Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Global Change and Photosynthesis Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #281623

Title: Urgent need for basic treatment data to make precipitation manipulation experiments comparable

Author
item VICCA, S - University Of Antwerp
item GILGEN, A - Eth Zurich
item CAMINO SERRANO, M - University Of Bern
item DREESEN, F - University Of Antwerp
item DUKES, J - Purdue University
item ESTIARTE, M - Autonomous University Of Barcelona
item GRAY, S - University Of Illinois
item GUIDOLOTTI, G - University Of Tuscia
item LEAKEY, A D B - University Of Illinois
item OGAYA, R - Autonomous University Of Barcelona
item Ort, Donald
item OSTROGOVIC, M - Croation Forest Research Institute
item RAMBAL, S - National Center For Scientific Research
item SARDANS, J - Autonomous University Of Barcelona
item SCHMITT, M - University Of Innsbruck
item SIEBERS, M - University Of Illinois
item VAN DER LINDEN, L - Australian Water Quality Centre
item VAN STRAATEN, O - Goettingen University
item GRANIER, A - Nancy-Universite

Submitted to: New Phytologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/3/2012
Publication Date: 6/27/2012
Citation: Vicca, S., Gilgen, A.K., Camino Serrano, M., Dreesen, F.E., Dukes, J.S., Estiarte, M., Gray, S.B., Guidolotti, G., Leakey, A., Ogaya, R., Ort, D.R., Ostrogovic, M., Rambal, S., Sardans, J., Schmitt, M., Siebers, M., Van Der Linden, L., Van Straaten, O., Granier, A. 2012. Urgent need for basic treatment data to make precipitation manipulation experiments comparable. New Phytologist. 195(3):518:522.

Interpretive Summary: Effects of climatic change on ecosystem functioning have been an important research topic during the past decades. Effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and increasing temperatures are being intensively studied and synthesized. Consequences of altered precipitation patterns, in contrast, have received far less attention. Results of water manipulation experiments were only recently synthesized for the first time, and the conclusions that can be drawn regarding global patterns remain preliminary. In general, reductions in water inputs slow ecosystem processes, while increased rainfall enhances plant productivity, but it remains unclear how this response differs among ecosystems.

Technical Abstract: Differences in ecosystem process responses between experiments imposing the same manipulation remain attributable to differences in the perceived magnitude of the treatment as well as to differences in biological factors. Conversely, similar responses across sites could either indicate similar process responses and perceived water stress, or offsetting differences in ecosystem process responses and perceived stress. Despite these problems, available data dictate that cross-site analyses focus on precipitation differences at this time. Analyses based on precipitation data are useful in that they are easily compared with model results. However, because of the reasons highlighted above, it is important to recognize that extrapolations are highly uncertain.