Biomass partitioning in grassland plants along independent gradients in temperature and precipitation

Skarpaas, Olav; Meineri, Éric; Bargmann, Tessa; Pötsch, Christine; Töpper, Joachim; Vandvik, Vigdis

doi:10.1016/j.ppees.2016.01.006

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Accordingly, Tingstad et al . () found that tree seedlings in our study sites were taller, but had a lower biomass in intact vegetation compared to bare soil gaps, and allocation to stem biomass in three of our four study species was higher in the more productive warmer sites (Skarpaas et al ., ). Vegetation height, which is mainly determined by graminoids in this system, also increased with increasing temperature (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…All study species are perennial, clonal and produce lateral rhizomes, each with multiple flowering shoots or ramets, on the same genet. As determining the complete branching structure of a genet was not possible without destructive sampling of the plants (Skarpaas et al ., ), we used ramets or shoots (from here on collectively called ramets) as our working unit. For V. officinalis we treated each side‐shoot as a separate unit, as they can live on independently when the main stem dies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We selected two pairs of species for demographic studies in the experimental plots. Each species pair consisted of one widespread boreal generalist and one specialized alpine forb species of the same genus: Veronica officinalis L. -Veronica alpina L. and Viola palustris L. -Viola biflora L. (see also Meineri et al, 2013Meineri et al, , 2014Skarpaas et al, 2016). All species did not occur in all sites, and the use of pairs of closely related species allowed us to examine patterns along broader climate gradients than would otherwise be possible.…”

Section: Demographic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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From facilitation to competition: temperature‐driven shift in dominant plant interactions affects population dynamics in seminatural grasslands

Olsen

Töpper

Skarpaas

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

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113

132

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Biotic interactions are often ignored in assessments of climate change impacts. However, climate-related changes in species interactions, often mediated through increased dominance of certain species or functional groups, may have important implications for how species respond to climate warming and altered precipitation patterns. We examined how a dominant plant functional group affected the population dynamics of four co-occurring forb species by experimentally removing graminoids in seminatural grasslands. Specifically, we explored how the interaction between dominants and subordinates varied with climate by replicating the removal experiment across a climate grid consisting of 12 field sites spanning broad-scale temperature and precipitation gradients in southern Norway. Biotic interactions affected population growth rates of all study species, and the net outcome of interactions between dominants and subordinates switched from facilitation to competition with increasing temperature along the temperature gradient. The impacts of competitive interactions on subordinates in the warmer sites could primarily be attributed to reduced plant survival. Whereas the response to dominant removal varied with temperature, there was no overall effect of precipitation on the balance between competition and facilitation. Our findings suggest that global warming may increase the relative importance of competitive interactions in seminatural grasslands across a wide range of precipitation levels, thereby favouring highly competitive dominant species over subordinate species. As a result, seminatural grasslands may become increasingly dependent on disturbance (i.e. traditional management such as grazing and mowing) to maintain viable populations of subordinate species and thereby biodiversity under future climates. Our study highlights the importance of population-level studies replicated under different climatic conditions for understanding the underlying mechanisms of climate change impacts on plants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Demographic Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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From facilitation to competition: temperature‐driven shift in dominant plant interactions affects population dynamics in seminatural grasslands

Olsen

Töpper

Skarpaas

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

113

132

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“…For instance, Skarpaas et al. () found that allometric scaling of leaf mass vs . total plant mass and flower mass vs .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even studies addressing the allometric aspects of biomass allocation remain contentious. For instance, Skarpaas et al (2016) found that allometric scaling of leaf mass vs. total plant mass and flower mass vs. total plant mass of Veronica alpine, Viola palustris, and Carex capillaris changed with a rainfall gradient. In contrast, Wu, Shen, Zhang, and Shi (2013) found constant allometric patterns among 70 plant species along a precipitation gradient in the field of the Tibetan Plateau.…”

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confidence: 99%

Drought effect on plant biomass allocation: A meta‐analysis

Eziz

Yan

Tian

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

291

163

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Drought is one of the abiotic stresses controlling plant function and ecological stability. In the context of climate change, drought is predicted to occur more frequently in the future. Despite numerous attempts to clarify the overall effects of drought stress on the growth and physiological processes of plants, a comprehensive evaluation on the impacts of drought stress on biomass allocation, especially on reproductive tissues, remains elusive. We conducted a meta‐analysis by synthesizing 164 published studies to elucidate patterns of plant biomass allocation in relation to drought stress. Results showed that drought significantly increased the fraction of root mass but decreased that of stem, leaf, and reproductive mass. Roots of herbaceous plants were more sensitive to drought than woody plants that reduced reproductive allocation more sharply than the former. Relative to herbaceous plants, drought had a more negative impact on leaf mass fraction of woody plants. Among the herbaceous plants, roots of annuals responded to drought stress more strongly than perennial herbs, but their reproductive allocation was less sensitive to drought than the perennial herbs. In addition, cultivated and wild plants seemed to respond to drought stress in a similar way. Drought stress did not change the scaling exponents of the allometric relationship between different plant tissues. These findings suggest that the allometric partitioning theory, rather than the optimal partitioning theory, better explains the drought‐induced changes in biomass allocation strategies.

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Responses of biomass allocation across two vegetation types to climate fluctuations in the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Dai

Guo

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is particularly sensitive to global climate change, especially to elevated temperatures, when compared with other ecosystems. However, few studies use long‐term field measurements to explore the interannual variations in plant biomass under climate fluctuations. Here, we examine the interannual variations of plant biomass within two vegetation types (alpine meadow and alpine shrub) during 2008–2017 and their relationships with climate variables. The following results were obtained. The aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) response differently to climate fluctuations, the AGB in KPM was dominated by mean annual precipitation (MAP), whereas the AGB in PFS was controlled by mean annual air temperature (MAT). However, the BGB of both KPM and PFS was only weakly affected by climate variables, suggesting that the BGB in alpine ecosystems may remain as a stable carbon stock even under future global climate change. Furthermore, the AGB in PFS was significantly higher than KPM, while the BGB and R/S in KPM were significantly higher than PFS, reflecting the KPM be more likely to allocate more photosynthates to roots. Interestingly, the proportion of 0–10 cm root biomass increased in KPM and PFS, whereas the other proportions both decreased, reflecting a shift in biomass toward the surface layer. Our results could provide a new sight for the prediction how alpine ecosystem response to future climate change.

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Biomass partitioning in grassland plants along independent gradients in temperature and precipitation

Cited by 16 publications

References 33 publications

From facilitation to competition: temperature‐driven shift in dominant plant interactions affects population dynamics in seminatural grasslands

From facilitation to competition: temperature‐driven shift in dominant plant interactions affects population dynamics in seminatural grasslands

Drought effect on plant biomass allocation: A meta‐analysis

Responses of biomass allocation across two vegetation types to climate fluctuations in the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

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