Two decades of data on plant communities and weather from the LTER Main Cropping Systems Experiment show that extreme dry and wet years reduce species richness (the number of species) but increase evenness (how evenly abundant the species are). Because richness and evenness also increase long-term stability and resistance to extreme precipitation events, these changes to communities might have long-lasting effects on the resilience of plant communities to the increasingly variable precipitation patterns expected in the future. While the focus of climate change is often on warming
Global change is triggering an identity switch in grasslands
Grasslands make up more than 40% of the world's ice-free land and have sustained humanity and thousands of other species for eons. In addition to providing food for cattle and sheep, grasslands are home to animals found nowhere else in the wild, such as the bison of North America's prairies or the zebras and giraffes of the African savannas. Grasslands also can hold up to 30% of the world's carbon, making them critical allies in the fight against climate change. Climate change is causing grasslands to shift beneath our feet, putting these benefits at risk. Global change — which includes
Seeking a more resilient agriculture: the next chapter for the KBS LTER program
Imagine for a moment a Midwestern agricultural landscape in late August that has not seen rain in weeks. Some corn fields remain green, showing no sign of a moisture deficit while other fields have curled leaves, plants starting to yellow. Belowground, microbial communities between the fields are acting differently, too, some biding their time until a pulse of rain puts them in motion while others continue their work. Under the same climate and soils, why is one field more resilient to the stress of drought? What about that field helps it to remain productive? In the midst of global