Functional structure mediates the responses of productivity to addition of three nitrogen compounds in a meadow steppe
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Functional structure mediates the responses of productivity to addition of three nitrogen compounds in a meadow steppe. / Cai, Jiangping; Weiner, Jacob; Luo, Wentao; Feng, Xue; Yang, Guojiao; Lu, Jiayu; Lü, Xiao Tao; Li, Mai He; Jiang, Yong; Han, Xingguo.
I: Oecologia, Bind 201, 2023, s. 575-584.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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T1 - Functional structure mediates the responses of productivity to addition of three nitrogen compounds in a meadow steppe
AU - Cai, Jiangping
AU - Weiner, Jacob
AU - Luo, Wentao
AU - Feng, Xue
AU - Yang, Guojiao
AU - Lu, Jiayu
AU - Lü, Xiao Tao
AU - Li, Mai He
AU - Jiang, Yong
AU - Han, Xingguo
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is altering grassland productivity and community structure worldwide. Deposited N comes in different forms, which can have different consequences for productivity due to differences in their fertilization and acidification effects. We hypothesize that these effects may be mediated by changes in plant functional traits. We investigated the responses of aboveground primary productivity and community functional composition to addition of three nitrogen compounds (NH4NO3, [NH4]2SO4, and CO[NH2]2) at the rates of 0, 5, 10, 20 g N m−2 yr−1. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate how functional structure influences the responses of productivity to the three N compounds. Nitrogen addition increased community-level leaf chlorophyll content but decreased leaf dry matter content and phosphorus concentration. These changes were mainly due to intra-specific variation. Functional dispersion of traits was reduced by N addition through changes in species composition. SEM revealed that fertilization effects were more important than soil acidification for the responses of productivity to CO(NH2)2 addition, which enhanced productivity by decreasing functional trait dispersion. In contrast, the effects of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 were primarily due to soil acidification, influencing productivity via community-weighted means of functional traits. Our results suggest that N forms with different fertilizing and acidifying effects influence productivity via different functional traits pathways. Our study also emphasizes the need for in situ experiments with the relevant N compounds to accurately understand and predict the ecological effects of atmospheric N deposition on ecosystems.
AB - Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is altering grassland productivity and community structure worldwide. Deposited N comes in different forms, which can have different consequences for productivity due to differences in their fertilization and acidification effects. We hypothesize that these effects may be mediated by changes in plant functional traits. We investigated the responses of aboveground primary productivity and community functional composition to addition of three nitrogen compounds (NH4NO3, [NH4]2SO4, and CO[NH2]2) at the rates of 0, 5, 10, 20 g N m−2 yr−1. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate how functional structure influences the responses of productivity to the three N compounds. Nitrogen addition increased community-level leaf chlorophyll content but decreased leaf dry matter content and phosphorus concentration. These changes were mainly due to intra-specific variation. Functional dispersion of traits was reduced by N addition through changes in species composition. SEM revealed that fertilization effects were more important than soil acidification for the responses of productivity to CO(NH2)2 addition, which enhanced productivity by decreasing functional trait dispersion. In contrast, the effects of (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 were primarily due to soil acidification, influencing productivity via community-weighted means of functional traits. Our results suggest that N forms with different fertilizing and acidifying effects influence productivity via different functional traits pathways. Our study also emphasizes the need for in situ experiments with the relevant N compounds to accurately understand and predict the ecological effects of atmospheric N deposition on ecosystems.
KW - Functional structure
KW - Grassland productivity
KW - Intraspecific variation
KW - Nitrogen deposition
KW - Species turnover
U2 - 10.1007/s00442-022-05310-9
DO - 10.1007/s00442-022-05310-9
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36688977
AN - SCOPUS:85146678886
VL - 201
SP - 575
EP - 584
JO - Oecologia
JF - Oecologia
SN - 0029-8519
ER -
ID: 335685697