The importance of extreme rainfall events and their timing in a semi‐arid grassland.

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Title: The importance of extreme rainfall events and their timing in a semi‐arid grassland.
Authors: Post, Alison K.1 (AUTHOR) akpost@colostate.edu, Knapp, Alan K.1 (AUTHOR), Schwinning, Susan1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Ecology. Nov2020, Vol. 108 Issue 6, p2431-2443. 13p.
Subjects: Soil respiration, Hydrologic cycle, Growing season, Atmospheric temperature, Rainfall, Grassland soils, Plant phenology, Extreme environments
Geographic Terms: North America
Abstract: Climate change is intensifying the hydrologic cycle globally, increasing both the size and frequency of extreme precipitation events, or deluges. Arid and semi‐arid ecosystems are expected to be particularly responsive to this change because their ecological processes are largely driven by distinct soil moisture pulses. However, since soil moisture, air temperature and plant phenology vary throughout the growing season, deluges will likely have differing impacts on these systems depending on when they occur.We conducted a field experiment to assess how the seasonal timing (early, middle or late growing season) of a single deluge (70‐mm precipitation event) altered key ecological processes in the semi‐arid shortgrass steppe of North America.Regardless of timing, a single deluge stimulated most ecosystem processes, but a deluge at mid‐season caused the greatest increase in soil respiration, canopy greenness, above‐ground net primary production (ANPP) and growth and flowering of the dominant plant species Bouteloua gracilis. In contrast, below‐ground net primary production (BNPP) was insensitive to deluge timing, with a consistent BNPP increase in all the deluge treatments that was almost twice as large as the ANPP response. This BNPP response was largely driven by enhanced root production at the 10–20 cm, rather than 0–10 cm, soil depth.Synthesis. In a semi‐arid ecosystem, a single deluge can have season‐long impacts on many ecosystem processes, but responses can be mediated by event timing. Therefore, predicting responses of semi‐arid ecosystems to more dynamic precipitation regimes, and subsequent impacts on the global carbon budget, will require knowledge of how deluge magnitude, frequency and timing are being altered by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
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  Data: The importance of extreme rainfall events and their timing in a semi‐arid grassland.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Post%2C+Alison+K%2E%22">Post, Alison K.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> akpost@colostate.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Knapp%2C+Alan+K%2E%22">Knapp, Alan K.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schwinning%2C+Susan%22">Schwinning, Susan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Soil+respiration%22">Soil respiration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hydrologic+cycle%22">Hydrologic cycle</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Growing+season%22">Growing season</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Atmospheric+temperature%22">Atmospheric temperature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rainfall%22">Rainfall</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grassland+soils%22">Grassland soils</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plant+phenology%22">Plant phenology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Extreme+environments%22">Extreme environments</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22North+America%22">North America</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Climate change is intensifying the hydrologic cycle globally, increasing both the size and frequency of extreme precipitation events, or deluges. Arid and semi‐arid ecosystems are expected to be particularly responsive to this change because their ecological processes are largely driven by distinct soil moisture pulses. However, since soil moisture, air temperature and plant phenology vary throughout the growing season, deluges will likely have differing impacts on these systems depending on when they occur.We conducted a field experiment to assess how the seasonal timing (early, middle or late growing season) of a single deluge (70‐mm precipitation event) altered key ecological processes in the semi‐arid shortgrass steppe of North America.Regardless of timing, a single deluge stimulated most ecosystem processes, but a deluge at mid‐season caused the greatest increase in soil respiration, canopy greenness, above‐ground net primary production (ANPP) and growth and flowering of the dominant plant species Bouteloua gracilis. In contrast, below‐ground net primary production (BNPP) was insensitive to deluge timing, with a consistent BNPP increase in all the deluge treatments that was almost twice as large as the ANPP response. This BNPP response was largely driven by enhanced root production at the 10–20 cm, rather than 0–10 cm, soil depth.Synthesis. In a semi‐arid ecosystem, a single deluge can have season‐long impacts on many ecosystem processes, but responses can be mediated by event timing. Therefore, predicting responses of semi‐arid ecosystems to more dynamic precipitation regimes, and subsequent impacts on the global carbon budget, will require knowledge of how deluge magnitude, frequency and timing are being altered by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Ecology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/1365-2745.13478
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 13
        StartPage: 2431
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Soil respiration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hydrologic cycle
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Growing season
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Atmospheric temperature
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rainfall
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grassland soils
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Plant phenology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Extreme environments
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: North America
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The importance of extreme rainfall events and their timing in a semi‐arid grassland.
        Type: main
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Post, Alison K.
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          Name:
            NameFull: Knapp, Alan K.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Schwinning, Susan
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            – D: 01
              M: 11
              Text: Nov2020
              Type: published
              Y: 2020
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              Value: 108
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              Value: 6
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Ecology
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