Authors
RM Keen, BR Helliker, KA McCulloh, JB Nippert
Publication date
2024/4
Journal
Journal of Ecology
Volume
112
Issue
4
Pages
870-885
Description
  1. Shrub encroachment is one of the primary threats to mesic grasslands around the world. This dramatic shift in plant cover has the potential to alter ecosystem‐scale water budgets and responses to novel rainfall regimes. Understanding divergent water‐use strategies among encroaching shrubs and the grasses they replace is critical for predicting shifts in ecosystem‐scale water dynamics as a result of shrub encroachment, particularly if drought events become more frequent and/or severe in the future.
  2. In this study, we assessed how water‐use traits of a rapidly encroaching clonal shrub (Cornus drummondii) and a dominant C4 grass (Andropogon gerardii) impact responses to changes in water availability in tallgrass prairie. We assessed intra‐annual change in depth of water uptake, turgor loss point and stomatal regulation in each species. Sampling took place at Konza Prairie Biological Station (northeastern …
Total citations
20241
Scholar articles
RM Keen, BR Helliker, KA McCulloh, JB Nippert - Journal of Ecology, 2024