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Song J, Liang Z, Li X, Wang X, Chu X, Zhao M, Zhang X, Li P, Song W, Huang W, Han G. Precipitation changes alter plant dominant species and functional groups by changing soil salinity in a coastal salt marsh. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 368:122235. [PMID: 39159574 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Specific mechanisms of precipitation change due to global climate variability on plant communities in coastal salt marsh ecosystems remain unknown. Hence, a field manipulative precipitation experiment was established in 2014 and 5 years of field surveys of vegetation from 2017 to 2021 to explore the effects of precipitation changes on plant community composition. The results showed that changes in plant community composition were driven by dominant species, and that the dominance of key species changed significantly with precipitation gradient and time, and that these changes ultimately altered plant community traits (i.e., community density, height, and species richness). Community height increased but community density decreased with more precipitation averaged five years. Furthermore, changes in precipitation altered dominant species composition and functional groups mainly by influencing soil salinity. Salinity stress caused by decreased precipitation shifted species composition from a dominance of taller perennials and grasses to dwarf annuals and forbs, while the species richness decreased. Conversely, soil desalination caused by increased precipitation increased species richness, especially increasing in the dominance of grasses and perennials. Specifically, Apocynaceae became dominance from rare while Amaranthaceae decreased in response to increased precipitation, but Poaceae was always in a position of dominance. Meanwhile, the dominance of grasses and perennials has the cumulative effect of years and their proportion increased under the increased 60% of ambient precipitation throughout the years. However, the annual forb Suaeda glauca was gradually losing its dominance or even becoming extinct over years. Our study highlights that the differences in plant salinity tolerance are key to the effects of precipitation changes on plant communities in coastal salt marsh. These findings aim to provide a theoretical basis for predicting vegetation dynamics and developing ecological management strategies to adapt to future precipitation changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Zhenghao Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, PR China.
| | - Xinge Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; The College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, Henan, PR China.
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Xiaojing Chu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Mingliang Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Xiaoshuai Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Peiguang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Weimin Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Wanxin Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
| | - Guangxuan Han
- CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China.
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Anderson RC, Martyn TE, Renne RR, Burke IC, Lauenroth WK. Climate change and C 4 and C 3 grasses in a midlatitude dryland steppe. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70103. [PMID: 39100207 PMCID: PMC11294577 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change is projected to alter the structure of plant communities due to increasing temperatures and changes to precipitation patterns, particularly in midlatitude dryland ecosystems. Modifications to climatic suitability may lead to major community changes such as altered dominant plant functional types. Previous studies have indicated that climatic suitability is likely to increase for C4 grasses and decrease for C3 grasses in the Western United States. However, if no C4 grass species currently exist to serve as a propagule source, expansion into areas of increased suitability will be limited. We conducted a field and modeling study in the Upper Green River Basin (UGRB) of Western Wyoming to determine if (1) C4 grasses are present to provide a propagule source and (2) C4 grasses are likely to increase in importance relative to C3 grasses due to climatic changes. We searched 44 sites for C4 grasses to establish presence, and modeled suitability at 35 sites using 17 Global Climate Models, two greenhouse gas Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs; 4.5 and 8.5), and two time periods (mid- and late century; 2030-2060 and 2070-2099, respectively). We found C4 grasses at 10 of the 44 sites, indicating that there is a present propagule source. Our model projected increases in suitability for both C3 and C4 grasses across sites for all RCPs and time periods. In the mid-century RCP 4.5 scenario, the C3 functional type increased in projected biomass in 29 of 35 sites, and the C4 type increased in 31 sites. In this scenario, C3 grasses increased in projected biomass by a median 4 g m-2 (5% change), and C4 grass biomass increased by a median 8 g m-2 (21% change). Our study suggests that climate change will increase climatic suitability for grasses across the UGRB, and that all requirements are in place for C4 grasses to increase in abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Trace E. Martyn
- Yale School of the EnvironmentNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Oregon State UniversityLa GrandeOregonUSA
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Evans MEK, Dey SMN, Heilman KA, Tipton JR, DeRose RJ, Klesse S, Schultz EL, Shaw JD. Tree rings reveal the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2315700121. [PMID: 38830099 PMCID: PMC11181036 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315700121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Given the importance of climate in shaping species' geographic distributions, climate change poses an existential threat to biodiversity. Climate envelope modeling, the predominant approach used to quantify this threat, presumes that individuals in populations respond to climate variability and change according to species-level responses inferred from spatial occurrence data-such that individuals at the cool edge of a species' distribution should benefit from warming (the "leading edge"), whereas individuals at the warm edge should suffer (the "trailing edge"). Using 1,558 tree-ring time series of an aridland pine (Pinus edulis) collected at 977 locations across the species' distribution, we found that trees everywhere grow less in warmer-than-average and drier-than-average years. Ubiquitous negative temperature sensitivity indicates that individuals across the entire distribution should suffer with warming-the entire distribution is a trailing edge. Species-level responses to spatial climate variation are opposite in sign to individual-scale responses to time-varying climate for approximately half the species' distribution with respect to temperature and the majority of the species' distribution with respect to precipitation. These findings, added to evidence from the literature for scale-dependent climate responses in hundreds of species, suggest that correlative, equilibrium-based range forecasts may fail to accurately represent how individuals in populations will be impacted by changing climate. A scale-dependent view of the impact of climate change on biodiversity highlights the transient risk of extinction hidden inside climate envelope forecasts and the importance of evolution in rescuing species from extinction whenever local climate variability and change exceeds individual-scale climate tolerances.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharmila M. N. Dey
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Kelly A. Heilman
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ85721
| | - John R. Tipton
- Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM87545
| | - R. Justin DeRose
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT84322
| | - Stefan Klesse
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research WSL, BirmensdorfCH-8903, Switzerland
| | - Emily L. Schultz
- Department of Biology, Colorado Mountain College, Breckenridge, CO80424
| | - John D. Shaw
- Riverdale Forestry Sciences Lab, Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service, Riverdale, UT84405
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Wigley BJ, Coetsee C, February EC, Dobelmann S, Higgins SI. Will trees or grasses profit from changing rainfall regimes in savannas? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:2379-2394. [PMID: 38245858 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Increasing rainfall variability is widely expected under future climate change scenarios. How will savanna trees and grasses be affected by growing season dry spells and altered seasonality and how tightly coupled are tree-grass phenologies with rainfall? We measured tree and grass responses to growing season dry spells and dry season rainfall. We also tested whether the phenologies of 17 deciduous woody species and the Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index of grasses were related to rainfall between 2019 and 2023. Tree and grass growth was significantly reduced during growing season dry spells. Tree growth was strongly related to growing season soil water potentials and limited to the wet season. Grasses can rapidly recover after growing season dry spells and grass evapotranspiration was significantly related to soil water potentials in both the wet and dry seasons. Tree leaf flushing commenced before the rainfall onset date with little subsequent leaf flushing. Grasses grew when moisture became available regardless of season. Our findings suggest that increased dry spell length and frequency in the growing season may slow down tree growth in some savannas, which together with longer growing seasons may allow grasses an advantage over C3 plants that are advantaged by rising CO2 levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Wigley
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
- School of Natural Resource Management, Nelson Mandela University, George Campus, George, 6530, South Africa
- Savanna Node, Scientific Services, SANParks, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa
| | - Corli Coetsee
- School of Natural Resource Management, Nelson Mandela University, George Campus, George, 6530, South Africa
- Savanna Node, Scientific Services, SANParks, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa
| | - Edmund C February
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, HW Pearson Building, University Ave N, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Svenja Dobelmann
- Department of Remote Sensing, Institute of Geography, Julius-Maximilians-Universitaet Wuerzburg, 97074, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Steven I Higgins
- Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
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Tyrrell EA, Coates PS, Prochazka BG, Brussee BE, Espinosa SP, Hull JM. Wildfire immediately reduces nest and adult survival of greater sage-grouse. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10970. [PMID: 37414751 PMCID: PMC10326004 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32937-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Wildfire events are becoming more frequent and severe on a global scale. Rising temperatures, prolonged drought, and the presence of pyrophytic invasive grasses are contributing to the degradation of native vegetation communities. Within the Great Basin region of the western U.S., increasing wildfire frequency is transforming the ecosystem toward a higher degree of homogeneity, one dominated by invasive annual grasses and declining landscape productivity. Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) are a species of conservation concern that rely on large tracts of structurally and functionally diverse sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities. Using a 12-year (2008-2019) telemetry dataset, we documented immediate impacts of wildfire on demographic rates of a population of sage-grouse that were exposed to two large wildfire events (Virginia Mountains Fire Complex-2016; Long Valley Fire-2017) near the border of California and Nevada. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in demographic rates were accounted for using a Before-After Control-Impact Paired Series (BACIPS) study design. Results revealed a 40% reduction in adult survival and a 79% reduction in nest survival within areas impacted by wildfires. Our results indicate that wildfire has strong and immediate impacts to two key life stages of a sagebrush indicator species and underscores the importance of fire suppression and immediate restoration following wildfire events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmy A Tyrrell
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA, 95620, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of California Davis, 2251 Meyer Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Peter S Coates
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA, 95620, USA.
| | - Brian G Prochazka
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA, 95620, USA
| | - Brianne E Brussee
- Western Ecological Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA, 95620, USA
| | - Shawn P Espinosa
- Nevada Department of Wildlife, 6980 Sierra Center Parkway, Reno, NV, 89511, USA
| | - Joshua M Hull
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of California Davis, 2251 Meyer Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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Chambers JC, Brown JL, Bradford JB, Board DI, Campbell SB, Clause KJ, Hanberry B, Schlaepfer DR, Urza AK. New indicators of ecological resilience and invasion resistance to support prioritization and management in the sagebrush biome, United States. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1009268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecosystem transformations to altered or novel ecological states are accelerating across the globe. Indicators of ecological resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion can aid in assessing risks and prioritizing areas for conservation and restoration. The sagebrush biome encompasses parts of 11 western states and is experiencing rapid transformations due to human population growth, invasive species, altered disturbance regimes, and climate change. We built on prior use of static soil moisture and temperature regimes to develop new, ecologically relevant and climate responsive indicators of both resilience and resistance. Our new indicators were based on climate and soil water availability variables derived from process-based ecohydrological models that allow predictions of future conditions. We asked: (1) Which variables best indicate resilience and resistance? (2) What are the relationships among the indicator variables and resilience and resistance categories? (3) How do patterns of resilience and resistance vary across the area? We assembled a large database (n = 24,045) of vegetation sample plots from regional monitoring programs and derived multiple climate and soil water availability variables for each plot from ecohydrological simulations. We used USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service National Soils Survey Information, Ecological Site Descriptions, and expert knowledge to develop and assign ecological types and resilience and resistance categories to each plot. We used random forest models to derive a set of 19 climate and water availability variables that best predicted resilience and resistance categories. Our models had relatively high multiclass accuracy (80% for resilience; 75% for resistance). Top indicator variables for both resilience and resistance included mean temperature, coldest month temperature, climatic water deficit, and summer and driest month precipitation. Variable relationships and patterns differed among ecoregions but reflected environmental gradients; low resilience and resistance were indicated by warm and dry conditions with high climatic water deficits, and moderately high to high resilience and resistance were characterized by cooler and moister conditions with low climatic water deficits. The new, ecologically-relevant indicators provide information on the vulnerability of resources and likely success of management actions, and can be used to develop new approaches and tools for prioritizing areas for conservation and restoration actions.
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Havrilla CA, Bradford JB, Yackulic CB, Munson SM. Divergent climate impacts on
C
3
versus
C
4
grasses imply widespread 21st century shifts in grassland functional composition. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline A. Havrilla
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - John B. Bradford
- U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Charles B. Yackulic
- U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Seth M. Munson
- U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center Flagstaff Arizona USA
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Jordan SE, Palmquist KA, Burke IC, Lauenroth WK. Small effects of livestock grazing intensification on diversity, abundance, and composition in a dryland plant community. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2693. [PMID: 35708008 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Livestock grazing is a globally important land use and has the potential to significantly influence plant community structure and ecosystem function, yet several critical knowledge gaps remain on the direction and magnitude of grazing impacts. Furthermore, much of our understanding of the long-term effects on plant community composition and structure are based on grazer exclusion experiments, which explicitly avoid characterizing effects along grazing intensity gradients. We sampled big sagebrush plant communities using 68 plots located along grazing intensity gradients to determine how grazing intensity influences multiple aspects of plant community structure over time. This was accomplished by sampling plant communities at different distances from 17 artificial watering sources, using distance from water and cow dung density as proxies for grazing intensity at individual plots. Total vegetation cover and total grass cover were negatively related to grazing intensity, and cover of annual forbs, exotic cover, and exotic richness were positively related to grazing intensity. In contrast, species richness and composition, bunchgrass biomass, shrub density and size, percentage cover of bare ground, litter, and biological soil crusts did not vary along our grazing intensity gradients, in spite of our expectations to the contrary. Our results suggest that the effects of livestock grazing over multiple decades (mean = 46 years) in our sites are relatively small, especially for native perennial species, and that the big sagebrush plant communities we sampled are somewhat resistant to livestock grazing. Collectively, our findings are consistent with existing evidence that indicates the stability of the big sagebrush plant functional type composition under current grazing management regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel E Jordan
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kyle A Palmquist
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
| | - Ingrid C Burke
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Determining the role of richness and evenness in alpine grassland productivity across climatic and edaphic gradients. Oecologia 2022; 200:491-502. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05279-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Holdrege MC, Kulmatiski A, Beard KH, Palmquist KA. Precipitation Intensification Increases Shrub Dominance in Arid, Not Mesic, Ecosystems. Ecosystems 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-022-00778-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Hajek OL, Knapp AK. Shifting seasonal patterns of water availability: ecosystem responses to an unappreciated dimension of climate change. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:119-125. [PMID: 34506636 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal patterns of water availability can differ dramatically among ecosystems, with well-known consequences for ecosystem structure and functioning. Less appreciated is that climate change can shift the seasonality of water availability (e.g. to wetter springs, drier summers), resulting in both subtle and profound ecological impacts. Here we (1) review evidence that the seasonal availability of water is being altered in ecosystems worldwide, (2) explore several mechanisms potentially driving these changes, and (3) highlight the breadth of ecological consequences resulting from shifts in the seasonality of water availability. We conclude that seasonal patterns of water availability are changing globally, but in regionally specific ways requiring more rigorous and nuanced assessments of ecosystem vulnerability as well as the ecological consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia L Hajek
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Alan K Knapp
- Department of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
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