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Changes in light- and nitrogen-use and in aboveground biomass allocation patterns along productivity gradients in grasslands

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Abstract

Light- and nitrogen-use change was examined along productivity gradients in natural grasslands at Laelatu, western Estonia, both at community level and in most abundant species. Aboveground biomass (M) ranged from 341 to 503 g m−2 in wet (W) and from 248 to 682 g m−2 in dry (D) community. Aboveground leaf area ratio (aLAR) decreased with rising M in D site, while it increased in W site. In a high-aLAR W community (significantly higher compared to D), adjustment of leaf morphology through an increase in specific leaf area is responsible for an increase in aLAR with rising productivity. In low-aLAR stand, by contrast, adjustment of biomass allocation due to decrease in aboveground leaf mass fraction is primarily responsible for the tendency of aLAR to decline. In conclusion, a decrease in aLAR is not a universal response to increasing M. We hypothesise that there exists an optimum of light acquisition efficiency (ΦM) along a productivity gradient independent of community type. Aboveground nitrogen-use efficiency (aNUE) decreased in high-aLAR, W community with increasing M, while in low-aLAR, D site, there was no relationship along a gradient, although aNUE increased along six plots dominated by graminoids. A trade-off was established between leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area (N A) and aLAR.

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Acknowledgments

We are deeply thankful to Kouki Hikosaka and John Philip Grime for their valuable comments on some topics of our paper. Urve Ratas and Elle Roosaluste are kindly acknowledged for the determination of soil and vegetation types, respectively. We thank Jaak Truu for use of the SigmaPlot software, and Anneli Poska and Ivika Ostonen for helping with graphical solutions. Ants Aader, Liis Merenäkk and Marika Guralnik helped in fieldwork. This research was supported financially by Estonian Science Foundation (Grant No. 2037), by Target Project No. SF0180025s12 of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia and by European Commission through European Regional Fund—the Center of Excellence in Environmental Adaptation Project No. F11100PKTF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 40 Lai St., 51005, Tartu, Estonia

    Anne Aan, Krista Lõhmus, Arne Sellin & Olevi Kull

  2. Natural History Museum of Tartu University, 46 Vanemuise St., 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Anne Aan

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  1. Anne Aan
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  2. Krista Lõhmus
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  3. Arne Sellin
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  4. Olevi Kull
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Correspondence to Anne Aan.

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Aan, A., Lõhmus, K., Sellin, A. et al. Changes in light- and nitrogen-use and in aboveground biomass allocation patterns along productivity gradients in grasslands. J Plant Res 127, 441–453 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-014-0629-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-014-0629-z

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