02239nas a2200205   4500008004100000245007500041210006900116300001300185490000800198520158600206653001701792653001801809653002901827653002701856653002701883100001701910700001701927700002301944856006601967       2012                        eng d00aClimate change alters growing season flux dynamics in mesic grasslands0 aClimate change alters growing season flux dynamics in mesic gras  a427 -4400 v1073 a<p>Changing climate could affect the functioning of grassland ecosystems through variation in climate forcings and by altering the interactions of forcings with ecological processes. Both the short and long-term effects of changing forcings and ecosystem interactions are a critical part of future impacts to ecosystem ecology and hydrology. To explore these interactions and identify possible characteristics of climate change impacts to mesic grasslands, we employ a low-dimensional modeling framework to assess the IPCC A1B scenario projections for the Central Plains of the United States; forcings include increased precipitation variability, increased potential evaporation, and earlier growing season onset. These forcings are also evaluated by simulations of vegetation photosynthetic capacity to explore the seasonal characteristics of the vegetation carbon assimilation response for species at the Konza Prairie in North Central Kansas, USA. The climate change simulations show decreases in mean annual soil moisture and and carbon assimilation and increased variation in water and carbon fluxes during the growing season. Simulations of the vegetation response show increased variation at the species-level instead of at a larger class scale, with important heterogeneity in how individual species respond to climate forcings. Understanding the drivers and relationships behind these ecosystem responses is important for understanding the likely scale of climate change impacts and for exploring the mechanisms shaping growing season dynamics in grassland ecosystems.</p>10aecohydrology10aKonza Prairie10aLow-dimensional modeling10aNonlinear interactions10aSoil moisture feedback1 aPetrie, M.D.1 aBrunsell, N.1 aNippert, Jesse, B.  uhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00704-011-0484-y