Abstract
The anthropogenic increase of nutrient availability in natural ecosystems is related to different impacts as soil acidification and loss of biodiversity. The present work investigated the effects of nutrient additions on the diversity of the herbaceous-subshrub layer of a Brazilian savanna. The experimental design consisted of an unfertilized control and four fertilization treatments as follows: + N (100 kg N ha−1 year−1 as (NH4)2SO4), + P (100 kg of P ha−1 year−1 as Ca(H2PO4)2 + CaSO4.2H2O), + NP (100 kg of N + 100 kg of P ha−1 year−1 as (NH4)2SO4 plus Ca(H2PO4)2 + CaSO4.2H2O) and + Ca (4,000 kg of dolomitic limestone and CaSO4.2H2O). Nutrient treatments were applied twice yearly between 1998 and 2006. Soil physic-chemical analyses were performed and related to the results of vegetation surveys performed in April 2009. Calcium (Ca) addition increased the soil pH in all Ca fertilized plots, while the additions of nitrogen (N), nitrogen and phosphorus (NP) and phosphorus (P) decreased soil pH. The floristic diversity was high in all treatments but differed significantly between them (p < 0.01). NP plots presented the lowest richness and the control plots showed the highest richness. Species cover and environmental variables were correlated to axes 1 and 2 in the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (F = 1.14; p = 0.035). In our study the invasive grass Melinis minutiflora (African C4 grass) responded to P and N + P treatments but was absent in the N plots, probably due to P limitation. The low cover of M. minutiflora in control and in Ca plots may be due to competition with native species, since these plots had a high H’ index for the herbaceous-subshrub layer and were probably also P limited. The combination of N + P was especially detrimental to diversity, inducing the invasion by M. minutiflora. The invasion seems to be strongly limited by P and interespecific competition with native species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barger, N. N., D’Antonio, C. M., Ghneim, T., & Cuevas, E. (2003). Constraints to colonization and growth of the African grass, Melinis minutiflora, in a Venezuelan savanna. Plant Ecology, 167, 31–43.
Canfield, R. H. (1941). Application of the line interception method in sampling range vegetation. Journal of Forestry, 39, 388–394.
Canfield, R. H. (1950). Sampling range by the line interception method. Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station Research. Report 4.
D’Antonio, C. M., & Vitousek, P. M. (1992). Biological invasions by exotic grasses, the grass-fire cycle, and global change. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 23, 63–87.
Eiten, G. (1972). The Cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Botanical Review, 38, 201–341.
Elser, J. J., Bracken, M. E. S., Cleland, E. E., Gruner, D. S., Harpole, W. S., Hillebrand, H., Ngai, J. T., Seabloom, E. W., Shurin, J. B., & Smith, J. E. (2007). Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecology Letters, 10, 1135–1142.
EMBRAPA. (1999). Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Solos (Rio de Janeiro, RJ). Sistema Brasileiro de Classificação de Solos. Brasília: EMBRAPA-SPI.
Fynn, R. W. S., & O’Connor, T. G. (2005). Determinants of community organization of a South African mesic grassland. Journal of Vegetation Science, 16, 93–102.
Hoffmann, W. A., & Haridasan, M. (2008). The invasive grass, Melinis minutiflora, inhibits tree regeneration in a Neotropical savanna. Austral Ecology, 33, 29–36.
Jacobson, T. K. B. (2009). Composição, estrutura e funcionamento de um cerrado sentido restrito submetido à adição de nutrientes em médio prazo. PhD thesis. University of Brasilia, Brasilia.
Klink, C. A., & Joly, C. A. (1989). Identification and distribution of C3 and C4 grasses in open and shaded habitats in São Paulo State, Brazil. Biotropica, 21, 30–34.
Kozovits, A. R., Bustamente, M. M. C., Garofalo, C. R., Bucci, S., Franco, A. C., Goldstein, G., & Meinzer, F. C. (2007). Nutrient resorption and patterns of litter production and decomposition in a Neotropical Savanna. Functional Ecology, 21, 1034–1043.
Lambers, H., Raven, J. A., Shaver, G. R., & Smith, S. E. (2008). Plant nutrient acquisition strategies change with soil age. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 23, 95–103.
Meier, M. (1991). Nitratbestimmung in Boden-Proben (N-min- Methode) (pp. 244–247). Berlin: Labor Praxis.
Mendonça, R. C., Felfili, J. M., Walter, B. M. T., Silva Júnior, M. C., Rezende, A. V., Filgueiras, T. S., & Nogueira, P. E. (2008). Flora Vascular do Cerrado. In Cerrado: Ecologia e flora (pp. 29–47). Brasília : EMBRAPA-CPAC.
Munhoz, C. B. R., & Felfili, J. M. (2006). Fitossociologia do estrato herbáceo-subarbustivo de uma área de campo sujo no Distrito Federal, Brasil. Acta Botanica Brasilica, 20, 671–685.
Munhoz, C. B. R., Felfili, J. M., & Rodrigues, C. (2008). Species-environment relationship in the herb-subshrub layer of a moist Savanna site, Federal District, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 68(1), 25–35.
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., Fonseca, G. A. B., & Kent, J. (2000). Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853–858.
Pivello, V. R., Carvalho, V., Lopes, P., Peccinini, A., & Rosso, S. (1999). Abundance and distribution of native and alien grasses in a Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) biological reserve. Biotropica, 31, 72–82.
Saraiva, O. D., Carvalho, M. M., & Oliveira, F. T. T. (1993). Nutrientes limitantes ao crescimento de capim-gordura em um latossolo vermelho-amarelo álico. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, 284, 963–968.
Sarmiento, G. (1983). The savannas of tropical America. In F. Bourlière (Ed.), Ecosystems of the world: Tropical savannas (pp. 245-288). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Ter Braak, C. J. F., & Smilauer, P. (1998). CANOCO Reference manual and user’s guide to Canoco For Windows: software for canonical community ordination, version 4. Ithaca: Microcomputer Power.
Tilman, D. (1993). Species richness of experimental productivity gradients: How important is colonization limitation. Ecology, 74, 2179–2191.
Vitousek, P. M., Aber, J., Howarth, R. W., Likens, G. E., Matson, P. A., Schindler, D. W., Schlesinger, W. H., & Tilman, D. (1997). Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Causes and consequences. Journal of Applied Ecology, 7, 737–750.
Willems, J. H., Peet, R. K., & Bik, L. (1993). Changes in chalk-grassland structure and species richness resulting from selective nutrient additions. Journal of Vegetation Science, 4, 203–212.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the UnB Ecology Laboratory staff for valuable help. We also would like to thank the administration and staff of the Ecological Reserve of IBGE. This study was funded by LBA-NASA (ND-07). T.R.B. Mello was supported by a scholarship of Brazilian National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq). Participation of M.M.C. Bustamante in the Edinburgh Workshop on Nitrogen Deposition, Critical Loads and Biodiversity was supported by CNPq and by the organizations supporting the event.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
de Mello, T., Munhoz, C., Bustamante, M. (2014). Effects of Nutrient Additions on the Diversity of the Herbaceous-Subshrub Layer of a Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado). In: Sutton, M., Mason, K., Sheppard, L., Sverdrup, H., Haeuber, R., Hicks, W. (eds) Nitrogen Deposition, Critical Loads and Biodiversity. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7939-6_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7939-6_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7938-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7939-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)