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ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #362062
Research Project: Contributions of Climate, Soils, Species Diversity, and Management to Sustainable Crop, Grassland, and Livestock Production Systems

Location: Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory

Title: Bloom and bust: Ecological consequences of precipitation variability in aridlands

Author
item POTTS, DANIEL - Buffalo State College
item BARRON-GAFFORD, GREG - University Of Arizona
item BUTTERFIELD, BRADLEY - Northern Arizona University
item Fay, Philip
item HULTINE, KEVIN - Desert Botanical Garden

Submitted to: Plant Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2019
Publication Date: 2/20/2019
Citation: Potts, D.L., Barron-Gafford, G.A., Butterfield, B.J., Fay, P.A., Hultine, K.R. 2019. Bloom and bust: Ecological consequences of precipitation variability in aridlands. Plant Ecology. 220(2):135-139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-019-00915-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-019-00915-2

Interpretive Summary: This paper serves as the Editorial Notes accompanying the collection of papers assembled in the special issue of Plant Ecology titled ‘Bloom and Bust: ecological consequences of precipitation variability in aridlands’. The paper describes the conceptual basis for understanding the effects of precipitation variability on arid ecosystems, which are by definition limited by the amount of precipitation they receive. We describe how the assembled papers fit in a conceptual model relating precipitation variability to plant traits that predict the persistence and productivity of ecosystems. Together these papers identify important conceptual linkages between field and model-based research and identify important gaps for future investigation.

Technical Abstract: This paper serves as the Editorial Notes accompanying the collection of papers assembled in the special issue of Plant Ecology titled ‘Bloom and Bust: ecological consequences of precipitation variability in aridlands’. The paper describes the conceptual basis for understanding the effects of precipitation variability on arid ecosystems, which are by definition limited by the amount of precipitation they receive. We describe how the assembled papers fit in a conceptual model relating precipitation variability to plant traits that predict the persistence and productivity of ecosystems. Together these papers identify important conceptual linkages between field and model-based research and identify important gaps for future investigation.