Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Altered response to nitrogen supply of mixed grassland communities in a future climate: a controlled environment microcosm study

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Few studies have investigated whether responses to nutrient supply of mixed plant communities change under combined elevated CO2 and climate warming. In this study we analyzed the response of constructed temperate grassland communities to five levels of nitrogen (N) supply, ranging from 0 to 150 kg N ha−1, under two climate scenarios. Biomass of the plant communities responded positively to N supply in the current climate, but was insensitive to N supply in the future climate. This altered response was not the result of a changing response from a single species, but all species seemed to contribute to it. The weaker response in the future climate was caused by changes in N uptake rather than by changes in nitrogen use efficiency, as community N stocks showed the same response pattern as community biomass. Climate change apparently modified the relation between fertilizer N addition and plant available N.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

SOM:

Soil organic matter

Tair :

Air temperature

PAR:

Photosynthetically active radiation

SD:

Standard deviation

vpd:

Vapour pressure deficit

ET:

Evapotranspiration

SWC:

Soil water content

ANCOVA:

Analysis of covariance

SEN:

Soil extractable nitrogen

References

  • Ainsworth EA, Long SP (2005) What have we learned from 15 years of free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)? A meta-analytic review of the responses of photosynthesis, canopy properties and plant production to rising CO2. New Phytol 165:351–371

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Allard V, Robin C, Newton PCD, Lieffering M, Soussana JF (2006) Short and long-term effects of elevated CO2 on Lolium perenne rhizodeposition and its consequences on soil organic matter turnover and plant N yield. Soil Biol Biochem 38:1178–1187

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baggs EM, Richter M, Hartwig UA, Cadisch G (2003) Nitrous oxide emissions from grass swards during the eighth year of elevated atmospheric pCO2 (Swiss FACE). Glob Chang Biol 9:1214-1222

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson G, Palmborg C, Jumpponen A, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Hogberg P, Huss-Danell K (2009) N2 fixation in three perennial Trifolium species in experimental grasslands of varied plant species richness and composition. Plant Ecol 205:87–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng WX (1997) Rhizosphere feedbacks in elevated CO2. Tree Physiol 19:313–320

    Google Scholar 

  • De Boeck HJ, Lemmens C, Bossuyt H, Malchair S, Carnol M, Merckx R, Nijs I, Ceulemans R (2006) How do climate warming and plant species richness affect water use in experimental grasslands? Plant Soil 288:249–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Graaff MA, van Groenigen KJ, Six J, Hungate B, van Kessel C (2006) Interactions between plant growth and soil nutrient cycling under elevated CO2: a meta-analysis. Glob Chang Biol 12:2077–2091

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dukes JS, Chiariello NR, Cleland EE, Moore LA, Shaw MR, Thayer S, Tobeck T, Mooney HA, Field CB (2005) Responses of grassland production to single and multiple global environmental changes. PLoS Biol 3:1829–1837

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Godbold DL, Hoosbeek MR, Lukac M, Cotrufo MF, Janssens IA, Ceulemans R, Polle A, Velthorst EJ, Scarascia-Mugnozza G, De Angelis P, Miglietta F, Peressotti A (2006) Mycorrhizal hyphal turnover as a dominant process for carbon input into soil organic matter. Plant Soil 281:15–24

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haith DA, Shoemaker LL (1987) Generalized watershed loading functions for stream-nutrients. Water Resour Bull 23:471–478

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogh-Jensen H, Schjoerring JK (2000) Below-ground nitrogen transfer between different grassland species: Direct quantification by 15N leaf feeding compared with indirect dilution of soil 15N. Plant Soil 227:171–183

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hovenden MJ, Newton PCD, Carran RA, Theobald P, Wills KE, Schoor JKV, Williams AL, Osanai Y (2008) Warming prevents the elevated CO2 induced reduction in available soil nitrogen in a temperate, perennial grassland. Glob Chang Biol 14:1018–1024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurlbert SH (1984) Pseudoreplication and the design of ecological field experiments. Ecol Monogr 54:187–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2007) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of working Group I to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson EM, Fransson PMA, Finlay RD, van Hees PAW (2009) Quantitative analysis of soluble exudates produced by ectomycorrhizal roots as a response to ambient and elevated CO2. Soil Biol Biochem 41:1111–1116

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kenward MG, Roger JH (1997) Small sample inference for fixed effects from restricted maximum likelihood. Biometrics 53:983–997

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Littell RC, Milliken GA, Stroup WW, Wolfinger RD (1996) SAS System for mixed models. SAS Institute Inc., Cary

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo Y, Su B, Currie WS, Dukes JS, Finzi A, Hartwig U, Hungate B, McMurtrie RE, Oren R, Parton WJ, Pataki DE, Shaw MR, Zak DR, Field CB (2004) Progressive nitrogen limitation of ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Bioscience 54:731–739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meharg AA, Killham K (1989) Distribution of assimilated carbon within the plant and rhizosphere of Lolium perenne—influence of temperature. Soil Biol Biochem 21:487–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meier M, Saurer M, Haldemann C, Fuhrer J (1997) Effect of elevated CO2 on the carbon balance of a grass-clover mixture. Acta Oecol Int J Ecol 18:313–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norby RJ, Luo YQ (2004) Evaluating ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric CO2 and global warming in a multi-factor world. New Phytol 162:281–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen L (1999) Logic of experiments in ecology: is pseudoreplication a pseudoissue? In: Oikos seminar on costs and gains of recent progress in ecology. Munksgaard Int Publ Ltd, Hallnas, pp 27–38

  • Oren R, Ellsworth DS, Johnsen KH, Phillips N, Ewers BE, Maier C, Schafer KVR, McCarthy H, Hendrey G, McNulty SG, Katul GG (2001) Soil fertility limits carbon sequestration by forest ecosystems in a CO2-enriched atmosphere. Nature 411:469–472

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rustad LE, Campbell JL, Marion GM, Norby RJ, Mitchell MJ, Hartley AE, Cornelissen JHC, Gurevitch J (2001) A meta-analysis of the response of soil respiration, net nitrogen mineralization, and aboveground plant growth to experimental ecosystem warming. Oecologia 126:543–562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze ED, Luyssaert S, Ciais P, Freibauer A, Janssens IA, Soussana JF, Smith P, Grace J, Levin I, Thiruchittampalam B, Heimann M, Dolman AJ, Valentini R, Bousquet P, Peylin P, Peters W, Rodenbeck C, Etiope G, Vuichard N, Wattenbach M, Nabuurs GJ, Poussi Z, Nieschulze J, Gash JH (2009) Importance of methane and nitrous oxide for Europe’s terrestrial greenhouse-gas balance. Nat Geosci 2:842–850

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw MR, Zavaleta ES, Chiariello NR, Cleland EE, Mooney HA, Field CB (2002) Grassland responses to global environmental changes suppressed by elevated CO2. Science 298:1987–1990

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Soussana JF, Luscher A (2007) Temperate grasslands and global atmospheric change: a review. Grass Forage Sci 62:127–134

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thornley JHM, Cannell MGR (2000) Dynamics of mineral N availability in grassland ecosystems under increased CO2: hypotheses evaluated using the Hurley Pasture Model. Plant Soil 224:153–170

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uselman SM, Qualls RG, Thomas RB (2000) Effects of increased atmospheric CO2, temperature, and soil N availability on root exudation of dissolved organic carbon by a N-fixing tree (Robinia pseudoacacia L.). Plant Soil 222:191–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM, Aber JD, Howarth RW, Likens GE, Matson PA, Schindler DW, Schlesinger WH, Tilman GD (1997) Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Sources and consequences. Ecol Appl 7:737–750

    Google Scholar 

  • Whipps JM (1984) Environmental factors affecting the loss of carbon from the roots of wheat and barley seedlings. J Exp Bot 35:767–773

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zak DR, Pregitzer KS, King JS, Holmes WE (2000) Elevated atmospheric CO2, fine roots and the response of soil microorganisms: a review and hypothesis. New Phytol 147:201–222

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zavaleta ES, Shaw MR, Chiariello NR, Thomas BD, Cleland EE, Field CB, Mooney HA (2003) Grassland responses to 3 years of elevated temperature, CO2, precipitation, and N deposition. Ecol Monogr 73:585–604

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the University of Antwerp as concerted research project “Changes in the stress sensitivity of plants and ecosystems under climate change conditions” (GOA-BOF-UA-2007). J. Van den Berge is a Research Assistant of the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (F.W.O-Vlaanderen). K. Naudts holds a grant from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (I.W.T.). We thank B. Gielen for her help during the set-up of the experiment, N. Calluy, K. Crous and F. Kockelbergh for technical assistance, M. Büscher, H. De Boeck, W. Dieleman, S. Y. Dillen, M. Op de Beeck, M. Roland, H. Verbeeck, M. Verlinden and S. Vicca for field assistance and S. Van Dongen for statistical advice.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Costanza Zavalloni

    Present address: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze, 208, 33100, Udine, Italy

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp (Campus Drie Eiken), Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Joke Van den Berge, Kim Naudts, Costanza Zavalloni, Ivan A. Janssens, Reinhart Ceulemans & Ivan Nijs

  2. King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ivan Nijs

Authors
  1. Joke Van den Berge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kim Naudts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Costanza Zavalloni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ivan A. Janssens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Reinhart Ceulemans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ivan Nijs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joke Van den Berge.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Gerlinde De Deyn.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Van den Berge, J., Naudts, K., Zavalloni, C. et al. Altered response to nitrogen supply of mixed grassland communities in a future climate: a controlled environment microcosm study. Plant Soil 345, 375–385 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0789-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0789-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation