Precipitation in July maximizes total above-ground productivity of the desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China.

ABSTRACT: Precipitation distribution during the growing season and interannual precipitation variation may have significant impacts on grassland ecosystem productivity at the site level. To explore the effect of the distribution of precipitation on plant communities in the Inner Mongolian desert steppe dominated by Stipa breviflora, we analyzed monthly precipitation patterns during the growing season (May-October) over the past 60 years (1961-2020) and identified four major precipitation distribution patterns. These included the concentrated precipitation during July (TΛ7), August (TΛ8), and during the early and late growth stages. However, with precipitation being scarce during the boom (TM), the distribution resembled a normal distribution (T∩). Field experiments simulating the four distributions

SUBMITTER: Han C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11649078 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature