Methods to test the interactive effects of drought and plant invasion on ecosystem structure and function using complementary common garden and field experiments.

ABSTRACT: Abiotic global change drivers affect ecosystem structure and function, but how they interact with biotic factors such as invasive plants is understudied. Such interactions may be additive, synergistic, or offsetting, and difficult to predict. We present methods to test the individual and interactive effects of drought and plant invasion on native ecosystems. We coupled a factorial common garden experiment containing resident communities exposed to drought (imposed with rainout shelters) and invasion with a field experiment where the invader was removed from sites spanning a natural soil moisture gradient. We detail treatments and their effects on abiotic conditions, including soil moisture, light, temperature, and humidity, which shape community and ecosystem responses. Ambient precipitati

SUBMITTER: Alba C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5330907 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature