Nitrogen enrichment enhances the dominance of grasses over forbs in a temperate steppe ecosystem

Biogeosciences

Volumn 8, Issue 8, 2011, Pages 2341-2350

  Song, L ^a   Bao, X ^a   Liu, X ^a,b   Zhang, Y ^a   Christie, P ^a,c   Fangmeier, A ^d   Zhang, F ^a  

^a CHINA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY   (China)

^b XINJIANG INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY   (China)

^c AGRI FOOD AND BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE   (United Kingdom)

^d UNIVERSITY OF HOHENHEIM   (Germany)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS; ABOVEGROUND PRODUCTION; ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION; DOMINANCE; GRASS; GRASSLAND; NITROGEN; NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT; REGRESSION ANALYSIS; SPECIES RICHNESS; STEPPE; TEMPERATE ENVIRONMENT;

CHINA; DUOLUN; NEI MONGGOL;

POACEAE;

EID: 80052142122     PISSN: 17264170     EISSN: 17264189     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.5194/bg-8-2341-2011     Document Type: Article

References (51)

1. Aber, J., McDowell, W., Nadelhoffer, K., Magill, A., Berntson, G., Kamakea, M., McNulty, S., Currie, W., Rustad, L., and Fernandez, I.: Nitrogen saturation in temperate forest ecosystems-Hypotheses revisited, Bioscience, 48, 921-934, 1998. (Pubitemid 28494493)
2. Amundson, R., Austin, A. T., Schuur, E. A. G., Yoo, K., Matzek, V., Kendall, C., Uebersax, A., Brenner, D., and Bais-den, W. T.: Global patterns of the isotopic composition of soil and plant nitrogen, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 17, 1031, doi:10.1029/2002GB001903, 2003.
3. Bai, Y. F., Han, X. G., Wu, J. G., Chen, Z. Z., and Li, L. H.: Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland, Nature, 431, 181-184, 2004.
4. Bai, Y. F., Wu, J. G., Clark, C. M., Naeem, S., Pan, Q. M., Huang, J. H., Zhang, L. X., and Han, X. G.: Tradeoffs and thresholds in the effects of nitrogen addition on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: evidence from inner Mongolia Grasslands, Global Change Biol., 16, 358-372, 2010.
5. Bobbink, R.: Effects of nitrogen enrichment in Dutch chalk grassland, J. Appl. Ecol., 28, 28-41, 1991.
6. Bobbink, R., Braun, S., Nordin, A., Power, S., Schütz, K., Streng-bom, J., Weijters, M., and Tomassen, H.: Review and Revision of Empirical Critical Loads and Dose-response Relationships, Proceedings of an Expert Workshop, Noordwijkerhout, 23-25 June 2010.
7. Carroll, J. A., Caporn, S. J. M., Johnson, D., Morecroft, M. D., and Lee, J. A.: The interactions between plant growth, vegetation structure and soil processes in semi-natural acidic and calcareous grasslands receiving long-term inputs of simulated pollutant nitrogen deposition, Environ. Pollut., 121, 363-376, 2003. (Pubitemid 35449630)
8. Chen, Q., Hooper, D. U., and Lin, S.: Shifts in species composition constrain restoration of overgrazed grassland using nitrogen fertilization in Inner Mongolian steppe, China, PLoS One, 6, e16909, doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0016909, 2011.
9. Christensen, L., Coughenour, M. B., Ellis, J. E., and Chen, Z. Z.: Vulnerability of the Asian typical steppe to grazing and climate change, Climatic Change, 63, 351-368, 2004. (Pubitemid 38448477)
10. Clark, C. M. and Tilman, D.: Loss of plant species after chronic low-level nitrogen deposition to prairie grasslands, Nature, 451, 712-715, 2008. (Pubitemid 351220561)
11. Conant, R. T., Paustian, K., and Elliott, E. T.: Grassland management and conversion into grassland: Effects on soil carbon, Ecol. Appl., 11, 343-355, 2001. (Pubitemid 32276727)
12. DeFalco, L. A., Bryla, D. R., Smith-Longozo, V., and Nowak, R. S.: Are Mojave Desert annual species equal?, Resource acquisition and allocation for the invasive grass Bromus madritensis subsp rubens (Poaceae) and two native species, Am. J. Bot., 90, 1045-1053, 2003. (Pubitemid 36914626)
13. Dodd, J. L. and Lauenroth, W. K.: Analysis of the response of a grassland ecosystem to stress, in: Perspectives in grassland ecology, edited by: French, N. R., Springer-Verlag, New York, 43-58, 1979.
14. Dupre, C., Stevens, C. J., Ranke, T., Bleeker, A., Peppler-Lisbach, C., Gowing, D. J. G., Dise, N. B., Dorland, E., Bobbink, R., and Diekmann, M.: Changes in species richness and composition in European acidic grasslands over the past 70 years: the contribution of cumulative atmospheric nitrogen deposition, Global Change Biol., 16, 344-357, 2010.
15. Galloway, J. N., Townsend, A. R., Erisman, J. W., Bekunda, M., Cai, Z. C., Freney, J. R., Martinelli, L. A., Seitzinger, S. P., and Sutton, M. A.: Transformation of the nitrogen cycle: Recent trends, questions, and potential solutions, Science, 320, 889-892, 2008. (Pubitemid 351929578)
16. Goulding, K. W. T., Bailey, N. J., Bradbury, N. J., Hargreaves, P., Howe, M., Murphy, D. V., Poulton, P. R., and Willison, T. W.: Nitrogen deposition and its contribution to nitrogen cycling and associated soil processes, New Phytol., 139, 49-58, 1998.
17. Gong, X. Y, Chen, Q., Dittert, K., Taube, F., and Lin, S.: Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutritional status of semiarid steppe grassland in Inner Mongolia, Plant Soil, 340, 265-278, 2011.
18. Grime, J. P.: Competitive exclusion in herbaceous vegetation, Nature, 242, 344-347, 1973.
19. Gross, K. L., Willig, M. R., Gough, L., Inouye, R., and Cox, S. B.: Patterns of species density and productivity at different spatial scales in herbaceous plant communities, Oikos, 89, 417-427, 2000. (Pubitemid 30343052)
20. Houlton, B. Z., Sigman, D. M., Schuur, E. A. G., and Hedin, L.O.: A climate-driven switch in plant nitrogen acquisition within tropical forest communities, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104, 8902-8906, 2007. (Pubitemid 47175409)
21. Kahmen, A., Wanek, W., and Buchmann, N.: Foliar delta N-15 values characterize soil N cycling and reflect nitrate or ammonium preference of plants along a temperate grassland gradient, Oe-cologia, 156, 861-870, 2008.
22. Kang, L., Han, X. G., Zhang, Z. B., and Sun, O. J.: Grassland ecosystems in China: review of current knowledge and research advancement, Philos. T. R. Soc. B., 362, 997-1008, 2007. (Pubitemid 47056798)
23. Koerselman, W. and Meuleman, A. F. M.: The vegetation N:P ratio: A new tool to detect the nature of nutrient limitation, J. Appl. Ecol., 33, 1441-1450, 1996.
24. Lauenroth, W. K., Dodd, J. L., and Sims, P. L.: The effect of water and nitrogen-induced stresses on plant community structure in a semiarid grassland, Oecologia, 36, 211-222, 1978.
25. Lauenroth, W. K., Milchunas, D. G., Sala, O. E., Burke, I. C., and Morgan, J. A.: Net primary production in the shortgrass steppe, in: Ecology of the Shortgrass Steppe: A long-term perspective, edited by: Lauenroth, W. K. and Burke, I. C., LTER Research Network Series, Oxford University Press, 270-305, 2008.
26. Liu, W. X., Zhang, Z., and Wan, S. Q: Predominant role of water in regulating soil and microbial respiration and their responses to climate change in a semiarid grassland, Global Change Biol., 15, 184-195, 2009.
27. Liu, X. J., Duan, L., Mo, J. M., Du, E. Z., Shen, J. L., Lu, X. K., Zhang, Y., Zhou, X. B., He, C. E., and Zhang, F. S.: Nitrogen deposition and its ecologyical impact in China: an overview, Environ. Pollut., doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2010.08.002, 2010.
28. Maskell, L. C., Smart, S. M., Bullock, J. M., Thompson, K., and Stevens, C. J.: Nitrogen deposition causes widespread loss of species richness in British habitats, Global Change Biol., 16, 671-679, 2010.
29. Mountford, J. O., Lakhani, K. H., and Kirkham, F. W.: Experimental assessment of the effects of nitrogen addition under hay-cutting and aftermath grazing on the vegetation of meadows on a Somerset peat moor, J. Appl. Ecol., 30, 321-332, 1993.
30. Pardo, L. H., Templer, P. H., Goodale, C. L., Duke, S., Groffman, P. M., Adams, M. B., Boeckx, P., Boggs, J., Campbell, J., Colman, B., Compton, J., Emmett, B., Gundersen, P., Kjonaas, J., Lovett, G., Mack, M., Magill, A., Mbila, M., Mitchell, M. J., McGee, G., McNulty, S., Nadelhoffer, K., Ollinger, S., Ross, D., Rueth, H., Rustad, L., Schaberg, P., Schiff, S., Schleppi, P., Spoelstra, J., and Wessel, W.: Regional assessment of N saturation using foliar and root delta N-15, Biogeochemistry, 80, 143-171, 2006. (Pubitemid 44470273)
31. Peppler-Lisbach, C. and Petersen, J.: Synopsis of the plant communities of Germany, Issue 8. Calluno-Ulicetea (G3), Part 1: Nardetalia strictae, Brush grasslands, Synopsis der Pflanzenge-sellschaften Deutschlands, 117 pp., 2001.
32. Phoenix, G. K., Hicks, W. K., Cinderby, S., Kuylenstierna, J. C. I., Stock, W. D., Dentener, F. J., Giller, K. E., Austin, A. T., Lefroy, R. D. B., Gimeno, B. S., Ashmore, M. R., and Ineson, P.: Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in world biodiversity hotspots: the need for a greater global perspective in assessing N deposition impacts, Global Change Biol., 12, 470-476, 2006.
33. Rao, L. E., Parker, D. R., Bytnerowicz, A., and Allen, E. B.: Nitrogen mineralization across an atmospheric nitrogen deposition gradient in Southern California deserts, J. Arid Enviro., 73, 920-930, 2009.
34. Ren, H. Y., Xu, Z. W., Huang, J. H., Clark, C., Chen, S. P., and Han, X. G.: Nitrogen and water addition reduce leaf longevity of steppe species, Ann. Bot., 107, 145-155, 2011.
35. Roem, W. J. and Berendse, F.: Soil acidity and nutrient supply ratio as possible factors determining changes in plant species diversity in grassland and heathland communities, Biol. Conserv., 92, 151-161, 2000. (Pubitemid 30052194)
36. Sala, O. E., Chapin, F. S., Armesto, J. J., Berlow, E., Bloomfield, J., Dirzo, R., Huber-Sanwald, E., Huenneke, L. F., Jackson, R. B., Kinzig, A., Leemans, R., Lodge, D. M., Mooney, H. A., Oester-held, M., Poff, N. L., Sykes, M. T., Walker, B. H., Walker, M., and Wall, D. H.: Biodiversity-Global biodiversity scenarios for the year 2100, Science, 287, 1770-1774, 2000. (Pubitemid 30143956)
37. SAS Institute: SAS User's Guide, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, 1996.
38. Song, L., Bao, X. M., Liu, X. J., and Zhang, F.S.: Impact of nitrogen deposition on plant community in a semi-arid temperate steppe in China, J. Arid Land, in review, 2011.
39. Stevens, C. J., Dise, N. B., Mountford, J. O., and Gowing, D. J.: Impact of nitrogen deposition on the species richness of grasslands, Science, 303, 1876-1879, 2004. (Pubitemid 38374881)
40. Stevens, C. J., Dise, N. B., Gowing, D. J. G., and Mountford, J. O.: Loss of forb diversity in relation to nitrogen deposition in the UK: regional trends and potential controls, Global Change Biol., 12, 1823-1833, 2006. (Pubitemid 44383509)
41. Storm, C. and Suss, K.: Are low-productive plant communities responsive to nutrient addition?, Evidence from sand pioneer grassland, J. Veg. Sci., 19, 343-354, 2008.
42. Suding, K. N., Collins, S. L., Gough, L., Clark, C., Cleland, E. E., Gross, K. L., Milchunas, D. G., and Pennings, S.: Functional-and abundance-based mechanisms explain diversity loss due to N fertilization, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 102, 4387-4392, 2005. (Pubitemid 40397121)
43. Sun, H. L.: Ecosystems of China, Science Press, Beijing, China, 2005.
44. Tilman, D., Reich, P. B., and Knops, J. M. H.: Biodiversity and ecosystem stability in a decade-long grassland experiment, Nature, 441, 629-632, 2006. (Pubitemid 43927293)
45. x emissions, Biogeochemistry, 63, 229-247, 2003a. (Pubitemid 36684493)
46. 2O, Biogeochemistry, 63, 249-267, 2003b. (Pubitemid 36684494)
47. Vitousek, P. M., Aber, J. D., Howarth, R. W., Likens, G. E., Mat-son, P. A., Schindler, D. W., Schlesinger, W. H., and Tilman, G. D.: Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Sources and consequences, Ecol. Appl., 7, 737-750, 1997.
48. Vitousek, P. M., Hattenschwiler, S., Olander, L., and Allison, S.: Nitrogen and nature, Ambio, 31, 97-101, 2002. (Pubitemid 34414226)
49. Wedin, D. A. and Tilman, D.: Influence of nitrogen loading and species composition on the carbon balance of grasslands, Science, 274, 1720-1723, 1996. (Pubitemid 26414906)
50. 2, and N addition on gross rates of inorganic N release from soil organic matter, Global Change Biol., 12, 1400-1408, 2006. (Pubitemid 44028452)
51. Zhang, Y., Zheng, L. X., Liu, X. J., Jickells, T., Cape, J. N., Gould-ing, K. W. T., Fangmeier, A., and Zhang, F. S.: Evidence for organic N deposition and its anthropogenic sources in China, At-mos. Environ., 42, 1035-1041, 2008.