Small rainfall pulses affected leaf photosynthesis rather than biomass production of dominant species in semiarid grassland community on Loess Plateau of China.

In the semiarid region Loess Plateau of China, rainfall events, typically characterised as pulses, affect photosynthesis and plant community characteristics. The response of dominant species and grassland community to rainfall pulses was evaluated through a simulation experiment with five pulse sizes (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30mm) in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China in June and August of 2013. The study was conducted in a natural grassland community dominated by Bothrichloa ischaemum (L.