Traits link drought resistance with herbivore defence and plant economics in semi‐arid grasslands: The central roles of phenology and leaf dry matter content

• Published in: The Journal of ecology Vol. 108; no. 6; pp. 2336 - 2351
• Main Authors: Blumenthal, Dana M., Mueller, Kevin E., Kray, Julie A., Ocheltree, Troy W., Augustine, David J., Wilcox, Kevin R., Cornelissen, Hans
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Aridity; Avoidance; Avoidance behaviour; Cellulose; climate; Climate effects; Climate prediction; Drought; drought escape; Drought resistance; drought tolerance; Dry matter; Dry matter content; Economics; ecosystems; forage quality; Grasslands; herbivore defence; Herbivores; Herbivory; Land management; leaf dry matter content; Leaves; mixed-grass prairies; mixedgrass prairie; nitrogen; North America; Osmotic potential; osmotic pressure; phenology; Phosphorus; plant economics; Plant species; semi‐arid grasslands; Senescence; shortgrass steppe; Species; Steppes; North America

Despite progress in trait‐based ecology, there is limited understanding of the plant traits that structure semi‐arid grasslands. In particular, it remains unclear how traits that enable plants to cope with water limitation are related to traits that influence other key functions such as herbivore de...