Aims Nutrient resorption is a key plant nutrient conservation strategy,and its response to environmental and management changes is linked to nutrient cycling and production of ecosystems.Defoliation is a major pathway...Aims Nutrient resorption is a key plant nutrient conservation strategy,and its response to environmental and management changes is linked to nutrient cycling and production of ecosystems.Defoliation is a major pathway of mowing affecting plant nutrient resorption and production in grasslands,while the effect of defoliation timing has not been unexplored.The aim of this study was to examine the effect of defoliation timing on plant nutrient resorption and production in a steppe ecosystem.Methods We conducted a field experiment in a semi-arid steppe of Inner Mongolia including four treatments:early defoliation,peak defoliation,late defoliation and non-defoliation.We measured plant nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)resorption at species and community levels,and quantified plant N and P fluxes in resorption,litter return and hay output.Plant production in the mowing system was assessed by hay production and quality.Important Findings Peak and late defoliation,but not early defoliation,reduced plant community N and P resorption proficiency;and late defoliation reduced N resorption efficiency but not P resorption efficiency.Peak and late defoliation,but not early defoliation,reduced plant nutrient resorption flux and litter nutrient return flux.Defoliation timing did not alter root nutrient accumulation as nutrient uptake from soil likely compensated the deficit of nutrient resorption.Peak defoliation had the highest hay production and quality,while early defoliation had the lowest.Our results provide new insights into the nutrient cycling in mowing grassland,and imply that the mowing timing can be used as a tool to mediate the balanee between conservation and production of steppes,and the early mowing before plant peak biomass period is recommended for conservation of the steppes while keeping sustainable pastoral production.展开更多
Aims Competition among plants in a community usually depends on their nitrogen(N)-use efficiency(NUE)and water-use efficiency(WUE)in arid and semi-arid regions.Artemisia frigida is an indicator species in heavily degr...Aims Competition among plants in a community usually depends on their nitrogen(N)-use efficiency(NUE)and water-use efficiency(WUE)in arid and semi-arid regions.Artemisia frigida is an indicator species in heavily degraded grassland,however,how its NUE and WUE respond to N addition in different successional stages is still unclear,especially with mowing,a common management practice in semi-arid grasslands.Methods Based on a long-term controlled experiment with N addition and mowing in an abandoned cropland from 2006 to 2013,we investigated the NUE and WUE oi A.frigida in two patches(i.e.grass and herb patches)in 2013 which represented two potential successional stages from herb to grass communities.The coverage of A.frigida was higher(about 50%)in the herb patch than in the grass patch(about 10%).Stable isotopic C(δ^(13)C)and N(δ^(15)N)as well as C and N pools were measured in plants and soils.NUE was calculated as leaf C/N,and leafδ^(13)C values were used as a proxy for WUE.Important Findings N addition did not affect WUE of A.frigida,but significantly decreased NUE by 42.9%and 26.6%in grass and herb patches,respectively.The response of NUE to N addition was related to altering utilization of different N sources(NH_(4)^(+)vs.NO_(3)^(-))by A.frigida according to the changed relationship between leafδ^(15)N/soil 615N and NUE.Mowing had no effect on NUE regardless of N addition,but significantly increased WUE by 2.3%for A.frigida without N addition in the grass patch.The addition of N reduced the positive effect of mowing on its WUE in grass patch.Our results suggested that decreased NUE and/or WUE of A.frigida under mowing and N addition could reduce its competition,and further accelerate restoration succession from the abandoned cropland to natural grassland in the semi-arid region.展开更多
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2015BAC02B04,2016YFC0500508)the Departmeni of Science and Technology of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China(201503001,2019ZD007)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32071564).
文摘Aims Nutrient resorption is a key plant nutrient conservation strategy,and its response to environmental and management changes is linked to nutrient cycling and production of ecosystems.Defoliation is a major pathway of mowing affecting plant nutrient resorption and production in grasslands,while the effect of defoliation timing has not been unexplored.The aim of this study was to examine the effect of defoliation timing on plant nutrient resorption and production in a steppe ecosystem.Methods We conducted a field experiment in a semi-arid steppe of Inner Mongolia including four treatments:early defoliation,peak defoliation,late defoliation and non-defoliation.We measured plant nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)resorption at species and community levels,and quantified plant N and P fluxes in resorption,litter return and hay output.Plant production in the mowing system was assessed by hay production and quality.Important Findings Peak and late defoliation,but not early defoliation,reduced plant community N and P resorption proficiency;and late defoliation reduced N resorption efficiency but not P resorption efficiency.Peak and late defoliation,but not early defoliation,reduced plant nutrient resorption flux and litter nutrient return flux.Defoliation timing did not alter root nutrient accumulation as nutrient uptake from soil likely compensated the deficit of nutrient resorption.Peak defoliation had the highest hay production and quality,while early defoliation had the lowest.Our results provide new insights into the nutrient cycling in mowing grassland,and imply that the mowing timing can be used as a tool to mediate the balanee between conservation and production of steppes,and the early mowing before plant peak biomass period is recommended for conservation of the steppes while keeping sustainable pastoral production.
基金This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770526,31872406)the Chinese National Key Development Program for Basic Research(2016YFC0500703).
文摘Aims Competition among plants in a community usually depends on their nitrogen(N)-use efficiency(NUE)and water-use efficiency(WUE)in arid and semi-arid regions.Artemisia frigida is an indicator species in heavily degraded grassland,however,how its NUE and WUE respond to N addition in different successional stages is still unclear,especially with mowing,a common management practice in semi-arid grasslands.Methods Based on a long-term controlled experiment with N addition and mowing in an abandoned cropland from 2006 to 2013,we investigated the NUE and WUE oi A.frigida in two patches(i.e.grass and herb patches)in 2013 which represented two potential successional stages from herb to grass communities.The coverage of A.frigida was higher(about 50%)in the herb patch than in the grass patch(about 10%).Stable isotopic C(δ^(13)C)and N(δ^(15)N)as well as C and N pools were measured in plants and soils.NUE was calculated as leaf C/N,and leafδ^(13)C values were used as a proxy for WUE.Important Findings N addition did not affect WUE of A.frigida,but significantly decreased NUE by 42.9%and 26.6%in grass and herb patches,respectively.The response of NUE to N addition was related to altering utilization of different N sources(NH_(4)^(+)vs.NO_(3)^(-))by A.frigida according to the changed relationship between leafδ^(15)N/soil 615N and NUE.Mowing had no effect on NUE regardless of N addition,but significantly increased WUE by 2.3%for A.frigida without N addition in the grass patch.The addition of N reduced the positive effect of mowing on its WUE in grass patch.Our results suggested that decreased NUE and/or WUE of A.frigida under mowing and N addition could reduce its competition,and further accelerate restoration succession from the abandoned cropland to natural grassland in the semi-arid region.
