New study suggests grasslands are resilient in the face of climate change – to a point

Dr. Katherine Gross, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station plant ecologist, co-authored a recently published paper that looks at how human activities are affecting grassland species. Gross and her colleagues analyzed 105 grassland experiments around the world, including sites at the KBS Long-term Ecological research site and the Allegan State Game Area, to determine whether global change was altering the composition of grasslands, both in the total number and kinds of plant species present.

The team found that grasslands are able to withstand the pressures of a changing climate for a time. Only about 20% of the experiments that lasted fewer than 10 years showed any changes in plant species present. In longer-term experiments, about half showed changes in the number of plant species, and around 75% had changes in the types of species.

The research team was led by Dr. Kimberly Komatsu, and included former KBS graduate students Emily Grman and Greg Houseman.

Read the original article.

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