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Response of alpine grassland to elevated nitrogen deposition and water supply in China.
- Source :
-
Oecologia . Jan2015, Vol. 177 Issue 1, p65-72. 8p. 2 Charts, 5 Graphs. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Species composition and productivity are influenced by water and N availability in semi-arid grasslands. To assess the effects of increased N deposition and water supply on plant species composition and productivity, two field experiments with four N addition treatments, and three N and water combination treatments were conducted in alpine grassland in the mid Tianshan mountains, northwest China. When considering N addition alone, aboveground biomass (AGB) of forbs (F) responded less to N addition than AGB of grasses (G). G increased as an effect of N combined with water addition but F did not show such an effect, reflecting a stronger response of grasses to the interaction of water availability and N than forbs. Under all treatments, N allocation to the aboveground tissue did not change for either forbs or grasses. N deposition and water addition did not alter species richness in the present study. These results suggest that N addition generally promoted AGB but had little effect on species richness in wet years. Snowfall in winter combined with rainfall in the early growing season likely plays a critical role in regulating plant growth of the subsequent year in the alpine grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00298549
- Volume :
- 177
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Oecologia
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 100257323
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3122-4