Vegetative Reproduction and Bud Bank Dynamics of the Perennial Grass Andropogon gerardii in Mixedgrass and Tallgrass Prairie

Plant species with wide distributions may differ in their population dynamics across their range, especially in contrasting habitats. Most tiller recruitment of perennial grasses occurs vegetatively from the belowground bud bank rather than from seed. Seed reproduction often occurs under a narrower range of environmental conditions than vegetative reproduction. As a result flowering and seedling recruitment patterns of a species often differ between contrasting habitats and across its range. How vegetative reproduction and bud bank dynamics of a species vary between contrasting habitats has not been well studied and could explain the differences in its persistence and productivity between habitats. Therefore, the vegetative reproduction and dynamics of Andropogon gerardii, a dominant C4 perennial grass of the Great Plains of North America, were compared between tallgrass and northern mixedgrass prairie habitats. Bud production and tiller recruitment in 10 populations were examined throughout an a...