Effect of Manipulated Rainfall on Root Production and Plant Belowground Dry Mass of Different Grassland Ecosystems

A field experiment was established to quantify the effects of different amounts of rainfall on root growth and dry mass of belowground plant parts in three types of grassland ecosystems. Mountain (Nardus grassland), highland (wet Cirsium grassland), and lowland grassland (dry Festuca grassland) ecosystems were studied in 2006 and 2007. Roofs constructed above the canopy of grass stands and gravity irrigation systems simulated three climate scenarios: (1) rainfall reduced by 50%, (2) rainfall enhanced by 50%, and (3) the full natural rainfall of the current growing season. Experimentally reduced amounts of precipitation significantly affected both yearly root increments and total root dry mass in the highland grassland. Dry conditions in 2007 resulted in considerable reduction of total belowground dry mass in highland and mountain grasslands. Although not all differences in root biomass of studied grasslands were statistically significantly, some also showed a decrease in root increment and in the amount of belowground dry mass in dry conditions.