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The role of C 3 and C 4 grasses to interannual variability in remotely sensed ecosystem performance over the US Great Plains

C. Ricotta·Bradley C. Reed·Larry L. Tieszen
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Abstract

Time integrated normalized difference vegetation index (ΣNDVI) derived from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) multi-temporal imagery over a 10-year period (1989–1998) was used as a surrogate for primary production to investigate the impact of interannual climate variability on grassland performance for central and northern US Great Plains. First, the contribution of C 3 and C 4 species abundance to the major grassland ecosystems of the US Great Plains is described. Next, the relation between mean ΣNDVI and the ΣNDVI coefficient of variation (CV ΣNDVI) used as a proxy for interannual climate variability is analysed. Results suggest that the differences in the long-term climatic control over ecosystem performance approximately coincide with changes between C 3 - and C 4 -dominant grassland classes. Variation in remotely sensed net primary production over time is higher for the southern and western plains grasslands (primarily C 4 grasslands), whereas the C 3 -dominated classes in the northern and eastern portion of the US Great Plains, generally show lower CV ΣNDVI values.

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C. Ricotta, Bradley C. Reed, Larry L. Tieszen. 2010-07-12. The role of C 3 and C 4 grasses to interannual variability in remotely sensed ecosystem performance over the US Great Plains. https://doi.org/10.1080/0143116031000070454

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