Interactions of plant species mediated plant competition for inorganic nitrogen with soil microorganisms in an alpine meadow

Song, Minghua; Xu, Xingliang; Hu, Qiwu; Tian, Yuqiang; Ouyang, Hao; Zhou, Caiping

doi:10.1007/s11104-007-9326-1

Cited by 66 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The leaf N : P ratios of grasses in this study were low (12.8) and comparable to those of subarctic grasses (13.2), but considerably lower than the global average for grasses (17.8) (Güsewell, 2004). This indicates that grasses growing at high altitudes or in cold climates may be more N-limited than those growing in warmer climates due to the slow mineralization of soil organic matter caused by low temperature (Zhou, 2001;Song et al, 2007) as well as lower N 2 fixation by legumes. Positive responses in the above-ground biomass for grasses to NH 4 and NO À 3 application (Table 3) confirm that they are limited or co-limited by available N and P in alpine meadows.…”

Section: Nutrient Limitation At the Plant Functional Group Levelmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…Although a large amount of nitrogen (N) is stored in alpine meadow soils, plant growth has frequently been reported to be co-limited by the availability of N and phosphorus (P) (Zhou, 2001). A previous study on alpine meadows showed that N mineralization is dominated by microbial immobilization during the growth season (Song et al, 2007). Additionally, these meadows in the eastern Tibetan Plateau experience N deposition of 7-10 kg N ha -1 y -1 through rainfall (Zuo et al, 1986;Lü and Tian, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ¹⁵N

Wanek

Zhou

et al. 2014

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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Nitrogen (N) deposition can affect grassland ecosystems by altering biomass production, plant species composition and abundance. Therefore, a better understanding of the response of dominant plant species to N input is a prerequisite for accurate prediction of future changes and interactions within plant communities. We evaluated the response of seven dominant plant species on the Tibetan Plateau to N input at two levels: individual species and plant functional group. This was achieved by assessing leaf N : P stoichiometry, leaf d 15 N and biomass production for the plant functional groups. Seven dominant plant species-three legumes, two forbs, one grass, one sedge-were analyzed for N, P, and d 15 N 2 years after fertilization with one of the three N forms: NO À 3 , NH 4 , or NH 4 NO 3 at four application rates (0, 7.5, 30, and 150 kg N ha -1 y -1 ). On the basis of biomass production and leaf N : P ratios, we concluded that grasses were limited by available N or co-limited by available P. Unlike for grasses, leaf N : P and biomass production were not suitable indicators of N limitation for legumes and forbs in alpine meadows. The poor performance of legumes under high N fertilization was mainly due to strong competition with grasses. The total above-ground biomass was not increased by N fertilization. However, species composition shifted to more productive grasses. A significant negative correlation between leaf N : P and leaf d 15 N indicated that the two forbs Gentiana straminea and Saussurea superba switched from N deficiency to P limitation (e.g., N excess) due to N fertilization. These findings imply that alpine meadows will be more dominated by grasses under increased atmospheric N deposition.

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Section: Nutrient Limitation At the Plant Functional Group Levelmentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ¹⁵N

Wanek

Zhou

et al. 2014

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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“…In the N-limited alpine meadow, the ability of plants to capture soil inorganic N was much stronger than that of soil microorganisms. Moreover, plants prefer to use soil NO 3 − -N rather than soil NH 4 + -N during the entire growing season (Song et al 2007). This may be the main reason for the lack of NO 3 − -N accumulation in the soil N pool after 3-years of chronic N additions.…”

Section: N Addition Changes Soil Variables and Plant Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of CO2 efflux from an alpine meadow soil on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau to multi-form and low-level N addition

Han

Cheng

et al. 2011

Plant Soil

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Aims To assess the effects of atmospheric N deposition on the C budget of an alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, it is necessary to explore the responses of soil-atmosphere carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) exchange to N addition.Methods Based on a multi-form, low-level N addition experiment, soil CO 2 effluxes were monitored weekly using the static chamber and gas chromatograph technique. Soil variables and aboveground biomass were measured monthly to examine the key driving factors of soil CO 2 efflux.Results The results showed that low-level N input tended to decrease soil moisture, whereas medium-level N input maintained soil moisture. Three-year N additions slightly increased soil inorganic N pools, especially the soil NH 4 + -N pool. N applications significantly increased aboveground biomass and soil CO 2 efflux; moreover, this effect was more significant from NH 4 + -N than from NO 3 − -N fertilizer. In addition, the soil CO 2 efflux was mainly driven by soil temperature, followed by aboveground biomass and NH 4 + -N pool. Conclusions These results suggest that chronic atmospheric N deposition will stimulate soil CO 2 efflux in the alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau by increasing available N content and promoting plant growth.

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“…Consequently, plant growth in these grasslands is often limited by available N supplies (Haselwandter et al 1983;Song et al 2007) because a seasonal demand for N by grasses often exceeds estimated seasonal release by mineralization (Körner 2003;Cao et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes in two Chinese grasslands estimated with the 15N dilution technique

Yang

Qiao

et al. 2011

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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Symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation by legumes was investigated using the 15 N dilution technique in two Chinese grasslands: one in the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau and the other in Inner Mongolia in China. A small amount (0.03 g N m -2 ) of 15 N labelled (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fertilizer was evenly distributed in two soils. One month after the 15 N addition, four legumes (Astragalus sp., Gueldenstaedtia diversifolia, Oxytropis ochrocephala and Trigonella ruthenica) in the alpine meadow and two legumes (Thermopsis lanceolata and Melissitus ruthenica) in the temperate steppe were collected. Several non-legume plant species were harvested as the reference. Above-ground biomass of legumes ranged from 8 to 24 g m -2 in the alpine meadow and from 11 to 35 g m -2 in the temperate steppe. The reference plants showed distinctly higher 15 N atom% excess than legumes (0.08% vs. 0.02% in the alpine meadow, 0.10% vs. 0.02% in the temperate steppe). The N derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) ranged from 50 to 90% N in the alpine meadow, while it ranged from 85 to 92% in the temperate steppe. Based on the legume above-ground biomass, total symbiotic N 2 -fixation rate was estimated to be 1.00 g N m -2 year -1 in the alpine meadow and 1.15 g N m -2 year -1 in the temperate steppe. These N inputs by legumes can account for 9% of the gap between the N demand and the seasonal N release by mineralization in the alpine Kobresia grassland and 20% in the temperate Leymus grassland, respectively. Considering additional contribution of the root biomass, we suggest that biological N 2 -fixation by legumes plays an important role in the cycling of N in both Kobresia and Leymus grasslands on an annual scale.

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Interactions of plant species mediated plant competition for inorganic nitrogen with soil microorganisms in an alpine meadow

Cited by 66 publications

References 48 publications

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ¹⁵N

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ¹⁵N

Responses of CO2 efflux from an alpine meadow soil on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau to multi-form and low-level N addition

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes in two Chinese grasslands estimated with the 15N dilution technique

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Interactions of plant species mediated plant competition for inorganic nitrogen with soil microorganisms in an alpine meadow

Cited by 66 publications

References 48 publications

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ15N

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ15N

Responses of CO2 efflux from an alpine meadow soil on the Qinghai Tibetan Plateau to multi-form and low-level N addition

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation by legumes in two Chinese grasslands estimated with the 15N dilution technique

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Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ¹⁵N

Nutrient limitation of alpine plants: Implications from leaf N : P stoichiometry and leaf δ¹⁵N