Abstract
To assess the reaction of Alpine grasslands to drought, we investigated two different types of grassland seed mixtures (permanent meadow for dry and humid sites) in a lysimeter experiment at the long term socio-ecological research (LTSER) site ‘Stubai Valley’, Tyrol, Austria. Grasland being exposed to extended drought during growth period showed reduced evapotranspiration and reduced biomass production. Due to different proportions of species with conservative and exploitative strategies, we had expected differences in the water-use strategies of the two grassland seed mixtures. But against expectations, the two vegetation types did not differ significantly in their reaction to drought.