Hierarchical responses of plant stoichiometry to phosphorus addition in an alpine meadow community

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2017.0253

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Terrestrial carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) stoichiometry will reflect the effects of adjustment to local growth conditions as well as species’ replacements. However, it remains unclear about the hierarchical responses of plant C:N:P to P addition at levels of species and functional groups in the N-limited alpine meadow.

Methods A field experiment of P enrichment was conducted in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau during 2009-2013. The stoichiometric patterns of four functional groups (grass, sedge, legume and forb) and five representative species, Elymus nutans (grass), Kobresia humilis (sedge), Oxytropis ochrocephala (legume), Taraxacum lugubre (rosette forb), Geranium pylzowianum (upright forb) were investigated in 2013, and the effects of P addition on species dominance and plant biomass were also analyzed.

Important finding Both plant nutrition content and C:N:P varied significantly after five years’ P addition, and the responses were consistent at species- and functional group (exemplar species excluded)-levels in the alpine meadow. P addition had neutral effect on C concentrations of grasses, sedges and forbs at both species- and functional group (exemplar species excluded)-levels. P fertilization increased plant P concentrations and thus decreased C:P and N:P of the four functional groups (exemplar species excluded) and the corresponding species. N concentrations significantly decreased and C:N increased in grasses and sedges after P addition, and the species-level responses were consistent with the functional group (exemplar species excluded) level. P addition significantly increased N contents and decreased C:N in Oxytropis ochrocephala, but had neutral effect on N contents and C:N at the functional group (exemplar species excluded) level of the legumes. While N contents and C:N in forbs responded to P addition differently at species and functional group (exemplar species excluded) levels. In the N-limited alpine meadow, species dominance of grasses increased gradually after P addition due to the increased N and P use efficiencies, while the biomass proportion of forbs decreased because of the lowered nutrition use efficiency.

Key words: P addition, C:N:P, species dominance, alpine meadow community

SUN Xiao-Mei, CHEN Jing-Jing, LI Jin-Xia, LI Liang, HAN Guo-Jun, CHEN Nian-Lai. Hierarchical responses of plant stoichiometry to phosphorus addition in an alpine meadow community[J]. Chin J Plan Ecolo, 2018, 42(1): 78-85.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2017.0253

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2018/V42/I1/78

Figures/Tables 3

Fig. 1 Effects of P addition on species dominance of exemplary species and biomass of each functional group (mean ± SE, n = 3). C, P5, P10, P15, nutrient addition 0, 5, 10, 15 g·m-2·a-1. GR, grasses; SE, sedges; LE, legumes; FO, forbs; E.n, Elymus nutans; K.h, Kobresia humili; O.o, Oxytropis ochoocephala; T.l, Taraxacum lugubre; G.p, Geranium pylzowianum. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between treatments (p < 0.05).

Fig. 2 Effects of P addition on C, N and P concentration at exemplar species and functional group levels (mean ± SE, n = 3). ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05 among treatments following Duncan’s multiple range tests. C, P5, P10, P15, nutrient addition 0, 5, 10, 15 g·m-2·a-1. GR, grasses; SE, sedges; LE, legumes; FO, forbs; E.n, Elymus nutans; K.h, Kobresia humili; O.o, Oxytropis ochoocephala; T.l, Taraxacum lugubre; G.p, Geranium pylzowianum.

Fig. 3 Effects of P addition on C:N:P stoichiometric characters at exemplar species and functional groups-levels (mean ± SE, n = 3). ***, p < 0.001; **, p < 0.01; *, p < 0.05 among treatments following Duncan’s multiple range tests. C, P5, P10, P15, nutrient addition 0, 5, 10, 15 g·m-2·a-1. GR, grasses; SE, sedges; LE, legumes; FO, forbs; E.n, Elymus nutans; K.h, Kobresia humili; O.o, Oxytropis ochoocephala; T.l, Taraxacum lugubre; G.p, Geranium pylzowianum.

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