Identification of suites of traits that explains drought resistance and phenological patterns of plants in a semi-arid grassland community.

Grassland ecosystems are comprised of plants that occupy a wide array of phenological niches and vary considerably in their ability to resist the stress of seasonal soil-water deficits. Yet, the link between plant drought resistance and phenology remains unclear in perennial grassland ecosystems. To evaluate the role of soil water availability and plant drought tolerance in driving phenology, we measured leaf hydraulic conductance (Ksat), resistance to hydraulic failure (P50), leaf gas exchange, plant and soil water stable isotope ratios (δ18O), and several phenology metrics on ten perennial herbaceous species in mixed-grass prairie. The interaction between P50 and δ18O of xylem water explained 67% of differences in phenology, with lower P50 values associated with later season activity, but only among shallow-rooted species. In addition, stomatal control and high water-use efficiency also contributed to the late flowering and late senescence strategies of plants that had low P50 values and relied upon shallow soil water. Alternatively, plants with deeper roots did not possess drought-tolerant leaves, but had high hydraulic efficiency, contributing to their ability to efficiently move water longer distances while maintaining leaf water potential at relatively high values. The suites of traits that characterize these contrasting strategies provide a mechanistic link between phenology and plant-water relations; thus, these traits could help predict grassland community responses to changes in water availability, both temporally and vertically within the soil profile.

Photosynthetic pathway and ontogeny affect water relations and the impact of CO2 on Bouteloua gracilis (C4) and Pascopyrum smithii (C3).

The eastern Colorado shortgrass steppe is dominated by the C4 grass, Bouteloua gracilis, but contains a mixture of C3 grasses as well, including Pascopyrum smithii. Although the ecology of this region has been extensively studied, there is little information on how increasing atmospheric CO2 will affect it. This growth chamber study investigated gas exchange, water relations, growth, and biomass and carbohydrate partitioning in B. gracilis and P. smithii grown under present ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations of 350 µl l-1and 700 µl l-1, respectively, and two deficit irrigation regimes. The experiment was conducted in soil-packed columns planted to either species over a 2-month period under summer-like conditions and with no fertilizer additions. Our objective was to better understand how these species and the functional groups they represent will respond in future CO2-enriched environments. Leaf CO2 assimilation (A n), transpiration use efficiency (TUE, or A n/transpiration), plant growth, and whole-plant water use efficiency (WUE, or plant biomass production/water evapotranspired) of both species were greater at elevated CO2, although responses were more pronounced for P. smithii. Elevated CO2 enhanced photosynthesis, TUE, and growth in both species through higher soil water content (SWC) and leaf water potentials (Ψ) and stimulation of photosynthesis. Consumptive water use was greater and TUE less for P. smithii than B. gracilis during early growth when soil water was more available. Declining SWC with time was associated with a steadily increased sequestering of total non-structural carbohydrates (TNCs), storage carbohydrates (primarily fructans for P. smithii) and biomass in belowground organs of P. smithii, but not B. gracilis. The root:shoot ratio of P. smithii also increased at elevated CO2, while the root:shoot ratio of B. gracilis was unresponsive to CO2. These partitioning responses may be the consequence of different ontogenetic strategies of a cool-season and warm-season grass entering a warm, dry summer period; the cool-season P. smithii responds by sequestering TNCs belowground in preparation for summer dormancy, while resource partitioning of the warm-season B. gracilis remains unaltered. One consequence of greater partitioning of resources into P. smithii belowground organs in the present study was maintenance of higher Ψ and A n rates. This, along with differences in photosynthetic pathway, may have accounted for the greater responsiveness of P. smithii to CO2 enrichment compared to B. gracilis.