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Twelve Years Of High-Resolution Near-Surface Radiometer Data Provides Insight Into End-Of-Season Controls In A Dry Grassland, Lynn M. Moore, William K. Lauenroth

Western North American Naturalist

The onset of plant dormancy has proven difficult to explain in nearly all ecosystems. Most research has focused on the end-of-season dynamics of deciduous ecosystems, where leaf coloration and leaf fall are the primary phenological responses. More complex are the end-of-season dynamics of grasslands, where the mechanism of dormancy is a gradual response to climatic variables. These complications are magnified in dry grasslands, where the effects of temperature on phenology are modulated by the availability of soil water. Our objectives were to identify the primary drivers influencing the timing of end of season on the shortgrass steppe and determine if …