Flexible phenology of a C4 grass linked to resiliency to seasonal and multiyear drought events in the American southwest
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- Data Release: USGS data release - Plant community composition, abundance, phenology, and soil data from a four-year seasonal drought experiment followed by four years of recovery in a mixed grassland on the Colorado Plateau
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Abstract
Rising temperatures are predicted to further limit dryland water availability as droughts become more intense and frequent and seasonal precipitation patterns shift. Vegetation drought stress may increase mortality and cause declines and delays in phenological events, thereby impacting species' capacity to persist and recover from extreme drought conditions. We compare phenological responses of two common dryland perennial grass species, Achnatherum hymenoides (C3) and Pleuraphis jamesii (C4), to 4 years of experimentally imposed precipitation drought treatments (cool season, warm season, ambient), followed by 2 years of recovery on the Colorado Plateau, United States of America. Tagged individual grasses from both species were monitored biweekly and assessed for phenological metrics and mortality. The C3 grass exhibited less phenological flexibility to both seasonal and interannual drought conditions and experienced high rates of mortality, thus reducing resiliency. Conversely, the C4 grass showed more phenological plasticity during imposed drought treatments, with treatment effects diminishing in the two-year recovery period during a severe ambient drought. Synthesis: Results suggest that plant photosynthetic strategies may impact plant resistance and resiliency to drought. Here, C3 grass populations may decline, potentially shifting cool dryland ecosystems into a system comprised predominantly of warm-season adapted species.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Flexible phenology of a C4 grass linked to resiliency to seasonal and multiyear drought events in the American southwest |
| Series title | Ecology and Evolution |
| DOI | 10.1002/ece3.71435 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Publication Date | May 14, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Southwest Biological Science Center |
| Description | e71435, 12 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Utah |
| Other Geospatial | Colorado Plateau, southeastern Utah |