmental Science Department, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
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