Traits explain sorting of C₄ grasses along a global precipitation gradient.

ABSTRACT: Species distributions are closely associated with moisture availability, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Drought relations are especially important for plants such as C₄ grasses that dominate seasonally dry ecosystems. Here, we test the hypothesis that C₄ grass species sampled across global precipitation gradients show variation in survival under drought that can be explained by their traits.Our experiment subjected 18 C₄ grass species to a lethal drought under controlled environmental conditions. The number of days until death was measured, along with root traits, senescence, and aspects of hydraulic function.We identified two strategies: Drought-avoiding species that stayed green as the water potential declined and drought-tolerating spec

SUBMITTER: Jardine EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7981197 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature