Dense roots with low specific root length underpin performance of dryland restoration species under two types of drought

Restoration Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 9, 2025

Trait‐based approaches may improve plant performance in the restoration of drought‐prone landscapes. However, because plants use diverse strategies to cope with drought, traits that underpin differ by drought context. In addition, alter via phenotypic plasticity but whether these adjustments during remains unknown. We completed a greenhouse experiment using five grass and three forb species to: (1) assess how individual multivariate bivariate trait relationships respond moderate severe drought; (2) identify which or axes are associated under both conditions; (3) determine good candidates for settings. Plants reduced root diameter increased tissue density dry matter content response drought. Despite adjustments, was not an important predictor either scenario. Rather, we found high low specific length (i.e., roots per unit mass) performed best conditions. also observed unexpected decoupling aboveground belowground traits; conservative content) were coupled acquisitive leaf area). Our results suggest dryland exhibit unique aboveground–belowground dense be particularly increasingly arid ecosystems.

Language: Английский

Morphological Seed Traits Predict Early Performance of Native Species to Pelletized Seed Enhancement Technologies

Plants, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 13(16), P. 2256 - 2256

Published: Aug. 14, 2024

Native seeds are a finite resource, and their inclusion in revegetation is vital for supporting restoration outcomes that both effective scalable. Pelletized seed enhancement technologies (SETs) offer promising solution to improve use efficiency ecological restoration. Yet, knowledge of how diverse suites native species perform when pelletized required optimize the application SETs many ecosystems where required. Using greenhouse trial 64 Australian plant species, we assessed performance pelleting by evaluating (1) overall amenability based on total emergence survival (2) modifies rate average time emergence, index, spread emergence. We investigated potential using morphological traits (seed endosperm:seed ratio, length, area, coat thickness) predict outcomes, identifying may aid prediction speed pelletized. found some demonstrate high can modify rates species. This work advances our understanding applicability demonstrating such meeting goals.

Language: Английский