2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Study on the resilience of a Mongolian grassland ecosystem from an experimental drought
| Project/Area Number |
16405002
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Environmental impact assessment/Environmental policy
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| Research Institution | Tottori University (2006)
Tokyo Metropolitan University (2004-2005) |
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Principal Investigator |
SHINODA Masato Tottori University, Arid Land Research Center, Professor, 乾燥地研究センター, 教授 (30211957)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSUNEKAWA Astushi Tottori University, Arid Land Research Center, Professor, 乾燥地研究センター, 教授 (60227452)
TAMURA Kenji University of Tsukuba, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Associate Professor, 大学院応用生物化学系, 助教授 (70211373)
KIMURA Keiji Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Associate Professor, 大学院情報科学研究所, 助教授 (30294276)
NAKANO Tomoko Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Urban Environmental Sciences, Research Associate, 大学院都市環境科学研究科, 助手 (70295468)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
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| Keywords | drought / grassland ecosystem / atmosphere-land interaction / Mongolia / evapotranspiration / soil moisture / field experiment / resilience |
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| Research Abstract |
Recently, droughts have become widespread in the Northern Hemisphere continent, having a substantial effect on Mongolian grasslands in the quantitative (such as biomass) and qualitative (such as phenology) aspects. In order to investigate the ecosystem response to such a drought, an artificial drought experiment (DREX) with a rainout shelter was conducted at Bayan Unjuul (105.95°E, 47.04°N) in the typical steppe region during the growing summer rainy season of 2005. The present drought experiment is the first attempt in the Asian dryland. Results showed that the drought manipulation with a dry spell that occurs statistically once in half-one century resulted in drastic reductions in aboveground biomass (AGB), soil moisture, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen, but not in a significant reduction in underground biomass (UGB). This drought impact was followed by a quick recovery in the AGB in the late summer of 2006, likely on the basis of the UGB having a biomass several times as much as the AGB. However, the drought-sensitive species, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen have not yet revealed recovery as prior to the drought, suggesting the different time scales of responses for each ecosystem element.
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