Woody plant growth increases with precipitation intensity in a cold semiarid system

Holdrege, Martin C.; Beard, Karen H.; Kulmatiski, Andrew

doi:10.1002/ecy.3212

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Consistent with previous observational studies that found winter wheat to be resistant to changes in precipitation intensity [18,26], we found no response of winter wheat to a wide range of precipitation intensity treatments. This is in contrast to the findings of a paired study in a nearby rangeland site that used the same methods and experimental design, and that documented increased shrub growth in response to these same increased precipitation intensity treatments [10]. Our result that winter wheat was not responsive to treatments was consistent across all above-and belowground physiological and biomass measurements, including grain yield.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…The experimental design generally followed that of Holdrege et al [10]. Broadly, precipitation was collected and redeposited as larger events of fixed sizes (i.e., 1 to 18 mm) so that all plots received the same total amount of precipitation, but that precipitation was deposited as either many small or few large events.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Precipitation event sizes (i.e., treatments) were selected to reflect changes in precipitation intensity anticipated with temperature changes from −1 to +10 • C relative to current temperatures. Consistent with the Clausius-Clapeyron relation, precipitation event sizes were designed to increase by 7% per 1 • C of warming [10,42]. This method resulted in rain event sizes of 2, 3, 4, 8, and 18 mm for hypothetical temperature increases of 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 • C (Table 1; Figure S3; see Appendix B for additional details).…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Holdrege et al [10] used the same experimental design as was employed here (but in a shrubland with different plot sizes, snow treatments, and methods of water application). For the convenience of the reader, descriptions of the precipitation treatments are also included here.…”

Section: Conflicts Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How larger precipitation events impact plant growth depends on what happens to the rainfall, which is a function of the biotic and abiotic conditions of the system. For example, larger precipitation events may decrease interception and increase percolation [9,10]. Deeper water percolation may especially benefit deep-rooted plants [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Winter Wheat Resistant to Increases in Rain and Snow Intensity in a Semi-Arid System

2021

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As the atmosphere warms, precipitation events have been predicted and observed to become fewer and larger. Changes in precipitation patterns can have large effects on dryland agricultural production, but experimental tests on the effects of changing precipitation intensity are limited. Over 3 years, we tested the effects of increased precipitation intensity on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; Promontory variety) in a temperate dryland agricultural system that was on a rotation of crop and fallow years. We used 11 (2.1 × 2.5 m) shelters to collect and redeposit rain and snow as larger, more intense events. Total precipitation was the same in all plots, but event sizes in each plot varied from 1 to 18 mm. Treatments increased soil water availability, but winter wheat biomass and grain yield did not differ among treatments. Similarly, other measured plant growth responses, including vegetation greenness, leaf area index, canopy temperature, photochemical efficiency, root area, and new root growth, did not differ among treatments. Results indicate that at least in the semiarid climate and silt loam soils studied here, anticipated increases in precipitation intensity are unlikely to affect winter wheat production negatively. Further, increased precipitation intensity may mitigate water stress caused by increasing temperatures and encourage the use of wheat varieties that utilize deeper, later season soil water.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conflicts Of Interestmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Winter Wheat Resistant to Increases in Rain and Snow Intensity in a Semi-Arid System

2021

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Understanding woody plant encroachment: A plant functional trait approach

de Jonge,

Olff,

Mayemba

et al. 2024

Ecological Monographs

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The increasing density of woody plants threatens the integrity of grassy ecosystems. It remains unclear if such encroachment can be explained mostly by direct effects of resources on woody plant growth or by indirect effects of disturbances imposing tree recruitment limitation. Here, we investigate whether woody plant functional traits provide a mechanistic understanding of the complex relationships between these resource and disturbance effects. We first assess the role of rainfall, soil fertility, texture, and geomorphology to explain variation in woody plant encroachment (WPE) following livestock grazing and consequent fire suppression across the Serengeti ecosystem. Second, we explore trait‐environment relationships and how these mediate vegetation response to fire suppression. We find that WPE is strongest in areas with high soil fertility, high rainfall, and intermediate catena positions. These conditions also promote woody plant communities characterized by small stature and seed sizes smaller relative to a comparative baseline within the Serengeti ecosystem, alongside high recruit densities (linked to a recruitment‐stature trade‐off). The positioning of species along this “recruitment‐stature axis” predicted woody stem density increase in livestock sites. Structural equation modeling suggested a causal pathway where environmental factors shape the community trait composition, subsequently influencing woody recruit numbers. These numbers, in turn, predicted an area's vulnerability to WPE. Our study underscores the importance of trait‐environment relationships in predicting the impact of human alterations on local vegetation change. Understanding how environmental factors directly (resources) and indirectly (legacy effects and plant traits) determine WPE supports the development of process‐based ecosystem structure and function models.

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Woody Encroachment Modifies Subsurface Structure and Hydrological Function

Jarecke,

Zhang,

Keen

et al. 2024

Ecohydrology

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Woody encroachment—the expansion of woody shrubs into grasslands—is a widely documented phenomenon with global significance for the water cycle. However, its effects on watershed hydrology, including streamflow and groundwater recharge, remain poorly understood. A key challenge is the limited understanding of how changes to root abundance, size and distribution across soil depths influence infiltration and preferential flow. We hypothesised that woody shrubs would increase and deepen coarse‐root abundance and effective soil porosity, thus promoting deeper soil water infiltration and increasing soil water flow velocities. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a study at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in Kansas, where roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii) is the predominant woody shrub encroaching into native tallgrass prairie. We quantified the distribution of coarse and fine roots and leveraged soil moisture time series and electrical resistivity imaging to analyse soil water flow beneath shrubs and grasses. We observed a greater fraction of coarse roots beneath shrubs compared to grasses, which was concurrent with greater saturated hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity. Half‐hourly rainfall and soil moisture data show that the average soil water flow through macropores was 135% greater beneath shrubs than grasses at the deepest B horizon, consistent with greater saturated hydraulic conductivity. Soil‐moisture time series and electrical resistivity imaging also indicated that large rainfall events and greater antecedent wetness promoted more flow in the deeper layers beneath shrubs than beneath grasses. These findings suggest that woody encroachment alters soil hydrologic processes with cascading consequences for ecohydrological processes, including increased vertical connectivity and potential groundwater recharge.

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Woody plant growth increases with precipitation intensity in a cold semiarid system

Cited by 27 publications

References 58 publications

Winter Wheat Resistant to Increases in Rain and Snow Intensity in a Semi-Arid System

Winter Wheat Resistant to Increases in Rain and Snow Intensity in a Semi-Arid System

Understanding woody plant encroachment: A plant functional trait approach

Woody Encroachment Modifies Subsurface Structure and Hydrological Function

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