The role of perennation traits in plant community soil frost stress responses.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Herbaceous plants can survive periods of prolonged freezing as below-ground structures or seed, which can be insulated from cold air by soil, litter or snow. Below-ground perennial structures vary in both form and their exposure to soil frost, and this structural variation thus may be important in determining the responses of plant communities to frost stress.

Methods

We conducted a suite of snow removal experiments in a northern temperate old field over 3 years to examine the relative freezing responses of different plant functional groups based on below-ground perennation traits. A litter removal treatment was added in the third year. Species-level percentage cover data were recorded in May, June and September then pooled by functional group.

Key res

SUBMITTER: Lubbe FC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7539335 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature