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Song L, Griffin-Nolan RJ, Muraina TO, Chen J, Te N, Shi Y, Whitney KD, Zhang B, Yu Q, Smith MD, Zuo X, Wang Z, Knapp AK, Han X, Collins SL, Luo W. Grassland sensitivity to drought is related to functional composition across East Asia and North America. Ecology 2024; 105:e4220. [PMID: 38037285 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Plant traits can be helpful for understanding grassland ecosystem responses to climate extremes, such as severe drought. However, intercontinental comparisons of how drought affects plant functional traits and ecosystem functioning are rare. The Extreme Drought in Grasslands experiment (EDGE) was established across the major grassland types in East Asia and North America (six sites on each continent) to measure variability in grassland ecosystem sensitivity to extreme, prolonged drought. At all sites, we quantified community-weighted mean functional composition and functional diversity of two leaf economic traits, specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content, in response to drought. We found that experimental drought significantly increased community-weighted means of specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content at all North American sites and at the wetter East Asian sites, but drought decreased community-weighted means of these traits at moderate to dry East Asian sites. Drought significantly decreased functional richness but increased functional evenness and dispersion at most East Asian and North American sites. Ecosystem drought sensitivity (percentage reduction in aboveground net primary productivity) positively correlated with community-weighted means of specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content and negatively correlated with functional diversity (i.e., richness) on an intercontinental scale, but results differed within regions. These findings highlight both broad generalities but also unique responses to drought of community-weighted trait means as well as their functional diversity across grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Song
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Robert J Griffin-Nolan
- Department of Biology Biological Sciences, Santa Clara California State University, Chico, California, USA
| | - Taofeek O Muraina
- Department of Animal Health and Production, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo-Ora, Nigeria
| | - Jiaqi Chen
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Niwu Te
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Yuan Shi
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Kenneth D Whitney
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Bingchuan Zhang
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Qiang Yu
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhengwen Wang
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Xingguo Han
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Scott L Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Wentao Luo
- Liaoning Northwest Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station; Erguna Forest-Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
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Luo W, Griffin‐Nolan RJ, Felton AJ, Yu Q, Wang H, Zhang H, Wang Z, Han X, Collins SL, Knapp AK. Drought has inconsistent effects on seed trait composition despite their strong association with ecosystem drought sensitivity. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Luo
- Erguna Forest‐Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang China
| | | | - Andrew J. Felton
- Schmid College of Science and Technology Chapman University Orange CA USA
| | - Qiang Yu
- School of Grassland Science Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Hongyi Wang
- Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University Daqing China
| | - Hongxiang Zhang
- Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun China
| | - Zhengwen Wang
- Erguna Forest‐Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang China
| | - Xingguo Han
- Erguna Forest‐Steppe Ecotone Research Station, Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Scott L. Collins
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM USA
| | - Alan K. Knapp
- Department of Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
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