Effects of Elevated [CO2] and N Fertilization on Interspecific Interactions in Temperate Grassland Model Ecosystems

Lúscher, A.; Aeschlimann, U.

doi:10.1007/3-540-31237-4_19

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The two exceptions are Ross et al . (), who report on the first 5 years of our own experiment, and is therefore the only one of these experiments to include grazing, and Lüscher & Aeschlimann () who consider 10 years of enrichment on binary pasture mixtures (ryegrass and white clover), but only present an average annual value for plant species proportions. The initial responses in our experiment were consistent with the expectations in the literature for managed temperate grasslands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO₂in a temperate grassland

Newton

Lieffering

Parsons

et al. 2013

Global Change Biology

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Our limited understanding of terrestrial ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 is a major constraint on predicting the impacts of climate change. A change in botanical composition has been identified as a key factor in the CO2 response with profound implications for ecosystem services such as plant production and soil carbon storage. In temperate grasslands, there is a strong consensus that elevated CO2 will result in a greater physiological stimulus to growth in legumes and to a lesser extent forbs, compared with C3 grasses, and the presumption this will lead in turn to a greater proportion of these functional groups in the plant community. However, this view is based on data mainly collected in experiments of three or less years in duration and not in experiments where defoliation has been by grazing animals. Grazing is, however, the most common management of grasslands and known in itself to influence botanical composition. In a long-term Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment in a temperate grassland managed with grazing animals (sheep), we found the response to elevated CO2 in plant community composition in the first 5 years was consistent with the expectation of increased proportions of legumes and forbs. However, in the longer term, these differences diminished so that the proportions of grasses, legumes and forbs were the same under both ambient and elevated CO2 . Analysis of vegetation before and after each grazing event showed there was a sustained disproportionately greater removal ('apparent selection') of legumes and forbs by the grazing animals. This bias in removal was greater under elevated CO2 than ambient CO2 . This is consistent with sustained faster growth rates of legumes and forbs under elevated CO2 being countered by selective defoliation, and so leading to little difference in community composition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO₂in a temperate grassland

Newton

Lieffering

Parsons

et al. 2013

Global Change Biology

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“…The relative N yield (RNY) was calculated as the N yield of the species in the mixture divided by the N yield of the species in the monoculture based on the harvested N yields (crop yield multiplied by the N concentration of the aboveground biomass) following the methods proposed by Lüscher and Aeschlimann (2006).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sidedress Nitrogen Application Rates to Sorghum Intercropped with Tropical Perennial Grasses

et al. 2016

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Intercropping sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] with tropical perennial grasses and using the appropriate rate of sidedress N application can maximize grain yield (GY) and revenue and can improve land-use effi ciency (LUE). Th e eff ects of monocropped sorghum (MS) or sorghum intercropped with palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu; SPG) or guineagrass (Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça; SGG) and sidedress N application rates of 0, 50, 100, and 200 kg ha -1 on leaf nutrient concentration, sorghum GY, revenue, and LUE were investigated during three growing seasons at Botucatu, SP, Brazil, on a clay, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Haplorthox. Th e SGG treatment had lower leaf N, P, and K concentrations and lower 1000-grain weight, shoot dry matter, and GY than MS and SPG at all sidedress N rates; MS and SPG at 200 kg ha -1 of sidedress N resulted in greater sorghum GYs (3.80 and 3.81 Mg ha -1 , respectively). Th e forage dry matter production (FDMP) and crude protein of tropical perennial grasses were higher as a function of the sidedress N rate. Th e SGG treatment resulted in negative net profi ts for all sidedress N rates. Th e MS and SPG treatments (independent of sidedress N rates) resulted in similar net profi ts (approximately US$85 and $60 ha -1 , respectively). Th e SPG treatment using 200 kg ha -1 of sidedress N resulted in a higher land equivalent ratio and relative N yield (1.27 and 123%, respectively) than SGG (0.96 and 107%, respectively). Th e SPG treatment with 200 kg ha -1 of sidedress N is the best option for increasing sorghum GY, revenue, and FDMP from autumn to part of the spring and for improving LUE.

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“…In the Swiss FACE experiment, the yield response of Lolium perenne to elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration increased from 0·07 to 0·32 over a number of years under high applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizer. This increase was probably due to removing N limitation to plant growth through the application of N fertilizer (Lüscher and Aeschlimann, 2006). These results demonstrate that the immediate response of an ecosystem to a step increase in atmospheric CO 2 concentration at the start of the experiment may not represent an appropriate base on which to predict the response of a grassland ecosystem to an ongoing slow increase in the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere.…”

Section: Impacts Of Elevated Co2 On Photosynthesis and Growth In Grasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With L. perenne , in the Swiss FACE experiment, the response in above‐ground dry matter (DM) yield to elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations increased from being not significant to a significant positive proportional response of 0·17 (range 0·07–0·32) when the rate of application of N fertilizer was increased from 14 to 56 g N m −2 year −1 (Schneider et al. , 2004; Lüscher and Aeschlimann, 2006). Under elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, L. perenne showed a significant reduction in the concentration of shoot N (Soussana et al.…”

Section: Interactions Of Elevated Co2 With Soil Nutrientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Swiss FACE experiment, the inter‐specific differences in the response to elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations resulted in a consistent and significant increase in the proportion of T. repens in the binary mixtures at both levels of N supply (Lüscher et al. , 2005; Lüscher and Aeschlimann, 2006). Similarly, in more complex mixtures containing other grass, legume and non‐legume dicotyledonous species, the proportion of legumes was significantly higher at elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (Lüscher et al.…”

Section: Plant Species Dynamics and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Temperate grasslands and global atmospheric change: a review

Soussana

Lúscher

2007

Grass and Forage Science

Self Cite

165

122

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Recent reviews confirm and extend previous observations that elevated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations stimulate photosynthesis, leading to increased plant productivity. Elevated CO 2 concentrations tend to reduce the sensitivity of grassland ecosystems to low levels of precipitation but induce progressive nitrogen (N) limitations on plant growth which can be alleviated by supplying a significant external input of N in the form of mineral fertilizer or through the increased use of N-fixing legumes. Other nutrients, such as phosphorus, can act as the main limiting factor restricting the growth response in legumes to atmospheric CO 2 concentration. The botanical composition of temperate grasslands is affected by the rise in atmospheric CO 2 concentration, possibly through a decline in the relative abundance of grasses. Elevated CO 2 concentration will also alter the feeding value of herbage to grazers both in terms of fine-scale (for example, crude protein concentration and C:N ratio) and coarse-scale (legumes vs. grasses and C 3 -vs. C 4 -species) changes. The management guidelines of grasslands will need to be adapted to global atmospheric and climatic changes and to increased variability in climate.

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Effects of Elevated [CO2] and N Fertilization on Interspecific Interactions in Temperate Grassland Model Ecosystems

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO₂in a temperate grassland

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO₂in a temperate grassland

Sidedress Nitrogen Application Rates to Sorghum Intercropped with Tropical Perennial Grasses

Temperate grasslands and global atmospheric change: a review

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Effects of Elevated [CO2] and N Fertilization on Interspecific Interactions in Temperate Grassland Model Ecosystems

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO2in a temperate grassland

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO2in a temperate grassland

Sidedress Nitrogen Application Rates to Sorghum Intercropped with Tropical Perennial Grasses

Temperate grasslands and global atmospheric change: a review

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Product

Resources

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Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO₂in a temperate grassland

Selective grazing modifies previously anticipated responses of plant community composition to elevatedCO₂in a temperate grassland