Response of aboveground biomass and diversity to nitrogen addition – a five-year experiment in semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China

He, Kai; Yu, Qi; Huang, Yongmei; Chen, Huiying; Sheng, Zhilu; Xu, Xingkai; Duan, Lei

doi:10.1038/srep31919

Cited by 24 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Our results demonstrated that the aboveground biomass of L. chinensis tended to be larger under N addition compared with CK. This is consistent with the findings described in several previous studies (He et al., ; Shen et al., ). We found a dramatic change in the plasticity of different functional traits with the increase of nitrogen rate—the higher sensitivity of stems than leaves—indicated that L. chinensis can exhibit rapid pant growth by promoting stem elongation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…In our results, N addition increased plant height, leaf length, stem length, especially N3 in 2016. Primary production was co‐limited by available water and N in semiarid ecosystems, as well as plant functional traits are affected (Bai et al., ; He et al., ; Hooper & Johnson, ). Hence, water availability might mediate the response of productivity and plant functional traits to N addition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrogen increased aboveground biomass of Leymus chinensis grown in semi‐arid grasslands of inner Mongolia, China

et al. 2020

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There is controversy over whether the addition of nitrogen (N) is the key to the rapid growth of Chinese rye grass Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. in natural, semiarid grasslands. We investigated yearly impact of various N additions (0, 91, 183, and 274 kg N ha−1) on the relationships between nutrient traits (plant carbon [C], N, and phosphorous [P]), morphological traits (plant height, leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, stem length and stem diameter) and aboveground biomass in L. chinensis. Results showed that most of the growth characteristics of L. chinensis increased with N rate except for leaf number and stem length. Nitrogen addition increased aboveground biomass, plant height, leaf length and stem length of L. chinensis, which was related to high precipitation during the critical period for the growth of L. chinensis. Nitrogen addition increased the N concentration and N to P ratio of L. chinensis tissue, but decreased the C to N ratio in the leaf and stem of L. chinensis. Compared to the control, N addition increased C and N concentrations and the N to P ratio, but decreased P concentration and the C to N ratio.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen increased aboveground biomass of Leymus chinensis grown in semi‐arid grasslands of inner Mongolia, China

et al. 2020

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“…Our study suggested that management practices should differ between meadow steppe and typical steppe to maximize their phytolith carbon sequestration. The applications of nitrogenous fertilizer would be an efficient way to increase grass cover and above-ground biomass (He et al, 2016;Xu et al, 2015). Furthermore, Eneji et al (2005) reported that applications of calcium silicate may enhance the shoot dry mass of sudan grass (Sorghum sudanense) by 120%.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon distribution in meadow steppe and typical steppe of northern China and its implications for phytolith carbon sequestration

Zhao

Yang

Song

et al. 2017

Grass and Forage Science

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Silicon (Si) not only plays an important role in plant growth but also contributes significantly to the long‐term terrestrial carbon sink in the form of phytoliths. This study investigated Si content of 184 plant species in meadow steppe and typical steppe of northern China to examine the influential factors of Si distribution and evaluate the potential phytolith carbon sequestration of these grasslands. Our results indicated that the average Si content generally decreased in the following order of Equisetopsida > Monocotyledoneae > Dicotyledoneae. Within angiosperms, although most Si accumulator plants were commelinid monocots, many eudicots also accumulated abundant Si in their above‐ground tissues. The Si content of plant above‐ground parts in typical steppe (6.53 ± 2.88 g/kg) was significantly higher than that in meadow steppe (2.15 ± 0.92 g/kg). The estimated phytolith‐occluded carbon (PhytOC) production flux in typical steppe (0.81 ± 0.36 kg CO2 ha−1 year−1) was higher than that in meadow steppe (0.54 ± 0.23 kg CO2 ha−1 year−1). This study demonstrates that plant phylogeny influences the Si content of individual species, whereas grassland type with different mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature may significantly affect the abundance of high Si species. We conclude that increasing the abundance of grass species with high Si content in meadow steppe and appropriate grazing and fertilizer application in typical steppe will enhance the phytolith carbon sequestration in grasslands of northern China.

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“…According to long-term records of the nearest National Weather Station (Taibus Banner), TSIM has a mean annual temperature of 1.6°C and annual precipitation of 400 mm (He et al, 2016). The only one National Weather Station near AMQH and TSQH has the mean annual temperature of 0.1°C and annual precipitation of 389.4 mm (Zhang, Li, Zhao, & Huang, 2016).…”

Section: Study Sites and Sampling Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal intraspecific trait variability drives responses of functional diversity to interannual aridity variation in grasslands

Huang

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Interannual climate variation alters functional diversity through intraspecific trait variability and species turnover. We examined these diversity elements in three types of grasslands in northern China, including two temperate steppes and an alpine meadow. We evaluated the differences in community‐weighted means (CWM) of plant traits and functional dispersion (FDis) between 2 years with contrasting aridity in the growing season. Four traits were measured: specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC), and the maximum plant height (H). CWM for SLA of the alpine meadow increased in the dry year while that of the temperate steppe in Qinghai showed opposing trends. CWM of LDMC in two temperate steppes became higher and CWM of LNC in all grasslands became lower in the dry year. Compared with the wet year, FDis of LDMC in the alpine meadow and FDis of LNC in the temperate steppe in Qinghai decreased in the dry year. FDis of H was higher in the dry year for two temperate steppes. Only in the temperate steppe in Qinghai did the multi‐FDis of all traits experience a significant increase in the dry year. Most of the changes in CWM and FDis between 2 years were explained by intraspecific trait variation rather than shifts in species composition. This study highlights that temporal intraspecific trait variation contributes to functional responses to environmental changes. Our results also suggest it would be necessary to consider habitat types when modeling ecosystem responses to climate changes, as different grasslands showed different response patterns.

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Response of aboveground biomass and diversity to nitrogen addition – a five-year experiment in semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia, China

Cited by 24 publications

References 52 publications

Nitrogen increased aboveground biomass of Leymus chinensis grown in semi‐arid grasslands of inner Mongolia, China

Nitrogen increased aboveground biomass of Leymus chinensis grown in semi‐arid grasslands of inner Mongolia, China

Silicon distribution in meadow steppe and typical steppe of northern China and its implications for phytolith carbon sequestration

Temporal intraspecific trait variability drives responses of functional diversity to interannual aridity variation in grasslands

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