TY - JOUR
T1 - Extreme heat and drought did not affect interspecific interactions between dune grasses
AU - Lammers, Carlijn
AU - Berghuis, Paul M. J.
AU - Mayor, Angeles G.
AU - Reijers, Valerie C.
AU - Rietkerk, Max
AU - van der Heide, Tjisse
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/12/30
Y1 - 2024/12/30
N2 - The frequency of extreme climatic events, such as storm and heatwaves, is predicted to increase because of climate change. Understanding interactions between species in environmental extremes plays a vital role in predicting ecosystem resilience. In this study, we examined how heat and drought combined with interspecific interactions between pioneer dune builder sand couch (Thinopyrum junceiforme) and primary foredune builder marram grass (Calamagrostis arenaria) affected growth and survival of the latter species in an embryonic dune system. In a 4-week field experiment, we transplanted marram grass within sand couch patches or on bare sediment. This plant interaction treatment was combined with a compound heat and drought treatment that was simulated with greenhouses that inhibited rainfall and increased temperatures (average daily maximum temperature +4 °C). Results show that the presence of sand couch significantly reduced growth (i.e., formation of new shoots, shoot and root length and aboveground biomass) of marram grass. By contrast, the heat and drought treatment had no significant effects on growth or survival of marram grass, irrespective of species interactions. The neutral response suggests that even in its early establishment marram grass is highly heat and drought resistant. Since the competitive interaction between sand couch and establishing marram grass did not change under pressure of an extreme heat and drought event, we expect that these factors do not affect embryonic dune development.
AB - The frequency of extreme climatic events, such as storm and heatwaves, is predicted to increase because of climate change. Understanding interactions between species in environmental extremes plays a vital role in predicting ecosystem resilience. In this study, we examined how heat and drought combined with interspecific interactions between pioneer dune builder sand couch (Thinopyrum junceiforme) and primary foredune builder marram grass (Calamagrostis arenaria) affected growth and survival of the latter species in an embryonic dune system. In a 4-week field experiment, we transplanted marram grass within sand couch patches or on bare sediment. This plant interaction treatment was combined with a compound heat and drought treatment that was simulated with greenhouses that inhibited rainfall and increased temperatures (average daily maximum temperature +4 °C). Results show that the presence of sand couch significantly reduced growth (i.e., formation of new shoots, shoot and root length and aboveground biomass) of marram grass. By contrast, the heat and drought treatment had no significant effects on growth or survival of marram grass, irrespective of species interactions. The neutral response suggests that even in its early establishment marram grass is highly heat and drought resistant. Since the competitive interaction between sand couch and establishing marram grass did not change under pressure of an extreme heat and drought event, we expect that these factors do not affect embryonic dune development.
KW - Calamagrostis arenaria
KW - Climate change
KW - Drought
KW - Embryonic dunes
KW - Heat
KW - Thinopyrum junceiforme
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85208662471&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109020
DO - 10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109020
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85208662471
SN - 0272-7714
VL - 311
JO - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
JF - Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
M1 - 109020
ER -