Nitrogen (N) availability is increasing dramatically in many ecosystems, but the influence of elevated N on the functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in natural ecosystems is not well understood. We measured AM fungal community structure and mycorrhizal function simultaneously across an experimental N addition gradient in an alpine meadow that is limited by N but not by phosphorus (P). AM fungal communities at both whole-plant-community (mixed roots) and single-plant-species (Elymus nutans roots) scales were described using pyro-sequencing, and the mycorrhizal functioning was quantified using a mycorrhizal-suppression treatment in the field (whole-plant-community scale) and a glasshouse inoculation experiment (single-plant-species scale). Nitrogen enrichment progressively reduced AM fungal abundance, changed AM fungal community composition, and shifted mycorrhizal functioning towards parasitism at both whole-plant-community and E. nutans scales. N-induced shifts in AM fungal community composition were tightly linked to soil N availability and/or plant species richness, whereas the shifts in mycorrhizal function were associated with the communities of specific AM fungal lineages. The observed changes in both AM fungal community structure and functioning across an N enrichment gradient highlight that N enrichment of ecosystems that are not P-limited can induce parasitic mycorrhizal functioning and influence plant community structure and ecosystem sustainability.

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) often limit biological processes in terrestrial ecosystems. Based on previous studies mainly focusing on plants, the concept of resource limitation has evolved towards a theory of (co)limitations by multiple resources. However, this ecological framework has not been applied to analyse how soil micro‐organisms and plants concurrently respond to N and/or P addition, and whether these responses are constrained by phylogenetic relatedness. Here, we applied this framework to analyse microbial and plant responses at community and taxon levels to different fertilization treatments (four N levels without P; four P levels without N and four NP levels) in Tibetan grasslands. Total plant biomass showed serial limitation by N then P, and most plant species were limited by N only. Total archaeal abundance decreased with P addition, but diverse nutrient limitation types were observed for archaeal taxa. Closely related archaeal taxa tended to similarly respond to N, and functional similarity between distant archaeal groups was observed for response to P, possibly due to functional convergence. In contrast, total bacteria slightly increased with P addition only when plants remained N limited, whereas without N limitation, plants rather than bacteria benefited from P addition. Most bacterial taxa were limited by other resources than N and P, and no clear phylogenetic signals were observed regarding bacterial responses to N/P additions. Synthesis. We propose a novel approach for characterizing microbial response types to nutrient addition. It demonstrates that in Tibetan meadows, most dominant plant species, archaea and bacteria, respectively, depend on N, both N and P and other resources.

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Grazing and fertilization influence plant species richness through multiple pathways, but the exact pathways and their relative contributions are unclear. Here, we report on a 3‐year field experiment on an alpine meadow in which we manipulated grazing and fertilization simultaneously to assess their direct and indirect effects on plant species richness. Results indicated that both grazing and fertilization significantly influenced plant species richness via above‐ and belowground pathways. Specifically, the direct effect of grazing (−0·30, effect size) on species richness was negative, mainly due to selective feeding. This was comparable, in magnitude, to a positive indirect effect of grazing (0·36) on species richness, due to decreased aboveground biomass and increased belowground biomass. The direct effect of fertilization (−0·34) on species richness was negative, which was attributed to the changes of soil pH and available nitrogen; this effect was double the indirect effect (−0·16), which largely stemmed from the increased aboveground biomass rather than changes in belowground biomass. No significant interaction of grazing and fertilization on species richness was observed, but the effect of fertilization on species richness was masked by the effect of grazing in the combined treatment. It was concluded that moderate nitrogen addition (<51·0 kg N ha−1 year−1) could increase local pasture productivity while also sustaining species richness stability.