Plasticity of plant silicon and nitrogen concentrations in response to water regimes varies across temperate grassland species

Temperate grasslands exhibit strong spatial and temporal variation in water regimes. Thus, grassland plants experience potentially stressful regimes, which may influence their tissue silicon (Si) nitrogen (N) concentrations. Plant Si N concentrations play important ecological roles temperate grasslands, for example, by influencing plant performance herbivory, yet comparisons of species' responses to a broad range including drought, waterlogging flooding, are lacking. We conducted mesocosm experiment with 10 species two life-forms (grasses forbs) exposed four different soil regimes (drought, benign control, waterlogged flooded conditions), analysed Grasses showed lower under drought flooding compared the control highest emerged waterlogging. Overall, grasses were more uniform, while forbs, varied both direction magnitude across species. For concentrations, all half exhibited decreasing and/or flooding. The especially induced changes rankings stronger shifts forbs than grasses. Our results indicate that might be highly species-specific but similar grasses, whereas likely relatively uniform life-forms. plasticity we observed have pervasive consequences processes, such as herbivory. Read free Plain Language Summary this article on Journal blog.