Effects of clipping and fertilization on the temporal dynamics of species diversity and functional diversity and their relationships in an alpine meadow

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2015.0343

Abstract

Abstract: Aims

Strong disturbance and environment stress have significant influence on species diversity (SD) and functional diversity (FD) in plant community. However, the changes in SD, FD and their relationships over time remain controversial. Previous studies showed that the SD-FD relationship along disturbance gradients can represent positive correlation, negative correlation and/or sigmoid curve, respectively. Our aim here is to explore the temporal dynamics patterns of SD and FD in a community experienced disturbance. Particularly, we explored how specific disturbance factor and/or disturbance intensity affect the SD-FD relationship over time.

Methods

The experiment was conducted in the alpine Kobresia humilis meadow at Haibei Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with clipping (unclipping, stubbled 3 cm and 1 cm) and fertilizing (12.75 g·m^-2·a^-1urea + 3.06 g·m^-2·a^-1ammonium phosphate) treatments from 2007 to 2013. GLMRMANOVA regression analysis and ANCOVA were used for analyzing the effects of different treatment factors and their interaction on SD, FD, the patterns of temporal dynamics of SD and FD and their relationship over time.

Important findings

SD and FD significantly increase with increasing clipping intensity. In contrast, fertilization decreased SD and increased feebly FD. During the experiment period, SD declined with time while FD increased. The SD-FD relationship was positively correlated in unclipped and moderate clipped plots, but was not correlated in heavy clipped plots. The slope of SD(x)-FD(y) relationship declined with the increase in clipping intensity. In contrast, fertilization did not change the shape and slope of the SD(x)-FD(y) relationship. The effects of the interaction of clipping and fertilization on SD and FD were not significant, and the slope changes along clipping gradients were identical in fertilized and unfertilized plots. These results suggest that clipping disturbance may induce trait divergence rather than trait convergence in this meadow community, while the strong interspecific competition resulted from fertilizing may not significantly intensify the trait divergence. These findings were inconsistent with the predictions of plant community assembly theory. Compared with fertilizing disturbance, clipping disturbance should play a more important role in shaping the SD-FD relationship.

Key words: clipping, fertilization, plant functional traits, species diversity, functional diversity

Bin-Bin KONG, Xin-Hua WEI, Jia-Li DU, Ying-Nian LI, Zhi-Hong ZHU. Effects of clipping and fertilization on the temporal dynamics of species diversity and functional diversity and their relationships in an alpine meadow[J]. Chin J Plan Ecolo, 2016, 40(3): 187-199.

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Figures/Tables 7

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变异来源¹⁾ Source of variance¹⁾		自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾	SD		FD
变异来源¹⁾ Source of variance¹⁾		自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾	F-test	p	F-test	p
协变量 Covariable	D₂₀₀₇	1, 1	21.098	<0.001^**	8.431	0.005^*
主区 Whole plot	C B	2, 2 2, 2	19.802 0.220	<0.001^** 0.803	21.050 1.134	<0.001^** 0.326
副区 Subplot	F C × F C × B	1, 1 2, 2 4, 4	6.856 0.313 3.341	0.010^* 0.732 0.013^*	3.490 1.868 2.479	0.065^† 0.160 0.049^*

变异来源¹⁾ Source of variance¹⁾		自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾	SD		FD
变异来源¹⁾ Source of variance¹⁾		自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾	F-test	p	F-test	p
协变量 Covariable	D₂₀₀₇	1, 1	21.098	<0.001^**	8.431	0.005^*
主区 Whole plot	C B	2, 2 2, 2	19.802 0.220	<0.001^** 0.803	21.050 1.134	<0.001^** 0.326
副区 Subplot	F C × F C × B	1, 1 2, 2 4, 4	6.856 0.313 3.341	0.010^* 0.732 0.013^*	3.490 1.868 2.479	0.065^† 0.160 0.049^*

群落¹⁾ Community¹⁾	SD			FD		自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾
群落¹⁾ Community¹⁾	F	p		F	p	自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾
NC-NF NC-F MC-NF MC-F HC-NF HC-F	10.319 132.360 14.392 91.636 13.920 55.714	0.002^* <0.001^ 0.001^ <0.001^ <0.001^ <0.001^**		11.652 1.310 28.214 10.884 40.676 24.987	0.001^* 0.255 <0.001^ 0.001^ <0.001^ <0.001^	(5,10)

群落¹⁾ Community¹⁾	SD			FD		自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾
群落¹⁾ Community¹⁾	F	p		F	p	自由度 Degree of freedom (m, n)²⁾
NC-NF NC-F MC-NF MC-F HC-NF HC-F	10.319 132.360 14.392 91.636 13.920 55.714	0.002^* <0.001^ 0.001^ <0.001^ <0.001^ <0.001^**		11.652 1.310 28.214 10.884 40.676 24.987	0.001^* 0.255 <0.001^ 0.001^ <0.001^ <0.001^	(5,10)

物种名称 Species name	性状及其分类状态 Trait name and their classification states
	生长型 Growth form	植物类群 Plant groups	生活周期 Life cycle	植物倾斜度 Plant inclination	主要繁殖方式 Main reproduction modes
	1 =散生 Scattered 2 =丛生 Bunched 3 =密丛生 Closely bunched	1 =禾草科 Gramineae 2 =莎草科 Cyperaceae 3 =豆科 Leguminosae 4 =杂类草 Forbs	0 =非多年生 Not perennial 1 =多年生 Perennial	1 =伏卧状 Prostrate 2 =莲座状 Rosette 3 =直立 Erect	0 =有性繁殖 Sexual reproduction 1 =营养繁殖 Vegetative propagation
披碱草 Elymus nutans	2	1	1	3	0
异针茅 Stipa aliena	3	1	1	3	1
矮生嵩草 Kobresia humilis	3	2	1	2	1
糙喙薹草 Carex scabrirostris	2	2	1	2	1
羊茅 Festuca ovina	3	1	1	3	1
早熟禾 Poa annua	2	1	0	3	0
草 Koeleria cristata	3	1	1	3	0
圆萼刺参 Morina chinensis	1	4	1	2	0
麻花艽 Gentiana straminea	1	4	1	1	0
美丽风毛菊 Saussurea pulchra	1	4	1	1	0
萎软紫菀 Aster flaccidus	1	4	1	2	0
肉果草 Lancea tibetica	1	4	1	1	0
钝苞雪莲 Saussurea nigrescens	1	4	1	2	0
高山唐松草 Thalictrum alpinum	1	4	1	2	0
雪白委陵菜 Potentilla nivea	1	4	1	2	1
芸香叶唐松草 Thalictrum rutifolium	1	4	1	3	0
高山豆 Tibetia himalaica	1	3	1	2	1
委陵菜 Potentilla chinensis	1	4	1	2	1
短腺小米草 Euphrasia regelii	1	4	1	3	0
青海苜蓿 Medicago archiducrisnicolai	1	3	1	2	1
湿地繁缕 Stellaria uda	1	4	0	2	1
钝裂银莲花 Anemone obtusiloba	1	4	1	2	1
皱边喉毛花 Comastoma polycladum	1	4	1	3	1
海乳草 Glaux maritima	1	4	1	3	1
二裂委陵菜 Potentilla bifurca	1	4	1	2	1
蒌蒿 Artemisia selengensis	1	4	1	3	0
蒲公英 Taraxacum mongolicum	1	4	1	1	1
灰果蒲公英 Taraxacum maurocarpum	1	4	1	1	1
黄芪 Astragalus sp.	1	3	1	2	1
甘肃棘豆 Oxytropis kansuensis	1	3	1	2	1
黄花棘豆 Oxytropis ochrocephala	1	3	1	2	1
宽苞棘豆 Oxytropis latibracteata	1	3	1	2	1
矮火绒草 Leontopodium nanum	2	4	1	1	1
美丽毛茛 Ranunculus pulchellus	1	4	1	3	0
棉毛茛 Ranunculus membranaceus	1	4	1	3	0
西伯利亚蓼 Polygonum sibiricum	1	4	1	3	0
三脉梅花草 Parnassia trinervis	1	4	1	3	0
细叶亚菊 Ajania tenuifolia	1	4	1	3	0
刺芒龙胆 Gentiana aristata	1	4	0	2	1
线叶龙胆 Gentiana lawrencei	1	4	1	2	1
偏翅龙胆 Gentiana pudica	1	4	0	2	1
双柱头针蔺 Trichophorum distigmaticum	1	2	1	3	1
甘肃马先蒿 Pedicularis kansuensis	1	4	0	3	1
琴盔马先蒿 Pedicularis lyrata	1	4	0	3	1
乳白香青 Anaphalis lactea	2	4	0	2	1
铃铃香青 Anaphalis hancockii	2	4	0	2	1
湿生扁蕾 Gentianopsis paludosa	1	4	0	3	1
珠芽蓼 Polygonum viviparum	1	4	1	3	0
鸢尾 Iris tectorum	1	4	1	3	0
西藏沙棘 Hippophae tibetana	1	4	1	3	0
细蝇子草 Sliene gracilicaulis	1	4	1	2	1
藏异燕麦 Helictotrichon tibeticum	2	1	0	3	1
微孔草 Microula sikkimensis	2	4	0	3	0
刺果猪殃殃 Galium echinocarpum	1	4	0	2	1
双叉细柄茅 Ptilagrostis dichotoma	3	1	0	3	1
箭叶橐吾 Ligularia sagitta	1	4	1	3	0
黄帚橐吾 Ligularia virgaurea	1	4	1	3	0
披针叶野决明 Thermopsis lanceolata	1	4	1	3	0
草地老鹳草 Geranium pratense	2	4	1	3	0
黑柴胡 Bupleurum smithii	2	4	1	3	0
宽叶羌活 Notopterygium franchetii	1	4	1	3	0
香薷 Elsholtzia ciliata	1	4	0	3	0
蓝翠雀花 Delphinium caeruleum	1	4	1	3	0
矮生忍冬 Lonicera rupicola	2	4	1	3	0
长果婆婆纳 Veronica ciliata	1	4	1	3	0
鳞茎堇菜 Viola bulbosa	1	4	1	1	0
发草 Deschampsia cespitosa	3	1	1	3	0
露蕊乌头 Aconitum gymnandrum	1	4	0	3	0
小叶金露梅 Potentilla parvifolia	1	4	0	3	0
鸟足毛茛 Ranunculus brotherusii	1	4	1	3	0
四数獐牙菜 Swertia tetraptera	1	4	1	3	1
美花草 Callianthemum pimpinelloides	1	4	1	3	0
车前 Plantago asiatica	1	4	1	1	0