Asking the pikas politely…
Climate change is leading to shifts in precipitation, including longer and more severe droughts. Perennial wildflowers in subalpine dry meadows are affected by current and potentially future droughts in the Rocky Mountains, and several species have shown phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental factors such as temperature, snowmelt date, and soil moisture. I compared the floral size and number of seeds between control and rainout-covered transects for the three plant species Delphinium nuttallianum, Eremogone (Arenaria) congesta, and Erigeron flagellaris. I found no significant difference between treatments in the flower size, nectar tube depth, or inflorescence height of any focal species. Seed set also did not vary significantly between rainout and control transects, and I did not find a correlation between floral size and seed set. These results do not indicate that the plants’ reproduction is negatively impacted by increased drought stress beyond that already present in the year of study.
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