Spatio-temporal differences in leaf physiology are associated with fire, not drought, in a clonally integrated shrub

Wedel, Emily R.; O’Keefe, Kimberly; Nippert, Jesse B.; Hoch, Braden; O’Connor, Rory C.; Mitchell, ed., Patrick

doi:10.1093/aobpla/plab037

Spatio-temporal differences in leaf physiology are associated with fire, not drought, in a clonally integrated shrub

Journal Article · Wed Jun 09 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · AoB Plants

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plab037· OSTI ID:1810594

Wedel, Emily R. ^[1]; O’Keefe, Kimberly ^[2]; Nippert, Jesse B. ^[1]; Hoch, Braden ^[3]; O’Connor, Rory C. ^[4]; Mitchell, ed., Patrick

Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Plant Protection and Weed Control Program, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, 67826-A Hwy 205, Burns, OR 97720, USA

Abstract

In highly disturbed environments, clonality facilitates plant survival via resprouting after disturbance, resource sharing among interconnected stems and vegetative reproduction. These traits likely contribute to the encroachment of deep-rooted clonal shrubs in tallgrass prairie. Clonal shrubs have access to deep soil water and are typically thought of as relatively insensitive to environmental variability. However, how leaf physiological traits differ among stems within individual clonal shrubs (hereafter ‘intra-clonal’) in response to extreme environmental variation (i.e. drought or fire) is unclear. Accounting for intra-clonal differences among stems in response to disturbance is needed to more accurately parameterize models that predict the effects of shrub encroachment on ecosystem processes. We assessed intra-clonal leaf-level physiology of the most dominant encroaching shrub in Kansas tallgrass prairie, Cornus drummondii, in response to precipitation and fire. We compared leaf gas exchange rates from the periphery to centre within shrub clones during a wet (2015) and extremely dry (2018) year. We also compared leaf physiology between recently burned shrubs (resprouts) with unburned shrubs in 2018. Resprouts had higher gas exchange rates and leaf nitrogen content than unburned shrubs, suggesting increased rates of carbon gain can contribute to recovery after fire. In areas recently burned, resprouts had higher gas exchange rates in the centre of the shrub than the periphery. In unburned areas, leaf physiology remained constant across the growing season within clonal shrubs (2015 and 2018). Results suggest single measurements within a shrub are likely sufficient to parameterize models to understand the effects of shrub encroachment on ecosystem carbon and water cycles, but model parameterization may require additional complexity in the context of fire.

View Journal Article

Research Organization:: Kansas Dept. of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS (United States); Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States); US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Burns, OR (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Konza Prairie Long Term Ecological Research program; USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0019037

OSTI ID:: 1810594

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1852774
OSTI ID: 2242432

Journal Information:: AoB Plants, Journal Name: AoB Plants Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 13; ISSN 2041-2851

Publisher:: Oxford University PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

References (64)

Browsing and fire decreases dominance of a resprouting shrub in woody encroached grassland O’Connor, Rory C.; Taylor, Jeffrey H.; Nippert, Jesse B. Ecology, Vol. 101, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2935	journal	December 2019
Woody Plant Encroachment: Causes and Consequences Archer, Steven R.; Andersen, Erik M.; Predick, Katharine I. Rangeland Systems https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46709-2_2	book	April 2017
Water relations, gas exchange, and growth of resprouts and mature plant shoots of Arbutus unedo L. and Quercus ilex L. Castell, Carles; Terradas, Jaume; Tenhunen, John D. Oecologia, Vol. 98, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00341473	journal	July 1994
Photosynthesis and nitrogen relationships in leaves of C3 plants Evans, John R. Oecologia, Vol. 78, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377192	journal	January 1989
Comparative physiology of burned and unburned Rhus laurina after chaparral wildfire DeSouza, J.; Silka, P. A.; Davis, S. D. Oecologia, Vol. 71, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00377322	journal	December 1986
Long- and short-term effects of fire on nitrogen cycling in tallgrass prairie Ojima, Dennis S.; Schimel, D. S.; Parton, W. J. Biogeochemistry, Vol. 24, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02390180	journal	June 1994
Linking water uptake with rooting patterns in grassland species Nippert, Jesse B.; Knapp, Alan K. Oecologia, Vol. 153, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-0745-8	journal	May 2007
Juggling carbon: allocation patterns of a dominant tree in a fire-prone savanna Schutz, Alexander Ernest Noel; Bond, William J.; Cramer, Michael D. Oecologia, Vol. 160, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1293-1	journal	February 2009
United we stand, divided we fall: a meta-analysis of experiments on clonal integration and its relationship to invasiveness Song, Yao-Bin; Yu, Fei-Hai; Keser, Lidewij H. Oecologia, Vol. 171, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2430-9	journal	August 2012
Determinants of woody encroachment and cover in African savannas Devine, Aisling P.; McDonald, Robbie A.; Quaife, Tristan Oecologia, Vol. 183, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3807-6	journal	January 2017
Clonal integration and its ecological significance in Hedysarum laeve , a rhizomatous shrub in Mu Us Sandland Zhang, C.; Yang, C.; Dong, M. Journal of Plant Research, Vol. 115, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s102650200016	journal	April 2002
Woody plant encroachment alters soil hydrological properties and reduces downward flux of water in tallgrass prairie Acharya, Bharat S.; Hao, Younghong; Ochsner, Tyson E. Plant and Soil, Vol. 414, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-3138-0	journal	December 2016
Spatial variation in soil microbial processes as a result of woody encroachment depends on shrub size in tallgrass prairie Connell, R. Kent; O’Connor, Rory C.; Nippert, Jesse B. Plant and Soil, Vol. 460, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04813-9	journal	January 2021
The Role of Seed and Vegetative Reproduction in Plant Recruitment and Demography in Tallgrass Prairie Benson, Emily J.; Hartnett, David C. Plant Ecology, Vol. 187, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-005-0975-y	journal	July 2006
Enhancement of photosynthesis in post-disturbance resprouts of two co-occurring Mediterranean Erica species Goorman, Roald; Bartual, Ana; Paula, Susana Plant Ecology, Vol. 212, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-011-9967-2	journal	September 2011
Fitness and evolution of resprouters in relation to fire Lamont, Byron B.; Enright, Neal J.; He, Tianhua Plant Ecology, Vol. 212, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-011-9982-3	journal	October 2011
Nitrogen translocation between clonal mother and daughter trees at a grassland–forest boundary Pinno, Bradley D.; Wilson, Scott D. Plant Ecology, Vol. 215, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0305-3	journal	February 2014
Water but not photosynthates integration exists between mother and daughter ramets of a root-derived clonal shrub Luo, Weicheng; Zhao, Wenzhi; Zeng, Fanjiang Plant Ecology, Vol. 216, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0440-x	journal	December 2014
Comparative ecohydrology between Cornus drummondii and Solidago canadensis in upland tallgrass prairie Muench, Andy T.; O’Keefe, Kimberly; Nippert, Jesse B. Plant Ecology, Vol. 217, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-016-0567-z	journal	January 2016
Effect of spring burning on the surface energy balance in a tallgrass prairie Bremer, Dale J.; Ham, Jay M. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 97, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1923(99)00034-9	journal	September 1999
Growth, water relations and photosynthesis of seedlings and resprouts after fire Clemente, Adelaide S.; Rego, Francisco C.; Correia, Otília A. Acta Oecologica, Vol. 27, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2005.01.005	journal	May 2005
Influence of drought on growing season carbon and water cycling with changing land cover Logan, K. E.; Brunsell, N. A. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 213 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2015.07.002	journal	November 2015
Causes and consequences of woody plant encroachment into western North American grasslands Van Auken, O. W. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 90, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.04.023	journal	July 2009
Calibration of SWAT model for woody plant encroachment using paired experimental watershed data Qiao, Lei; Zou, Chris B.; Will, Rodney E. Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 523 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.01.056	journal	April 2015
Plant Thermoregulation: Energetics, Trait–Environment Interactions, and Carbon Economics Michaletz, Sean T.; Weiser, Michael D.; Zhou, Jizhong Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 30, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.09.006	journal	December 2015
Bridging the Flux Gap: Sap Flow Measurements Reveal Species‐Specific Patterns of Water Use in a Tallgrass Prairie O'Keefe, Kimberly; Bell, David M.; McCulloh, Katherine A. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 125, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005446	journal	February 2020
Impact of Uncertainty in Precipitation Forcing Data Sets on the Hydrologic Budget of an Integrated Hydrologic Model in Mountainous Terrain Schreiner‐McGraw, Adam P.; Ajami, Hoori Water Resources Research, Vol. 56, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR027639	journal	November 2020
The worldwide leaf economics spectrum Wright, Ian J.; Reich, Peter B.; Westoby, Mark Nature, Vol. 428, Issue 6985 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02403	journal	April 2004
Effects of shrub encroachment on soil organic carbon in global grasslands Li, He; Shen, Haihua; Chen, Leiyi Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28974	journal	July 2016
Leaf area renewal, root retention and carbohydrate reserves in a clonal tree species following above-ground disturbance Landhausser, Simon M.; Lieffers, Victor J. Journal of Ecology, Vol. 90, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2002.00699.x	journal	August 2002
Consequences of Nonequilibrium Resource Availability Across Multiple Time Scales: The Transient Maxima Hypothesis Seastedt, T. R.; Knapp, A. K. The American Naturalist, Vol. 141, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1086/285494	journal	April 1993
The ecology and significance of below-ground bud banks in plants Ott, Jacqueline P.; Klimešová, Jitka; Hartnett, David C. Annals of Botany, Vol. 123, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcz051	journal	May 2019
Variability among species of stomatal control under fluctuating soil water status and evaporative demand: modelling isohydric and anisohydric behaviours Tardieu, F.; Simonneau, T. Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 49, Issue Special https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/49.Special_Issue.419	journal	March 1998
Photosynthesis and photoprotection in Quercus ilex resprouts after fire Fleck, I.; Hogan, K. P.; Llorens, L. Tree Physiology, Vol. 18, Issue 8-9 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/18.8-9.607	journal	August 1998
Stomatal limitation to CO2 assimilation and down-regulation of photosynthesis in Quercus ilex resprouts in response to slowly imposed drought Pena-Rojas, K.; Aranda, X.; Fleck, I. Tree Physiology, Vol. 24, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/24.7.813	journal	July 2004
Structural adjustments in resprouting trees drive differences in post-fire transpiration Nolan, R. H.; Mitchell, P. J.; Bradstock, R. A. Tree Physiology, Vol. 34, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpt125	journal	February 2014
Woody encroachment and its consequences on hydrological processes in the savannah Honda, Eliane A.; Durigan, Giselda Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 371, Issue 1703 https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0313	journal	September 2016
The variability of stomatal sensitivity to leaf water potential across tree species indicates a continuum between isohydric and anisohydric behaviours Klein, Tamir Functional Ecology, Vol. 28, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12289	journal	May 2014
Drivers of nocturnal water flux in a tallgrass prairie O'Keefe, Kimberly; Nippert, Jesse B. Functional Ecology, Vol. 32, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13072	journal	March 2018
Fire dynamics distinguish grasslands, shrublands and woodlands as alternative attractors in the Central Great Plains of North America Ratajczak, Zak; Nippert, Jesse B.; Briggs, John M. Journal of Ecology, Vol. 102, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12311	journal	October 2014
Mapping ‘hydroscapes’ along the iso- to anisohydric continuum of stomatal regulation of plant water status Meinzer, Frederick C.; Woodruff, David R.; Marias, Danielle E. Ecology Letters, Vol. 19, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12670	journal	September 2016
When vegetation change alters ecosystem water availability Scott, Russell L.; Huxman, Travis E.; Barron-Gafford, Greg A. Global Change Biology, Vol. 20, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12511	journal	April 2014
Shrub encroachment in North American grasslands: shifts in growth form dominance rapidly alters control of ecosystem carbon inputs Knapp, Alan K.; Briggs, John M.; Collins, Scott L. Global Change Biology, Vol. 14, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01512.x	journal	March 2008
Plant growth forms: an ecological and evolutionary perspective Rowe, Nick; Speck, Thomas New Phytologist, Vol. 166, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2004.01309.x	journal	January 2005
Causes and consequences of variation in leaf mass per area (LMA): a meta‐analysis Poorter, Hendrik; Niinemets, Ülo; Poorter, Lourens New Phytologist, Vol. 182, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02830.x	journal	April 2009
Influence of shrub encroachment on aboveground net primary productivity and carbon and nitrogen pools in a mesic grassland Lett, Michelle S.; Knapp, Alan K.; Briggs, John M. Canadian Journal of Botany, Vol. 82, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1139/b04-088	journal	September 2004
Transpiration and Leaf Temperature Gates, D. M. Annual Review of Plant Physiology, Vol. 19, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pp.19.060168.001235	journal	June 1968
Carbon Isotope Discrimination and Photosynthesis Farquhar, G. D.; Ehleringer, J. R.; Hubick, K. T. Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology, Vol. 40, Issue 1, p. 503-537 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pp.40.060189.002443	journal	June 1989
Evidence of Physiological Decoupling from Grassland Ecosystem Drivers by an Encroaching Woody Shrub Nippert, Jesse B.; Ocheltree, Troy W.; Orozco, Graciela L. PLoS ONE, Vol. 8, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0081630	journal	December 2013
An Invasive Clonal Plant Benefits from Clonal Integration More than a Co-Occurring Native Plant in Nutrient-Patchy and Competitive Environments You, Wenhua; Fan, Shufeng; Yu, Dan PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0097246	journal	May 2014
An Ecosystem in Transition: Causes and Consequences of the Conversion of Mesic Grassland to Shrubland Briggs, John M.; Knapp, Alan K.; Blair, John M. BioScience, Vol. 55, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0243:AEITCA]2.0.CO;2	journal	January 2005
Shrub Expansion Over the Past 62 Years in Rocky Mountain Alpine Tundra: Possible Causes and Consequences Formica, Adam; Farrer, Emily C.; Ashton, Isabel W. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, Vol. 46, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1657/1938-4246-46.3.616	journal	August 2014
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4 Bates, Douglas; Mächler, Martin; Bolker, Ben Journal of Statistical Software, Vol. 67, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01	journal	January 2015
Fire, n Availability, and Plant Response in Grasslands: a test of the Transient Maxima Hypothesis Blair, John M. Ecology, Vol. 78, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[2359:FNAAPR]2.0.CO;2	journal	December 1997
Ecohydrological Implications of Woody Plant Encroachment Huxman, Travis E.; Wilcox, Bradford P.; Breshears, David D. Ecology, Vol. 86, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1890/03-0583	journal	February 2005
Positive feedbacks amplify rates of woody encroachment in mesic tallgrass prairie Ratajczak, Zak; Nippert, Jesse B.; Hartman, Jeffrey C. Ecosphere, Vol. 2, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1890/ES11-00212.1	journal	November 2011
Physiological Integration among Intraclonal Ramets in Solidago Canadensis Hartnett, D. C.; Bazzaz, F. A. Ecology, Vol. 64, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.2307/1937201	journal	August 1983
Prescribed Burning Effects on Total Nonstructural Carbohydrates of Roughleaf Dogwood Janicke, Gary L.; Fick, Walter H. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (1903-), Vol. 101, Issue 1/2 https://doi.org/10.2307/3628175	journal	January 1998
Disturbance and the frequency of root suckering in an invasive savanna shrub, Dichrostachys cinerea Wakeling, Jl; Bond, Wj African Journal of Range & Forage Science, Vol. 24, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.2989/AJRFS.2007.24.2.3.157	journal	July 2007
Why Be a Shrub? A Basic Model and Hypotheses for the Adaptive Values of a Common Growth Form Götmark, Frank; Götmark, Elin; Jensen, Anna M. Frontiers in Plant Science, Vol. 7 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01095	journal	July 2016
C3 shrub expansion in a C4 grassland: positive post-fire responses in resources and shoot growth McCarron, J. K.; Knapp, A. K. American Journal of Botany, Vol. 90, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.90.10.1496	journal	October 2003
The influence of vegetation, fire spread and fire behaviour on biomass burning and trace gas emissions: results from a process-based model Thonicke, K.; Spessa, A.; Prentice, I. C. Biogeosciences, Vol. 7, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-1991-2010	journal	January 2010
Taking off the training wheels: the properties of a dynamic vegetation model without climate envelopes, CLM4.5(ED) Fisher, R. A.; Muszala, S.; Verteinstein, M. Geoscientific Model Development, Vol. 8, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-3593-2015	journal	January 2015
Linking hydraulic traits to tropical forest function in a size-structured and trait-driven model (TFS v.1-Hydro) Christoffersen, Bradley O.; Gloor, Manuel; Fauset, Sophie Geoscientific Model Development, Vol. 9, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-4227-2016	journal	January 2016

Similar Records

Save or spend? Diverging water‐use strategies of grasses and encroaching clonal shrubs

Journal Article · Thu Feb 22 19:00:00 EST 2024 · Journal of Ecology · OSTI ID:2579884

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Clonal shrubs
Cornus drummondii
clonal shrubs
gas exchange
leaf physiology
shrub encroachment
tallgrass prairie
tallgrass prairie.

Spatio-temporal differences in leaf physiology are associated with fire, not drought, in a clonally integrated shrub

Citation Formats

References (64)

Similar Records

Related Subjects