Effects of N addition on ecological stoichiometric characteristics in six dominant plant species of alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2014.00020

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Our purpose was to characterize the effects of nitrogen (N) addition on plant carbon (C), N, phosphorus (P), and C:N:P ecological stoichiometric characteristics in six dominant plant species, including Kobresia myosuroides, Elymus nutans, Anemone rivularis, Pedicularis kansuensis, Potentilla fragarioides and Oxytropis ochrocephala, of alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China.
Methods N was added at four levels. Concentrations of C, N and P were measured, and C:N:P was estimated in the six plant species following the N addition treatments.
Important findings Significant differences in leaf N and P concentrations existed among the six species under natural conditions. The N and P concentrations were highest in O. ochrocephala, at 24.5 and 2.51 g·kg^-1, respectively. The leaf N concentration was significantly lower and leaf P concentration was significantly higher in O. ochrocephala than in legume plants of other grasslands in China. Leaf N and P concentrations in the other five species were in the ranges of 11.5-18.1 and 1.49-1.72 g·kg ^-1, respectively. Kokresia myosuroides had the lowest N concentrations and E. nutans had the lowest P concentrations; they were significantly lower than the non-legume plants in other grasslands in China (p < 0.001). P and C concentrations did not respond to N addition in all the six plant species, but N concentration significantly increased with N addition in five species other than O. ochrocephala, which did not respond to N addition. Values of the N:P varied in the range of 7.3-11.2 in treatment without N addition, indicating that the plant growth was limited by N in the alpine meadow. Values of the N:P increased and were greater than 16 with N addition in five species other than O. ochrocephala, indicating that N addition induced P deficiency in these five species. Our results point to very low leaf N concentration and limitation of N on plant growth in alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China, but different species had different responses to N addition. The legume plant O. ochrocephala was not susceptible to N addition, but leaf N concentration in other five plant species was increased by N addition. Findings in this study highlight the importance for fertilization and management of alpine meadow.

Key words: alpine meadow, community dominant species, ecological stoichiometry, N addition, N:P

BIN Zhen-Jun, WANG Jing-Jing, ZHANG Wen-Peng, XU Dang-Hui, CHENG Xue-Han, LI Ke-Jie, CAO De-Hao. Effects of N addition on ecological stoichiometric characteristics in six dominant plant species of alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2014, 38(3): 231-237.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2014.00020

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2014/V38/I3/231

Figures/Tables 5

References 23

[1]	An Z, Niu DC, Wen HY, Yang Y, Zhang HR, Fu H (2011). Stipa bungeana of steppe grasslands in the Loess Plateau, China. Effects of N addition on nutrient resorption efficiency and C:N:P stoichiometric characteristics in Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 35, 801-807. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 安卓, 牛得草, 文海燕, 杨益, 张洪荣, 傅华 (2011). 氮素添加对黄土高原典型草原长芒草氮磷重吸收率及C:N:P化学计量特征的影响. 植物生态学报, 35, 801-807.]
[2]	Chu CJ, Maestre FT, Xiao S, Weiner J, Wang YS, Duan ZH, Wang G (2008). Balance between facilitation and resource competition determines biomass-density relationships in plant populations. Ecology Letters, 11, 1189-1197.
[3]	Elser JJ, Sterner RW, Gorokhova E, Fagan WF, Markow TA, Cotner JB, Harrison JF, Hobbie SE, Odell GM, Weider LJ (2000). Biological stoichiometry from genes to ecosystems. Ecology Letters, 3, 540-550.
[4]	Gallardo A, Covelo F (2005). Spatial pattern and scale of leaf N and P concentration in a Quereus robur population. Plant and Soil, 273, 269-277.
[5]	Güsewell S (2004). N:P ratios in terrestrial plants: variation and functional significance. New Phytologist, 164, 243-266.
[6]	Han WX, Fang JY, Guo DL, Zhang Y (2005). Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry across 753 terrestrial plant species in China. New Phytologist, 168, 377-385.
[7]	Hannaway DB, Shuler PE (1993). Nitrogen fertilization in alfalfa production. Journal of Production Agriculture, 6, 80-85.
[8]	He JS, Wang L, Flynn DFB, Wang XP, Ma WH, Fang JY (2008). Leaf nitrogen: phosphorus stoichiometry across Chinese grassland biomes. Oecologia, 155, 301-310.
[9]	Hedin LO (2004). Global organization of terrestrial plant-nutrient interactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101, 10849-10850.
[10]	Jenkins MB, Bottomley PJ (1984). Seasonal response of uninoculated alfalfa to N fertilizer: soil N, nodule turnover, and symbiotic effectiveness of Rhizobium meliloti. Agronomy Journal, 76, 959-963.
[11]	Ji YJ (2006). Effects of nitrogen on the grass yield of Qinghai alpine meadow. Pratacultural Science, 23, 26-29. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 纪亚君 (2006). 青海高寒草甸施氮肥增产效应浅析. 草业科学, 23, 26-29.]
[12]	Koerselman W, Meuleman AFM (1996). The vegetation N:P ratio: a new tool to detect the nature of nutrient limitation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 33, 1441-1450.
[13]	Lü XT, Cui Q, Wang QB, Han XG (2011). Nutrient resorption response to fire and nitrogen addition in a semi-arid grassland. Ecological Engineering, 37, 534-538. DOI URL
[14]	Reich PB, Oleksyn J (2004). Global patterns of plant leaf N and P in relation to temperature and latitude. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 101, 11001-11006.
[15]	Ren QJ, Luo YJ, Wang HY, Liu JM (2004). Restoration of degraded typical alpine meadowland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau―effect of fertilizing and cutting on grassland quality. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 13, 43-49. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 仁青吉, 罗燕江, 王海洋, 刘金梅 (2004). 青藏高原典型高寒草甸退化草地的恢复——施肥刈割对草地质量的影响. 草业学报, 13, 43-49.]
[16]	Ren ZW, Li Q, Chu CJ, Zhao LQ, Zhang JQ, Ai DXC, Yang YB, Wang G (2010). Effects of resource additions on species richness and ANPP in an alpine meadow community. Journal of Plant Ecology, 3, 25-31.
[17]	Song YT, Zhou DW, Li Q, Wang P, Huang YX (2012). Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry in 80 herbaceous plant species of Songnen grassland in Northeast China. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 36, 222-230. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 宋彦涛, 周道玮, 李强, 王平, 黄迎新 (2012). 松嫩草地80种草本植物叶片氮磷化学计量特征. 植物生态学报, 36, 222-230.]
[18]	Sterner RW, Elser JJ (2002). Ecological Stoichiometry: the Biology of Elements from Molecules to the Biosphere Princeton University Press: Princeton.
[19]	Tessier JT, Raynal DJ (2003). Use of nitrogen to phosphorus ratios in plant tissue as an indicator of nutrient limitation and nitrogen saturation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 40, 523-534.
[20]	Tilman D, Knops J, Wedin D, Reich P, Ritchie M, Siemann E (1997). The influence of functional diversity and composition on ecosystem processes. Science, 277, 1300-1302.
[21]	Tjoelker MG, Craine JM, Wedin D, Reich PB, Tilman D (2005). Linking leaf and root trait syndromes among 39 grassland and savannah species. New Phytologist, 167, 493-508.
[22]	Yang K, Huang JH, Dong D, He JS (2010). Canopy leaf N and P stoichiometry in grassland communities of Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau, China. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 34, 17-22. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 杨阔, 黄建辉, 董丹, 贺金生 (2010). 青藏高原草地植物群落冠层叶片氮磷化学计量学分析. 植物生态学报, 34, 17-22.]
[23]	Zeng DH, Cheng GS (2005). Ecological stoichiometry: a science to explore the complexity of living systems. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica, 29, 1007-1019. (in Chinese with English abstract)
	[ 曾德慧, 陈广生 (2005). 生态化学计量学: 复杂生命系统奥秘的探索. 植物生态学报, 29, 1007-1019.]

土层 Soil layer (cm)	有机质 Organic matter (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	全磷 Total phosphorus (g·kg^-1)	pH
0-15	70.5	3.72	0.984	6.33
15-30	36.3	1.95	0.712	6.44
30-45	24.0	1.23	0.618	6.63

土层 Soil layer (cm)	有机质 Organic matter (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	全磷 Total phosphorus (g·kg^-1)	pH
0-15	70.5	3.72	0.984	6.33
15-30	36.3	1.95	0.712	6.44
30-45	24.0	1.23	0.618	6.63

元素 Element	处理 Treatment	草玉梅 Anemone rivularis	甘肃马先蒿Pedicularis kansuensis	莓叶委陵菜 Potentilla ragarioides	黄花棘豆 Oxytropis ochrocephala	垂穗披碱草 Elymus nutans	嵩草 Kobresia myosuroides
C	N0	431 ± 14.931^a	464 ± 2.480^a	442 ± 3.724^a	467 ± 1.424^a	459 ± 5.314^a	461 ± 4.993^a
	N1	438 ± 15.271^a	466 ± 3.954^a	451 ± 6.083^a	468 ± 3.143^a	460 ± 10.902^a	453 ± 3.444^a
	N2	440 ± 12.064^a	465 ± 6.991^a	456 ± 11.410^a	471 ± 4.913^a	461 ± 11.675^a	463 ± 3.652^a
	N3	445 ± 10.442^a	467 ± 3.992^a	452 ± 13.700^a	461 ± 4.393^a	463 ± 10.904^a	467 ± 6.454^a
N	N0	16.5 ± 1.094^a	17.3 ± 2.087^a	18.1 ± 1.131^a	24.5 ± 1.113^a	16.7 ± 0.036^a	11.5 ± 0.188^a
	N1	18.9 ± 1.298^b	21.1 ± 2.094^b	25.7 ± 2.74^b	22.6 ± 1.190^a	21.2 ± 0.166^b	15.8 ± 0.211^b
	N2	24.1 ± 2.127^c	26.0 ± 1.158^c	29.7 ± 2.144^c	26.8 ± 1.114^a	26.3 ± 0.122^c	18.8 ± 0.212^c
	N3	32.5 ± 2.169^d	32.2 ± 2.087^d	36.7 ± 1.081^d	23.1 ± 1.124^a	31.0 ± 0.366^d	22.8 ± 0.211^d
P	N0	1.716 ± 0.077^a	1.636 ± 0.053^a	1.672 ± 0.083^a	2.509 ± 0.089^a	1.488 ± 0.070^a	1.591 ± 0.077^a
	N1	1.713 ± 0.065^a	1.640 ± 0.070^a	1.682 ± 0.095^a	2.488 ± 0.080^a	1.490 ± 0.081^a	1.575 ± 0.042^a
	N2	1.718 ± 0.076^a	1.638 ± 0.063^a	1.668 ± 0.064^a	2.506 ± 0.114^a	1.478 ± 0.067^a	1.555 ± 0.064^a
	N3	1.721 ± 0.090^a	1.628 ± 0.075^a	1.679 ± 0.071^a	2.511 ± 0.109^a	1.502 ± 0.070^a	1.585 ± 0.073^a

元素 Element	处理 Treatment	草玉梅 Anemone rivularis	甘肃马先蒿Pedicularis kansuensis	莓叶委陵菜 Potentilla ragarioides	黄花棘豆 Oxytropis ochrocephala	垂穗披碱草 Elymus nutans	嵩草 Kobresia myosuroides
C	N0	431 ± 14.931^a	464 ± 2.480^a	442 ± 3.724^a	467 ± 1.424^a	459 ± 5.314^a	461 ± 4.993^a
	N1	438 ± 15.271^a	466 ± 3.954^a	451 ± 6.083^a	468 ± 3.143^a	460 ± 10.902^a	453 ± 3.444^a
	N2	440 ± 12.064^a	465 ± 6.991^a	456 ± 11.410^a	471 ± 4.913^a	461 ± 11.675^a	463 ± 3.652^a
	N3	445 ± 10.442^a	467 ± 3.992^a	452 ± 13.700^a	461 ± 4.393^a	463 ± 10.904^a	467 ± 6.454^a
N	N0	16.5 ± 1.094^a	17.3 ± 2.087^a	18.1 ± 1.131^a	24.5 ± 1.113^a	16.7 ± 0.036^a	11.5 ± 0.188^a
	N1	18.9 ± 1.298^b	21.1 ± 2.094^b	25.7 ± 2.74^b	22.6 ± 1.190^a	21.2 ± 0.166^b	15.8 ± 0.211^b
	N2	24.1 ± 2.127^c	26.0 ± 1.158^c	29.7 ± 2.144^c	26.8 ± 1.114^a	26.3 ± 0.122^c	18.8 ± 0.212^c
	N3	32.5 ± 2.169^d	32.2 ± 2.087^d	36.7 ± 1.081^d	23.1 ± 1.124^a	31.0 ± 0.366^d	22.8 ± 0.211^d
P	N0	1.716 ± 0.077^a	1.636 ± 0.053^a	1.672 ± 0.083^a	2.509 ± 0.089^a	1.488 ± 0.070^a	1.591 ± 0.077^a
	N1	1.713 ± 0.065^a	1.640 ± 0.070^a	1.682 ± 0.095^a	2.488 ± 0.080^a	1.490 ± 0.081^a	1.575 ± 0.042^a
	N2	1.718 ± 0.076^a	1.638 ± 0.063^a	1.668 ± 0.064^a	2.506 ± 0.114^a	1.478 ± 0.067^a	1.555 ± 0.064^a
	N3	1.721 ± 0.090^a	1.628 ± 0.075^a	1.679 ± 0.071^a	2.511 ± 0.109^a	1.502 ± 0.070^a	1.585 ± 0.073^a