Drought-induced decline of productivity in the dominant grassland species Lolium perenne L. depends on soil type and prevailing climatic conditions

Publication date: Available online 1 February 2019Source: Soil Biology and BiochemistryAuthor(s): Alexandre Buttler, Pierre Mariotte, Marco Meisser, Thomas Guillaume, Constant Signarbieux, Amarante Vitra, Sara Preux, Géraldine Mercier, Juan Quezada, Luca Bragazza, Konstantin GavazovAbstractSevere constraints on grasslands productivity, ecosystem functions, goods and services are expected to result from projected warming and drought scenarios under climate change. Negative effects on vegetation can be mediated via soil fertility and water holding capacity, though specific mechanisms are fairly complex to generalise. In field drought experiments, it can be difficult to disentangle a drought effect per se from potential confounding effects related to vegetation or soil type, both varying along with climate. Furthermore, there is the need to distinguish the long-term responses of vegetation and soil to gradual climate shift from responses to extreme and stochastic climatic events. Here we address these limitations by means of a factorial experiment using a single dominant grassland species (the perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne L.) grown as a phytometer on two soils types with contrasted physicochemical characteristics, placed at two elevation sites along a climatic gradient, and exposed to early or late-season drought during the plant growing season.Warmer site conditions and reduced precipitation along the elevational gradient affected biogeochemistry and plant productivity mo...
Source: Soil Biology and Biochemistry - Category: Biology Source Type: research