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Contrasting grass nitrogen strategies reflect interspecific trade-offs between nitrogen acquisition and use in a semi-arid temperate grassland

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Abstract

Background and aims

Nitrogen (N) niche differentiations play an important role in community structure and biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, very few studies have examined how plant N strategies specialize via trade-offs between N acquisition and use abilities under natural field conditions.

Methods

A field experiment was conducted to investigate N strategies by coexisting grass species using the in-situ stable isotope labeling technique. We injected 15N–labeled nitrate, 15N–labeled ammonium, and 13C-15N-labeled glycine solutions in early and late vegetative growing seasons. Shoot δ15N and N concentration were measured to determine the N uptake and use abilities of 4 common species.

Results

All plant species preferred to take up nitrate (the dominant N form) over ammonium and glycine, and N-acquisition capacity varied with temporal variation of soil N. However, the dominant species was more N-conservative than less-dominant species and had lower overall N uptake rates (shoot 15N excess 48 hours after injection) and higher N use efficiencies (aboveground biomass : N ratio).

Conclusions

The different N strategies may reflect mixed effects of environmental filtering and interspecific competition and have significant implications for species coexistence as well as for ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Lin Zhao for assistance with labelled solution injection and Wan-Jin Liao for helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was funded by the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan (No. 2007CB106802) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31421063) to DYZ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology and MOE Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Nianxun Xi, Bi-Ru Zhu & Da-Yong Zhang

  2. Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, 666303, China

    Nianxun Xi

Authors
  1. Nianxun Xi
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  2. Bi-Ru Zhu
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  3. Da-Yong Zhang
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Correspondence to Da-Yong Zhang.

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Responsible Editor: Fernando T. Maestre.

Statement of Data Availability

All data analysed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

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Xi, N., Zhu, BR. & Zhang, DY. Contrasting grass nitrogen strategies reflect interspecific trade-offs between nitrogen acquisition and use in a semi-arid temperate grassland. Plant Soil 418, 267–276 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3296-8

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