02404nas a2200229 4500008004100000245015000041210006900191300001100260490000700271520161900278653002401897653001801921653001901939653001601958653002801974653002302002653002202025100001802047700001502065700001702080856007702097 2011 eng d00aIntraspecific Variation in Ecophysiology of Three Dominant Prairie Grasses Used in Restoration: Cultivar Versus NonāCultivar Population Sources0 aIntraspecific Variation in Ecophysiology of Three Dominant Prair a43 -520 v193 a
Dominant species play crucial roles in determining plant community structure and ecosystem function. Cultivars of the dominant prairie grasses are widely used in prairie restoration and are selected for characters such as high biomass production, increased reproductive output, and stress tolerance. Genetic differences exist between cultivar and non-cultivar population sources of dominant tallgrass prairie species, which may have implications for plant performance in prairie restoration. We measured net photosynthesis (Anet), stomatal conductance (gs), and water use efficiency (WUE) in cultivar and non-cultivar dominant tallgrass prairie species Andropogon gerardii Vitman, Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash, and Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash in both a greenhouse experiment and an experimental tallgrass prairie restoration. We found indicators of enhanced physiological performance (higher Anet, gs, and/or WUE) in cultivar population sources of all three dominant grass species relative to non-cultivars. For A. gerardii, cultivars exhibited higher Anet and WUE than non-cultivars. For S. nutans, cultivars exhibited higher gs, whereas non-cultivars showed higher WUE. Lastly, cultivars of S. scoparium showed higher WUE than non-cultivar population sources. Our results show that population selection of dominant species in restoration can have consequences for plant performance, which may have implications for competitive interactions that affect community structure (i.e. diversity) and ecosystem function (i.e. aboveground net primary production) during the reassembly of prairie systems.
10aAndropogon gerardii10aEcophysiology10aphotosynthesis10arestoration10aSchizachyrium scoparium10aSorghastrum nutans10atallgrass prairie1 aLambert, A.M.1 aBaer, S.G.1 aGibson, D.J. uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00673.x