Responses of growth of four desert species to different N addition levels
Online published: 2016-03-08
Aims The increase in atmospheric N deposition has accelerated N cycling of ecosystems, thus altering the structure and function of ecosystems, especially in those limited by N availability. Studies on the response of plant growth to artificial N addition could provide basic data for a better understanding of how the structure of grasslands in northern China responds to increasing N deposition. Methods We investigated the seasonal dynamics of plant growth of four species after 2-year multi-level N addition in a field experiment conducted in a desert steppe of Ningxia in 2011. Plant biomass and the relative growth rate (RGR) of the studied species were measured and their relationships with C:N:P ratios of plants (community and leaf levels) and soils were analyzed. Important findings Results in 2012 showed that 2-year N addition promoted the growth of the four species and the effects were different among growth forms and were species-specific. In general, the plant biomass of the studied species was significantly correlated with leaf N concentration, leaf N:P ratio, community N pool, soil total N content and soil N:P ratio, while only weak relationships were observed between plant biomass and C:N and C:P ratios of plants and soils. In contrast, there was a significant linear relationship between RGR and N:P ratios both of plants and soils.Our results suggest that short-term N addition promoted the accumulation of plant biomass, and the species-specific responses to stimulated N addition can directly affect the structure of the desert steppe ecosystem. Plant N:P ratio and soil N:P ratio could indicate nutrient limitation of plant growth to a certain extent: N addition increased soil N content and N:P ratio, and thus relieved N limitation gradually. Once more N is available to plants, the growth of plants and the accumulation of community N was stimulated in turn.
Ju-Ying HUANG, Hai-Long YU . Responses of growth of four desert species to different N addition levels[J]. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 2016 , 40(2) : 165 . DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2015.0210
| [1] | Agren (2004). The C: N: P stoichiometry of autotrophs: Theory and observations.Ecology Letters, 7, 185-191. |
| [2] | Bai CL (2014). Study on Nutrient Use and Stoichiometry of Dominant Plants in Desert Steppe . PhD dissertation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot.(in Chinese with English abstract)[白春利 (2014). 荒漠草原优势植物养分利用及化学计量特征研究. 博士学位论文, 内蒙古农业大学, 呼和浩特.] |
| [3] | Bao SD (2000). Soil and Agricultural Chemistry Analysis. 3rd edn. China Agriculture Press, Beijing. (in Chinese).[鲍士旦 (2000). 土壤农化分析 (第三版). 中国农业出版社, 北京.] |
| [4] | Berman-Frank I, Dubinsky Z (1999). Balanced growth in aquatic plants: Myth or reality.BioScience, 49, 29-37. |
| [5] | Bobbink R, Hicks K, Galloway J, Spranger T, Alkemade R, Ashmore M, Bustamante M, Cinderby S, Davidson E, Dentener F, Emmett B, Erisman JW, Fenn M, Gilliam F, Nordin A, Pardo L, de Vries W (2010). Global assessment of nitrogen deposition effects on terrestrial plant diversity: A synthesis.Ecological Applications, 20, 30-59. |
| [6] | Bobbink R, Hornung M, Roelofs JGM (1998). The effects of air-borne nitrogen pollutants on species diversity in natural and semi-natural European vegetation.Journal of Ecology, 86, 717-738. |
| [7] | Clark CM, Tilman D (2008). Loss of plant species after chronic low-level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands.Nature, 451, 712-715. |
| [8] | Delgado-Baquerizo M, Maestre FT, Gallardol A, Bowker MA, Wallenstein MD, Quero JL, Ochoa V, Gozalo B, Garcí a-Gómez M, Soliveres S, García-Palacios P, Berdugo M, Valencia E, Escolar C, Arredondo T, Barraza-Zepeda C, Bran D, Carreira JA, Chaieb M, Conceicão AA, Derak M, Eldridge DJ, Escudero A, Espinosa CI, Gaitán J, Gatica MG, Gómez-González S, Guzman E, Gutiérrez JR, Florentino A, Hepper E, Hernández RM, Huber-Sannwald E, Jankju M, Liu J, Mau RL, Miriti M, Monerris J, Naseri K, Noumi Z, Polo V, Prina A, Pucheta E, Ramírez ERamírez-Collantes DA, Romão R, Tighe M, Torres D, Torres-Díaz C, Ungar ED, Val J, Wamiti W, Wang D, Zaady E(2013). Decoupling of soil nutrient cycles as a function of aridity in global drylands.Nature, 502, 672-676. |
| [9] | Duan L, Hao JM, Xie SD, Zhou ZP (2002). Estimating critical loads of sulfur and nitrogen for Chinese soils by steady state method.Journal of Environmental Science, 23(2), 7-12. (in Chinese with English abstract).[段雷, 郝吉明, 谢绍东, 周中平 (2002). 用稳态法确定中国土壤的硫沉降和氮沉降临界负荷. 环境科学, 23(2), 7-12.] |
| [10] | Elser JJ, Acharya K, Kyle M, Cotner J, Makino W, Markow T, Watts T, Hobbie S, Fagan W, Schade J, Hood J, Sterner RW (2003). Growth rate-stoichiometry couplings in diverse biota.Ecology Letters, 6, 936-943. |
| [11] | Elser JJ, Fagan WF, Kerkhoff AJ, Swenson NG, Enquist BJ (2010). Biological stoichiometry of plant production: Metabolism, scaling and ecological response to global change.New Phytologist, 186, 593-608. |
| [12] | Faust C, Storm C, Schwabe A (2012)(2012). Shifts in plant community structure of a threatened sandy grassland over a 9-yr period under experimentally induced nutrient regimes: Is there a lag phase?Journal of Vegetation Science, Journal of Vegetation Science, 23, 372-386. |
| [13] | Galloway JN, Aber JD, Erisman JW, Seitzinger SP, Howarth RW, Cowling EB, Cosby BJ (2003). The nitrogen cascade.BioScience, 53, 341-356. |
| [14] | 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. |
| [15] | He YH, Liu XP, Xie ZK (2015). Effect of nitrogen addition on species diversity and plant productivity of herbaceous plants in desert grassland of the Loess Plateau.Journal of Desert Research, 35(1), 66-71. (in Chinese with English abstract).[何玉惠, 刘新平, 谢忠奎 (2015). 氮素添加对黄土高原荒漠草原草本植物物种多样性和生产力的影响. 中国沙漠, 35(1), 66-71.] |
| [16] | Huang JY, Zhu XG, Yuan ZY, Song SH, Li X, Li LH (2008). Changes in nitrogen resorption traits of six temperate grassland species on a multi-level N addition gradient.Plant and Soil, 306(1-2), 149-158. |
| [17] | IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2013). Climate Change 20y3: The Physical Science Basis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. |
| [18] | Jones AG, Power SA (2012). Field-scale evaluation of effects of nitrogen deposition on the functioning of heathland ecosystems.Journal of Ecology, 100, 331-342. |
| [19] | Li LJ, Zeng DH, Yu ZY, Ai GY, Yang D, Mao R (2009). Effects of nitrogen addition on grassland species diversity and productivity in Keerqin Sandy Land.Journal of Applied Ecology, 20, 1838-1844. (in Chinese with English abstract).[李禄军, 曾德慧, 于占源, 艾桂艳, 杨丹, 毛瑢 (2009). 氮素添加对科尔沁沙质草地物种多样性和生产力的影响. 应用生态学报, 20, 1838-1844.] |
| [20] | Li LS, Cheng SL, Fang HJ, Yu GR, Xu MJ, Wang YS, Dang XS, Li YN (2015). Effects of nitrogen enrichment on transfer and accumulation of soil organic carbon in alpine meadows on the Qinhai-Tibetan Plateau.Acta Pedologica Sinica, 52, 183-193. (in Chinese with English abstract).[李林森, 程淑兰, 方华军, 于贵瑞, 徐敏杰, 王永生, 党旭升, 李英年 (2015). 氮素富集对青藏高原高寒草甸土壤有机碳迁移和累积过程的影响. 土壤学报, 52, 183-193.] |
| [21] | Li YH (2014). Responses of Plant Community Structure and Function to Warming and Nitrogen Addition in a Desert Steppe of Inner Mongolia . PhD dissertation, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot.(in Chinese with English abstract).[李元恒 (2014). 内蒙古荒漠草原植物群落结构和功能对增温和氮素添加的响应. 博士学位论文, 内蒙古农业大学, 呼和浩特.] |
| [22] | Liu P, Huang JH, Sun O JX (2010). Litter decomposition and nutrient release as affected by soil nitrogen availability and litter quality in a semiarid grassland ecosystem.Oecologia, 162, 771-780. |
| [23] | Liu XJ, Zhang Y, Han WX, Tang AH, Shen JL, Cui ZL, Vitousek P, Erisman JW, Goulding K, Christie P, Fangmeier A, Zhang FS (2013). Enhanced nitrogen deposition over China.Nature, 494, 459-462. |
| [24] | Menge DNL, Field CB (2007). Simulated global changes alter phosphorus demand in annual grassland.Global Change Biology, 13, 2582-2591. |
| [25] | Mo JM, Fang YT, Xu GL, Li DJ, Xu JH (2005). The short-term responses of soil CO2 emission and CH4 uptake to simulated N deposition in nursery and forests of Dinghushan in subtropical China.Acta Ecologica Sinica, 25, 682-690. (in Chinese with English abstract).[莫江明, 方运霆, 徐国良, 李德军, 薛璟花 (2005). 鼎湖山苗圃和主要森林土壤CO2排放和CH4吸收对模拟N沉降的短期响应. 生态学报, 25, 682-690.] |
| [26] | Peňuelas J, Sardans J, Rivas-Ubach A, Janssens IA(2012). The human-induced imbalance between C, N and P in Earth's life system.Global Change Biology, 18, 3-6. |
| [27] | Phuyal M, Artz RRE, Sheppard L, Leith ID, Johnson D (2008). Long-term nitrogen deposition increases phosphorus limitation of bryophytes in an ombrotrophic bog.Plant Ecology, 196, 111-121. |
| [28] | Stark S, Mannisto MK, Eskelinen A (2014). Nutrient availab- ility and pH jointly constrain microbial extracellular enzyme activities in nutrient-poor tundra soils.Plant and Soil, 383, 373-385. |
| [29] | Stevens CJ, Thompson K, Grime JP, Long, CJ, Gowing DJG (2010). Contribution of acidification and eutrophication to declines in species richness of calcifuge grasslands along a gradient of atmospheric nitrogen deposition.Functional Ecology, 24, 478-484. |
| [30] | Su JQ, Li XR, Li XJ, Feng L (2013). Effects of additional N on herbaceous species of desertified steppe in arid regions of China: A four-year field study.Ecological Research, 28, 21-28. |
| [31] | Tian HQ, Chen GS, Zhang C, Melillo JM, Hall CAS (2010). Pattern and variation of C:N:P ratios in China's soils: A synthesis of observational data.Biogeochemistry, 98, 139-151. |
| [32] | Vitousek PM, Porder S, Houlton BZ, Chadwick OA (2010). Terrestrial phosphorus limitation: Mechanisms, implica- tions, and nitrogen-phosphorus interactions.Ecological Application, 20, 5-15. |
| [33] | Wang SQ, Yu GR (2008). Ecological stoichiometry character- istics of ecosystem carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus elements.Acta Ecologica Sinica, 28, 3937-3947. (in Chinese with English abstract).[王绍强, 于贵瑞 (2008). 生态系统碳氮磷元素的生态化学计量学特征. 生态学报, 28, 3937-3947.] |
| [34] | Wardle DA, Gundale MJ, Jaderlund A, Nilsson MC (2013). Decoupled long-term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra.Ecology, 94, 904-919. |
| [35] | Yang XX, Ren F, Zhou HK, He JS (2014). Responses of plant community biomass to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 38, 159-166. (in Chinese with English abstract)[杨晓霞, 任飞, 周华坤, 贺金生 (2014). 青藏高原高寒草甸植物群落生物量对氮,磷添加的响应. 植物生态学报, 38, 159-166.] |
| [36] | Yang YH, Fang JY, Ji CJ, Datta A, Li P, Ma WH, Mohammat A, Shen HH, Hu HF, Knapp BO, Smith P (2014). Stoichiometric shifts in surface soils over broad geographical scales: Evidence from China's grasslands.Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23, 947-955. |
| [37] | Yu Q, Wu HH, He NP, LüXT, Wang ZP, Elser JJ, Wu JG, Han XG (2012). Testing the growth-rate hypothesis in vascular plants with above- and below-ground biomass.PLoS ONE, 7, e32162. |
| [38] | Yuan ZY, Chen HYH (2015). Decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus in terrestrial plants associated with global changes.Nature Climate Change, 5, 465-469. |
| [39] | Zhao XF, Xu HL, Zhang P, Tu WX, Zhang QQ (2014). Effects of nutrient and water additions on plant community struc- ture and species diversity in desert grasslands.Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 38, 167-177. (in Chinese with English abstract).[赵新风, 徐海量, 张鹏, 涂文霞, 张青青 (2014). 养分与水分添加对荒漠草地植物群落结构和物种多样性的影响. 植物生态学报, 38, 167-177.] |
| [40] | Zhou XB, Zhang YM (2009). Review on the ecological effects of N deposition in arid and semi-arid areas.Acta Ecologica Sinica, 29, 3835-3845. (in Chinese with Eng- lish abstract)[周晓兵, 张元明 (2009). 干旱半干旱区氮沉降生态效应研究进展. 生态学报, 29, 3835-3845.] |
| [41] | Zhou XB, Zhang YM, Wang SS, Zhang BC (2010). Combined effects of simulated nitrogen deposition and drought stress on growth and photosynthetic physiological responses of two annual desert plants in Junggar Basin, China.Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 34, 1394-1403. (in Chinese with English abstract).[周晓兵, 张元明, 王莎莎, 张丙昌 (2010). 模拟氮沉降和干旱对准噶尔盆地两种一年生荒漠植物生长和光合生理的影响. 植物生态学报, 34, 1394-1403.] |
| [42] | Zhu FF, Yoh M, Gilliam FS, Lu XK, Mo JM (2013). Nutrient limitation in three lowland tropical forests in southern China receiving high nitrogen deposition: Insights from fine root responses to nutrient additions.PLoS ONE, 8, e82661. |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
