IAI-Science-ISP3-077-010:Patterns of production and precipitation-use-efficiency of winter wheat and native grasslands in the central Great Plains of the USA

Native grasslands and winter wheat are found over a large portion of the precipitation and temperature gradients. In this article, we use long-term data to analyze the differences in the patterns in aboveground net primary production and precipitation-use efficiency between wheat and native grassland ecosystems in the central portion of Great Plains, and their relationships to potential water availability (precipitation).

Aboveground net primary production of native grasslands shows a large response to precipitation. Aboveground net primary production of winter wheat has a smaller response to changing precipitation. Annual precipitation-use efficiency of native grasslands is unaffected by increases in average annual precipitation, but precipitation-use efficiency of summer-fallow wheat ecosystems decreases substantially with increased average precipitation.