Soil N and Plant Responses to Fire, Topography, and Supplemental N in Tallgrass Prairie

Turner, C. L.; Blair, John M.; Schartz, Rita J.; Neel, Jeffrey C.

doi:10.2307/2266105

Cited by 24 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…As a result, grass water status and N uptake might be expected to be directly affected by increased soil moisture variability, with recovery of root activity requiring days or weeks (BassiriRad and Caldwell 1992;Casper and Jackson 1997;Wraith and Wright 1998). Since resin extractable soil N increased in the altered rainfall timing treatments (Harper 2002), N limitation is not a likely factor causing reduced grass production (Turner et al 1997). Altered rainfall timing causes lower leaf water potential and photosynthesis in Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans Knapp et al 2002;P.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity responses to altered rainfall patterns in a C 4 -dominated grassland

et al. 2003

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Rainfall variability is a key driver of ecosystem structure and function in grasslands worldwide. Changes in rainfall patterns predicted by global climate models for the central United States are expected to cause lower and increasingly variable soil water availability, which may impact net primary production and plant species composition in native Great Plains grasslands. We experimentally altered the timing and quantity of growing season rainfall inputs by lengthening inter-rainfall dry intervals by 50%, reducing rainfall quantities by 30%, or both, compared to the ambient rainfall regime in a native tallgrass prairie ecosystem in northeastern Kansas. Over three growing seasons, increased rainfall variability caused by altered rainfall timing with no change in total rainfall quantity led to lower and more variable soil water content (0-30 cm depth), an approximately 10% reduction in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), increased root to shoot ratios, and greater canopy photon flux density at 30 cm above the soil surface. Lower total ANPP primarily resulted from reduced growth, biomass and flowering of subdominant warm-season C4 grasses while productivity of the dominant C4 grass Andropogon gerardii was relatively unresponsive. In general, vegetation responses to increased soil water content variability were at least equal to those caused by imposing a 30% reduction in rainfall quantity without altering the timing of rainfall inputs. Reduced ANPP most likely resulted from direct effects of soil moisture deficits on root activity, plant water status, and photosynthesis. Altered rainfall regimes are likely to be an important element of climate change scenarios in this grassland, and the nature of interactions with other climate change elements remains a significant challenge for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Productivity responses to altered rainfall patterns in a C 4 -dominated grassland

et al. 2003

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“…Although Wres can cause an initial Xush in inorganic N and N mineralization (Wan et al 2001), repeated Wres also can lower soil N availability, at least in many grasslands (Ojima et al 1994;Blair 1997;Turner et al 1997;Fynn et al 2003;Dijkstra et al 2006). Fires lower N availability in part by volatilizing plant tissue N and thus reducing the total soil-N pool.…”

Section: Burningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immobilizing nitrogen to control plant invasion

Blumenthal²,

et al. 2010

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Increased soil N availability may often facilitate plant invasions. Therefore, lowering N availability might reduce these invasions and favor desired species. Here, we review the potential efficacy of several commonly proposed management approaches for lowering N availability to control invasion, including soil C addition, burning, grazing, topsoil removal, and biomass removal, as well as a less frequently proposed management approach for lowering N availability, establishment of plant species adapted to low N availability. We conclude that many of these approaches may be promising for lowering N availability by stimulating N immobilization, even though most are generally ineffective for removing N from ecosystems (excepting topsoil removal). C addition and topsoil removal are the most reliable approaches for lowering N availability, and often favor desired species over invasive species, but are too expensive or destructive, respectively, for most management applications. Less intensive approaches, such as establishing low-N plant species, burning, grazing and biomass removal, are less expensive than C addition and may lower N availability if they favor plant species that are adapted to low N availability, produce high C:N tissue, and thus stimulate N immobilization. Regardless of the method used, lowering N availability sufficiently to reduce invasion will be difficult, particularly in sites with high atmospheric N deposition or agricultural runoff. Therefore, where feasible, the disturbances that result in high N availability should be limited in order to reduce invasions by nitrophilic weeds.

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“…Soil pH was measured potentiometrically in a 1:1 soil:water slurry. To compare N concentrations at carcass sites with results of other studies, inorganic soil N was converted to mass per unit area assuming an average bulk density for Konza Prairie soils of 1 g/cm 3 (Turner et al 1997). …”

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prairie vegetation and soil nutrient responses to ungulate carcasses

Towne¹

2000

Oecologia

176

177

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The impact of large ungulate carcasses on grassland dynamics was investigated by monitoring vegetation and soil nutrients in 50-cm circular zones around the center of bison (Bos bison), cattle (B. taurus), and deer (Odocoileus virginianus) carcasses. An ungulate carcass creates an intense localized disturbance that varies with animal size and the season of death. Unlike other natural disturbances, carcasses deposit a concentrated pulse of nutrients into the soil. One year after death, inorganic nitrogen concentrations were significantly higher in the inner 50 cm at both adult and juvenile carcass sites than in surrounding prairie. Areas around a carcass became zones of fertility that favored different components of the vegetation and stimulated biomass production. Species richness and diversity at the center of carcass sites were lowest 1 year after death, but increased significantly in subsequent years. However, warm-season perennial grasses declined near the center of carcass sites and did not recover. Five years after death, ungulate carcass sites remained disturbed patches that harbored vegetation characteristically different in composition and stature from surrounding prairie. By providing a niche for species not normally found in undisturbed prairie, carcasses increased community heterogeneity and may play an important role in adding spatial complexity to grassland ecosytems.

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Soil N and Plant Responses to Fire, Topography, and Supplemental N in Tallgrass Prairie

Cited by 24 publications

References 0 publications

Productivity responses to altered rainfall patterns in a C 4 -dominated grassland

Productivity responses to altered rainfall patterns in a C 4 -dominated grassland

Immobilizing nitrogen to control plant invasion

Prairie vegetation and soil nutrient responses to ungulate carcasses

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