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Non-Additive Effects of Water and Nitrogen Addition on Ecosystem Carbon Exchange in a Temperate Steppe

Ecosystems volume 12, pages 915–926 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Changes in precipitation and nitrogen (N) deposition can influence ecosystem carbon (C) cycling and budget in terrestrial biomes, with consequent feedbacks to climate change. However, little is known about the main and interactive effects of water and N additions on net ecosystem C exchange (NEE). In a temperate steppe of northern China, a field-manipulated experiment was conducted to evaluate the responses of NEE and its components to improve N and water availability from 2005 to 2008. The results showed that both water and N additions stimulated gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and NEE. Water addition increased GEP by 17%, ER by 24%, and NEE by 11% during the experimental period, whereas N addition increased GEP by 17%, ER by 16%, and NEE by 19%. The main effects of both water and N additions changed with time, with the strongest water stimulation in the dry year and a diminishing N stimulation over time. When water and N were added in combination, there were non-additive effects of water and N on ecosystem C fluxes, which could be explained by the changes in species composition and the shifts of limiting resources from belowground (water or N) to aboveground (light). The positive water and N additions effects indicate that increasing precipitation and N deposition in the future will favor C sequestration in the temperate steppe. The non-additive effects of water and N on ecosystem C fluxes suggest that multifactor experiments are better able to capture complex interactive processes, thus improving model simulations and projections.

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted as part of a comprehensive research project (Global Change Multi-factor Experiment-Duolun) sponsored by the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The authors thank Zhiyou Yuan, Shihuan Song, Wenming Bai, and Xin Li for help in setting up the field facilities, Yi Han, Jianyang Xia, and Zhixiong Li for help in field measurements, and Shiping Chen for providing meteorological data. This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30870439, 30821062), Ministry of Science and Technology (2006BAD26B01), Chinese Academy of Sciences (Hundred Talents Program), and State Key Laboratory of Environmental and Vegetation Change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China

    Shuli Niu, Haijun Yang, Zhe Zhang, Mingyu Wu, Linghao Li, Xingguo Han & Shiqiang Wan

  2. The Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China

    Qi Lu

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  1. Shuli Niu
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Correspondence to Shiqiang Wan.

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Author Contributions

SN analyzed data and wrote the paper. SN, HY, MW, ZZ, and QL conducted the research. SW, LL, XH, and SN designed the research.

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Niu, S., Yang, H., Zhang, Z. et al. Non-Additive Effects of Water and Nitrogen Addition on Ecosystem Carbon Exchange in a Temperate Steppe. Ecosystems 12, 915–926 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-009-9265-1

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