Abstract
A high relative growth rate (RGR) is thought to be an important trait allowing invasive annual grasses to exploit brief increases in nitrogen (N) supply following disturbance in the Intermountain West. Managing soils for low N availability has been suggested as a strategy that may reduce this growth advantage of annual grasses and facilitate establishment of desirable perennials grasses. The objective of this study was to examine the degree to which soil N availability affects RGR and RGR components of invasive annual and desirable perennial grasses. It was hypothesized that (1) invasive annual grasses would demonstrate a proportionately greater reduction in RGR than perennial grasses as soil N stress increased, and (2) the mechanism by which low N availability decreases RGR of annual and perennial grasses would depend on the severity of N stress, with moderate N stress primarily affecting leaf mass ratio (LMR) and severe N stress primarily affecting net assimilation rate (NAR). Three annual and three perennial grasses were exposed to three levels of N availability. RGR and components of RGR were quantified over four harvests. Moderate N stress reduced RGR by decreasing LMR and severe N stress lowered RGR further by decreasing NAR. However, reduction in RGR components was similar between invasive and natives, and as a consequence, annual grasses did not demonstrate a proportionately greater reduction in RGR than perennials under low N conditions. These results suggest managing soil N will do little to reduce the initial growth advantage of annual grasses. Once perennials establish, traits not captured in this short-term study, such as high tissue longevity and efficient nutrient recycling, may allow them to compete effectively with annuals under low N availability. Nevertheless, if soil N management does not facilitate the initial establishment of perennials in annual grass infested communities, then there is little likelihood that such techniques will provide a long-term benefit to restoration projects in these systems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aerts R (1999) Interspecific competition in natural plant communities: mechanisms, trade-offs and plant–soil feedbacks. J Exp Bot 50:29–37 DOI 10.1093/jexbot/50.330.29
Atkin OK, Botman B, Lambers H (1996) The causes of inherently slow growth in alpine plants: an analysis based on the underlying carbon economies of alpine and lowland Poa species. Funct Ecol 10:698–707 DOI 10.2307/2390504
Baker HG (1974) The evolution of weeds. Ann Rev Ecolog Syst 5:1–24 DOI 10.1146/annurev.es.05.110174.000245
Berendse F, Aerts R (1987) Nitrogen-use-efficiency: a biologically meaningful definition? Funct Ecol 1:293–296
Blumenthal DM, Jordan NR, Russelle MP (2003) Soil carbon addition controls weeds and facilitates prairie restoration. Ecol Appl 13:605–615 DOI 10.1890/1051-0761(2003)013[0605:SCACWA]2.0.CO;2
Brooks ML (2003) Effects of increased soil nitrogen on the dominance of alien annual plants in the Mojave Desert. J Appl Ecol 40:344–353
Burns JH (2004) A comparison of invasive and non-invasive dayflowers (Commelinaceae) across experimental nutrient and water gradients. Divers Distrib 10:387–397 DOI 10.1111/j.1366-9516.2004.00105.x
Causton DR, Venus JC (1981) The biometry of plant growth. Edward Arnold, London
Chapin FS (1980) The mineral nutrition of wild plants. Ann Rev Ecolog Syst 11:233–260 DOI 10.1146/annurev.es.11.110180.001313
Christie EK, Moorby J (1975) Physiological responses of semiarid grasses. I. The influence of phosphorus supply on growth and phosphorus absorption. Aust J Agric Res 26(3):423–436 DOI 10.1071/AR9750423
Coley PD (1988) Effects of plant growth rate and leaf lifetime on the amount and type of anti-herbivore defense. Oecologia 74:531–536 DOI 10.1007/BF00380050
Cui MY, Caldwell MM (1997) A large ephemeral release of nitrogen upon wetting of dry soil and corresponding root responses in the field. Plant Soil 191:291–299 DOI 10.1023/A:1004290705961
D’Antonio CM, Vitousek PM (1992) Biological invasions by exotic grasses, the grass/fire cycle, and global change. Ann Rev Ecolog Syst 23:63–87
Davis MA, Grime JP, Thompson K (2000) Fluctuating resources in plant communities: a general theory of invasibility. J Ecol 88:528–534 DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2745.2000.00473.x
de Groot CC, Marcelis LFM, Boogaard Rvd, Lambers H (2001) Growth and dry-mass partitioning in tomato as affected by phosphorus nutrition and light. Plant Cell Environ 24:1309–1317 DOI 10.1046/j.0016-8025.2001.00788.x
de Groot CC, Marcelis LFM, van den Boogaard R, Lambers H (2002) Interactive effects of nitrogen and irradiance on growth and partitioning of dry mass and nitrogen in young tomato plants. Functional Plant Biology 29:1319–1328 DOI 10.1071/FP02087
Elberse IAM, Van Damme JMM, Van Tienderen PH (2003) Plasticity of growth characteristics in wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) in response to nutrient limitation. J Ecol 91:371–382 DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2745.2003.00776.x
Elberse WT, Berendse F (1993) A comparative study of the growth and morphology of eight grass species from habitats with different nutrient availabilities. Funct Ecol 7:223–229 DOI 10.2307/2389891
Epstein E (1972) Mineral nutrition of plants: principles and perspectives. Wiley, New York
Evans GC (1972) The quantitative analysis of plant growth. University of California Press, Berkeley
Fichtner K, Schulze ED (1992) The effect of nitrogen nutrition on growth and biomass partitioning of annual plants originating from habitats of different nitrogen availability. Oecologia 92:236–241 DOI 10.1007/BF00317370
Forster JC (1995) Soil nitrogen. In: Alef K, Nannipieri P (eds) Methods in applied soil microbiology and biochemistry. Academic, San Diego, pp 79–87
Fraser LH, Grime JP (1999) Interacting effects of herbivory and fertility on a synthesized plant community. J Ecol 87:514–525 DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00373.x
Garcia-Serrano H, Escarre J, Garnier E, Sans XF (2005) A comparative growth analysis between alien invader and native Senecio species with distinct distribution ranges. Ecoscience 12:35–43 DOI 10.2980/i1195-6860-12-1-35.1
Garnier E (1992) Growth analysis of congeneric annual and perennial grass species. J Ecol 80:665–675 DOI 10.2307/2260858
Grime JP, Curtis AV (1976) The interaction of drought and mineral nutrient stress in calcareous grassland. J Ecol 64:975–988 DOI 10.2307/2258819
Grime JP, Campbell BD, Mackey JML, Crick JC (1991) Root plasticity, nitrogen capture and competitive ability. In: Atkinson D (ed) Plant root growth: an ecological perspective. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 381–397
Grotkopp E, Rejmanek M (2007) High seedling relative growth rate and specific leaf area are traits of invasive species: phylogenetically independent contrasts of woody angiosperms. Am J Bot 94:526–532 DOI 10.3732/ajb.94.4.526
Grotkopp E, Rejmanek M, Rost TL (2002) Toward a causal explanation of plant invasiveness: seedling growth and life-history strategies of 29 pine (Pinus) species. Am Nat 159:396–419 DOI 10.1086/338995
Hamilton MA, Murray BR, Cadotte MW, Hose GC, Baker AC, Harris CJ, Licari D (2005) Life-history correlates of plant invasiveness at regional and continental scales. Ecol Lett 8:1066–1074 DOI 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00809.x
Harris GA, Wilson AM (1970) Competition for moisture among seedlings of annual and perennial grasses as influenced by root elongation at low temperatures. Ecology 51:529–534 DOI 10.2307/1935392
Hedges LV, Gurevitch J, Curtis PS (1999) The meta-analysis of response ratios in experimental ecology. Ecology 80:1150–1156
Hirose T, Werger MJA (1987) Nitrogen use efficiency in instantaneous and daily photosynthesis of leaves in the canopy of a Solidago altissima stand. Physiol Plant 70:215–222 DOI 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1987.tb06134.x
Humphrey LD, Schupp EW (2004) Competition as a barrier to establishment of a native perennial grass (Elymus elymoides) in alien annual grass (Bromus tectorum) communities. J Arid Environ 58:405–422 DOI 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2003.11.008
Hunt R, Causton DR, Shipley B, Askew AP (2002) A modern tool for classical plant growth analysis. Ann Bot 90:485–488 DOI 10.1093/aob/mcf214
James JJ, Drenovsky RE (2007) A basis for relative growth rate differences between native and invasive forb seedlings. Rangeland Ecology & Management 60:395–400 DOI 10.2111/1551-5028(2007)60[395:ABFRGR]2.0.CO;2
James JJ, Aanderud ZT, Richards JH (2006) Seasonal timing of N pulses influences N capture in a saltbush scrub community. J Arid Environ 67:688–700 DOI 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.03.014
Joshi J, Vrieling K (2005) The enemy release and EICA hypothesis revisited: incorporating the fundamental difference between specialist and generalist herbivores. Ecol Lett 8:704–714. DOI 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00769.x
Konings H (1989) Physiological and morphological differences between pants with a high NAR or a high LAR as related to environmental conditions. In: Lambers H (ed) Causes and consequences of variation in growth rate and productivity of higher plants. SPB Academic, The Hague, pp 101–123
Korner C, Renhardt U (1987) Dry matter partitioning and root length/leaf area ratios in herbaceous perennial plants with diverse altitudinal distribution. Oecologia 74:411–418. DOI 10.1007/BF00378938
Krueger-Mangold J, Sheley RL, Svejcar TJ (2006) Toward ecologically-based invasive plant management on rangeland. Weed Sci 54:597–605 DOI 10.1614/WS-05-049R3.1
Lambers H, Poorter H (1992) Inherent variation in growth rate between higher plants: a search for physiological causes and ecological consequences. Adv Ecol Res 23:187–261
Laycock WA (1991) Stable states and thresholds of range condition on North American rangelands: a viewpoint. J Range Manag 44:427–433 DOI 10.2307/4002738
Leger EA, Forister ML (2005) Increased resistance to generalist herbivores in invasive populations of the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Divers Distrib 11:311–317. DOI 10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00165.x
Leishman MR, Haslehurst T, Ares A, Baruch Z (2007) Leaf trait relationships of native and invasive plants: community- and global-scale comparisons. New Phytol 176:635–643 DOI 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02189.x
Meziane D, Shipley B (1999a) Interacting components of interspecific relative growth rate: constancy and change under differing conditions of light and nutrient supply. Funct Ecol 13:611–622 DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2435.1999.00359.x
Meziane D, Shipley B (1999b) Interacting determinants of specific leaf area in 22 herbaceous species: effects of irradiance and nutrient availability. Plant Cell Environ 22:447–459. DOI 10.1046/j.1365-3040.1999.00423.x
Miranda KM, Espey MG, Wink DA (2001) A rapid, simple spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of nitrate and nitrite. Nitric Oxide 5:62–71 DOI 10.1006/niox.2000.0319
Neter J, Wasserman W, Kutner MH (1990) Applied linear statistical models: regression, analysis of variance and experimental design. Irwin, Homewood
Northam FE, Callihan RH (1994) New weedy grasses associated with downy brome. General Technical Report–Intermountain Research Station INT-313, 211–212. USDA Forest Service, Ogden
Paschke MW, McLendon T, Redente EF (2000) Nitrogen availability and old-field succession in a shortgrass steppe. Ecosystems 3:144–158 DOI 10.1007/s100210000016
Peek MS, Forseth IN (2003) Microhabitat dependent responses to resource pulses in the aridland perennial, Cryptantha flava. J Ecol 91:457–466 DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2745.2003.00778.x
Poorter H (1989) Interspecific variation in relative growth rate: on ecological causes and physiological consequences. In: Lambers H (ed) Causes and consequences of variation in growth rate and productivity of higher plants. SPB Academic, The Hague, pp 45–68
Poorter H, Nagel O (2000) The role of biomass allocation in the growth response of plants to different levels of light, CO2, nutrients and water: a quantitative review. Aust J Plant Physiol 27:595–607
Reich PB, Walters MB, Ellsworth DS (1997) From tropics to tundra: global convergence in plant functioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 94:13730–13734 DOI 10.1073/pnas.94.25.13730
Reynolds HL, D’Antonio C (1996) The ecological significance of plasticity in root weight ratio in response to nitrogen: opinion. Plant Soil 185:75–97 DOI 10.1007/BF02257566
Robinson D, Rorison IH (1988) Plasticity in grass species in relation to nitrogen supply. Funct Ecol 2:249–257 DOI 10.2307/2389701
Roumet C, Urcelay C, Diaz S (2006) Suites of root traits differ between annual and perennial species growing in the field. New Phytol 170:357–368 DOI 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01667.x
Ryser P, Lambers H (1995) Root and leaf attributes accounting for the performance of fast-and slow-growing grasses at different nutrient supply. Plant Soil 170:251–265 DOI 10.1007/BF00010478
SAS (2001) SAS/STAT user’s guide. Version 8. vol. 1–3. SAS Institute, Cary
Shipley B, Keddy PA (1988) The relationship between relative growth rate and sensitivity to nutrient stress in twenty-eight species of emergent macrophytes. J Ecol 76:1101–1110 DOI 10.2307/2260637
Stohlgren TJ, Binkley D, Chong GW, Kalkhan MA, Schell LD, Bull KA, Otsuki Y, Newman G, Baskin M, Son Y (1999) Exotic species invade hot spots of native plant diversity. Ecol Monogr 69:25–46
Taub DR (2002) Analysis of interspecific variation in plant growth response to nitrogen. Can J Bot 80:34–41 DOI 10.1139/b01-134
van der Werf A, van Nuenen M, Visser AJ, Lambers H (1993) Contribution of physiological and morphological plant traits to a species’ competitive ability at high and low nitrogen supply. Oecologia 94:434–440 DOI 10.1007/BF00317120
Wedin D, Tilman D (1993) Competition among grasses along a nitrogen gradient—initial conditions and mechanisms of competition. Ecol Monogr 63:199–229 DOI 10.2307/2937180
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Hans Lambers.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
James, J.J. Effect of soil nitrogen stress on the relative growth rate of annual and perennial grasses in the Intermountain West. Plant Soil 310, 201–210 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9645-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-008-9645-x