Cultivars of popular restoration grass developed for drought do not have higher drought resistance and do not differ in drought-related traits from other accessions
Number of files: 2
Item Metadata
Dublin Core
Title
Cultivars of popular restoration grass developed for drought do not have higher drought resistance and do not differ in drought-related traits from other accessions
Description
Numerous functional traits have been identified as key contributors to plant performance under drought. However, many of these traits, specifically root traits, are rarely considered in the development of native plant cultivars. In this study, we assessed whether cultivars of the perennial grass Elymus trachycaulus (Slender wheatgrass) developed for drought differ in (a) drought resistance (i.e. a plant's ability to maintain aboveground biomass productivity under water deficit), (b) aboveground and belowground traits, and (c) trait responses to drought from other accessions (i.e. other cultivars, wild accessions). We also evaluated trait plasticity, assessed whether multivariate trait relationships varied between control and drought conditions, and determined which suites of traits are related to drought resistance. We worked with seedlings at two developmental stages to assess whether patterns vary ontogenetically. E. trachycaulus cultivars developed for drought did not differ from other accessions in drought resistance or traits related to drought-coping strategies. The effects of drought and accession on drought resistance, traits, and trait plasticity varied by developmental stage, but relationships among traits varied little between the two developmental stages. A primary axis of functional variation related to resource acquisition (plant height, root length, root tips) was consistently associated with drought resistance. However, which secondary axes were related to drought resistance varied by developmental stage and moisture condition. Our results suggest that traits and performance of commonly used cultivars ought to be reexamined to determine whether they are actually the best candidates for revegetation projects in specific contexts.
Bibliographic Citation
Garbowski, M., D. B. Johnston, and C. S. Brown. 2021. Cultivars of popular restoration grass developed for drought do not have higher drought resistance and do not differ in drought‐related traits from other accessions. Restoration Ecology 29:e13415. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13415
Creator
Garbowski, Magda
Johnston, Danielle B.
Brown, Cynthia S.
Subject
Cultivars
Drought strategies
Functional traits
Intraspecific trait variation
Ontogeny
Root traits
Extent
12 pages
Date Created
2021-04-15
Type
Article
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Is Part Of
Restoration Ecology
Collection
Citation
Garbowski, Magda, Johnston, Danielle B., and Brown, Cynthia S., “Cultivars of popular restoration grass developed for drought do not have higher drought resistance and do not differ in drought-related traits from other accessions,” CPW Digital Collections, accessed March 12, 2025, https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/items/show/209.