JESSICA J. MITCHELL*†, NANCY F. GLENN‡, TEMUULEN T. SANKEY‡, DEWAYNE R. DERRYBERRY§, MATTHEW O. ANDERSON¶ and RYAN C. HRUSKA¶ †Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, USA ‡Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Boise, ID 83702, USA §Department of Mathematics, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA ¶Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, I...

Climate variability, which is expected to increase in the future, can promote coexistence through a mechanism called the storage effect. Currently, we have little understanding of how the importance of the storage effect varies among ecosystems. We tested for the three conditions of the storage effect in a sagebrush steppe plant community in Idaho (USA) by combining long-term observational data...

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Mountainous regions support high plant productivity, diversity, and endemism, yet are highly vulnerable to climate change. Historical records and model predictions show increasing temperatures across high elevation regions including the Southern Rocky Mountains, which can have a strong influence on the performance and distribution of montane plant species. Ra...

Previous work in climatically similar sagebrush steppe, USA and Patagonian steppe, Argentina suggested that a more intense evolutionary history of grazing in Patagonia selected for graminoids of lower forage quality, resulting in a plant community more resistant to livestock grazing. Here we consider whether subtle abiotic differences might create greater water or nutrient limitation in Patagon...

Woodland ecosystems of the world have been changed by land use demands, altered fire regimes, invasive species and climate change. Reduced fire frequency is recognised as a main causative agent for Pinus–Juniperus L. (piñon–juniper) expansion in North American woodlands. Piñon–juniper control measures, including prescribed fire, are increasingly employed to restore sagebrush steppe communities....