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Limitation of Grassland Productivity by Low Temperature and Seasonality of Growth
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2016-07-27
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Wingler A and Hennessy D (2016) Limitation of Grassland Productivity by Low Temperature and Seasonality of Growth. Front. Plant Sci. 7:1130. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01130
Abstract
The productivity of temperate grassland is limited by the response of plants to low
temperature, affecting winter persistence and seasonal growth rates. During the winter,
the growth of perennial grasses is restricted by a combination of low temperature
and the lack of available light, but during early spring low ground temperature is the
main limiting factor. Once temperature increases, growth is stimulated, resulting in
a peak in growth in spring before growth rates decline later in the season. Growth
is not primarily limited by the ability to photosynthesize, but controlled by active
regulatory processes that, e.g., enable plants to restrict growth and conserve resources
for cold acclimation and winter survival. An insufficient ability to cold acclimate can
affect winter persistence, thereby also reducing grassland productivity. While some
mechanistic knowledge is available that explains how low temperature limits plant
growth, the seasonal mechanisms that promote growth in response to increasing spring
temperatures but restrict growth later in the season are only partially understood. Here,
we assess the available knowledge of the physiological and signaling processes that
determine growth, including hormonal effects, on cellular growth and on carbohydrate
metabolism. Using data for grass growth in Ireland, we identify environmental factors
that limit growth at different times of the year. Ideas are proposed how developmental
factors, e.g., epigenetic changes, can lead to seasonality of the growth response to
temperature. We also discuss perspectives for modeling grass growth and breeding to
improve grassland productivity in a changing climate.