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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
California perennial grasses are physiologically distinct from both Mediterranean annual and perennial grasses
Plant and Soil, Volume 345, No. 1, Year 2011
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Description
In the Central Valley of California, native perennial grass species have been largely replaced by Eurasian annual species, while in many parts of the Mediterranean Basin native perennial grasses continue to dominate, even on disturbed or degraded sites. We assessed whether differences in summer rainfall patterns have lead to the development of different plant-water strategies between grasses from these two regions. We compared six measures of plant-water physiology for three guilds of grasses: California perennial grasses, Mediterranean perennial grasses, and Mediterranean annual grasses. Discriminant analysis distinguished between the three guilds; Mediterranean perennial grasses were characterized by a more conservative water-relations physiology than Mediterranean annual grasses, whereas California perennial grasses were in some ways intermediate between the two Mediterranean grass guilds. For individual traits, California perennial grasses were either intermediate or more like Mediterranean annuals than Mediterranean perennials. Our results suggest California perennials are more drought tolerant than Mediterranean annuals but less drought tolerant than Mediterranean perennials, despite the fact that California's Central Valley has a more intense summer drought than the Mediterranean Basin. These patterns may help explain why Mediterranean annuals, but not Mediterranean perennials, have been more successful invaders of interior California grasslands. © 2011 The Author(s).
Authors & Co-Authors
Biel, Carmen
Spain, Caldes de Montbui
Institut de Recerca I Technologia Agroalimentaries
Clary, Jeffrey J.
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Young, Truman P.
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Savé, Robert
Spain, Caldes de Montbui
Institut de Recerca I Technologia Agroalimentaries
Statistics
Citations: 22
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/s11104-011-0757-3
ISSN:
0032079X
Research Areas
Environmental