Disentangling the effects of climatic variability and climate extremes on the belowground biomass of C3- and C4-dominated grasslands across five ecoregions

Elucidating the variation in grassland belowground biomass (BGB) and its response to changes in climatic variables are key issues in plant ecology research. In this study, BGB data for five ecoregions (cold steppe, temperate dry steppe, savanna, humid savanna, and humid temperate) were used to examine the effects of climatic variability and extremes on the BGB of C-3- and C-4-dominated grasslands. Results showed that BGB varied significantly across the ecoregions, with the highest levels in cold steppe and the lowest in savanna. The results indicated that growing-season temperature, maximum and minimum temperatures and their interactions had significantly positive effects on the single-harvest BGB of C-3 plants in colder ecoregions (i.e., humid temperate and cold steppe) and of C-4 plants in arid ecoregions (i.e., temperate dry steppe and savanna). The single-harvest BGB of C-3 plants in arid ecoregions and C-4 plants in humid savanna ecoregion declined with increasing temperature during the growing season. Growing-season precipitation exerted significant positive effects on the singleharvest BGB of C-4 plants in arid ecoregions. Annual temperature variables negatively impacted the annual BGB of humid temperate ecoregion, because of the dominance of C-3 plants. Increasing cumulative growing-season precipitation elevated and the mean annual temperature reduced the annual BGB of both categories of plants in arid ecoregions. Compared with normal climates, extreme dry events during the growing season enhanced single-harvest BGB in colder ecoregions. The single-harvest BGB of C-4 plants in savanna tended to increase during extreme wet and decrease during moderate dry events compared to normal climates. This study suggests that the differential effects of climatic variability and extremes on BGB can be explained by differences in plant types, and ecoregions. These findings on the responses of the BGB to climatic variability and extremes constitute important scientific evidence emphasizing the need to maintain ecosystem stability across ecoregions. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study examined the variation in grassland belowground biomass and its response to climatic variables in different ecoregions. Results showed significant effects of temperature and precipitation on the biomass of C-3 and C-4 plants across various regions. Extreme events like dry and wet conditions also played a role in influencing the biomass levels.