SLP01 Leaf physiology in response to fire and climate within Cornus drummondii shrubs at Konza prairie

Woody encroachment threatens the loss of remaining grasslands. Clonal shrubs are of particular concern because of their ability to resprout after disturbance, spread vegetatively, and share resources among interconnected stems. These traits contribute to the encroachment of deep-rooted clonal shrubs in tallgrass prairie. In this study, we investigated how leaf physiological traits differ among interconnected stems within a dominant encroaching shrub in tallgrass prairie, Cornus drummondii. Accounting for intra-clonal differences among stems in response to disturbance may be useful to more accurately parameterize models that predict the effects of shrub encroachment on ecosystem processes. Gas exchange rates, water potential, carbon isotopes, and leaf traits were collected from the periphery to the center of discrete C. drummondii shrubs. Measurements took place in the summers of 2015 and 2018