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ysabetwordsmithPrairie plants reveal a hidden defense against climate extremes
It looks peaceful – but these places are basically training grounds for weather whiplash.
A new study says prairies really do have a built-in advantage when the climate gets nasty: biodiversity helps. But it’s not as simple as the old slogan “more species = more resilience.”
The researchers found that different kinds of biodiversity matter depending on the kind of extreme – drought versus flood – and that nuance could matter a lot as heat, floods, and dry spells become more common.
In short: when restoring prairie, more is better when it comes to diversity, but most important is ensuring a mix of species that can tolerate different conditions. This study focused on drought/flood but heat/cold is another. Watch for weedy wildflowers like goldenrod whose weedy toolkit makes them resistant to many threats. The most drought-resistant plant I grow is sunchoke, which thrives even when weeds are dying, is loved by pollinators and birds, and produces edible roots.
It looks peaceful – but these places are basically training grounds for weather whiplash.
A new study says prairies really do have a built-in advantage when the climate gets nasty: biodiversity helps. But it’s not as simple as the old slogan “more species = more resilience.”
The researchers found that different kinds of biodiversity matter depending on the kind of extreme – drought versus flood – and that nuance could matter a lot as heat, floods, and dry spells become more common.
In short: when restoring prairie, more is better when it comes to diversity, but most important is ensuring a mix of species that can tolerate different conditions. This study focused on drought/flood but heat/cold is another. Watch for weedy wildflowers like goldenrod whose weedy toolkit makes them resistant to many threats. The most drought-resistant plant I grow is sunchoke, which thrives even when weeds are dying, is loved by pollinators and birds, and produces edible roots.
