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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 61(8)

Summer warming effects on biomass production and clonal growth of Leymus chinensis

Jun-Feng Wang A B , Song Gao A B , Ji-Xiang Lin A B , Yong-Guang Mu C and Chun-Sheng Mu A B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, People’s Republic of China.

B School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, People’s Republic of China.

C School of Life Sciences, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000, People’s Republic of China.

D Corresponding author. Email: mucs821@gmail.com

Crop and Pasture Science 61(8) 670-676 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP10012
Submitted: 13 January 2010  Accepted: 28 June 2010   Published: 13 August 2010

Abstract

Understanding how the biomass production and clone growth of perennial grasses respond to summer warming is crucial for understanding how grassland productivity responds to global warming. Here, we experimentally investigated the effects of summer warming on the biomass production and clonal growth of potted Leymus chinensis in a phytotron. Summer warming significantly decreased the biomass of both parent and daughter shoots, slightly increased the belowground biomass, and lead to a significant increase in root : shoot ratio. Warming significantly increased the total belowground bud number and decreased the daughter shoot number. Importantly, the proportions of each type of bud changed; vertical apical rhizome buds decreased, while horizontal rhizome buds increased in number. The change in proportions of each type of bud is closely related to the decrease in daughter shoot number, rhizome number and length, as well as the decrease in aboveground biomass and increase in belowground biomass. These results indicate that, as a rhizomatous, perennial grass, L. chinensis adopts a selective growth strategy that reduces the energy allocated to aboveground growth and emphasises the development of belowground organs. The implication is that continued summer warming, will further reduce the aboveground biomass production of temperate grasslands dominated by rhizomatous, perennial grasses. Inevitably, species that depend on these grasses for forage will suffer should global climate warming continue.

Additional keywords: biomass production, bud bank, clone growth, Leymus chinensis, summer warming.


Acknowledgments

The research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (30471231). We thank M. S. Hui Yu and M. S. Guang Yang for their help in the laboratory.


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