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Decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus in dominant grass species in response to long-term nitrogen addition in an Alpine Grassland in Central Asia

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Abstract

Increased nitrogen (N) availability induced by fertilizer use, rapid urbanization, and livestock cultivation has important effects on the biogeochemical cycles of plant N and phosphorus (P). Knowledge of the long-term N enrichment effects on the biogeochemical cycling of N and P via plant ecological stoichiometry and nutrient resorption remains limited. Nutrient resorption plays an important role in the plant nutrient economy and nutrient cycling. A three-year field experiment was performed to test the effects of N addition on leaf nutrient resorption of two dominant grass species (Leymus tiansecalinus and Festuca ovina) from an 11-year grassland experiment involving four N levels (0, 30, 90, and 150 kg N ha−1 year−1) in an alpine grassland of Tianshan Mountains in northwestern China. Nitrogen addition significantly increased aboveground biomass (AGB) and soil N availability. The N concentrations and N:P ratio in mature and senesced leaves consistently increased with increasing N across all three years. The P concentrations in mature and senesced leaves notably decreased with increasing N. The N addition resulted in decreased N resorption efficiency (NRE) and increased P resorption efficiency (PRE). The divergent responses of plant N and P resorption and N:P ratios resulted in the decoupling of the plant internal nutrient cycles for both grass species, attributed to increased soil N availability and nonsignificant effects on soil available P caused by N addition. In addition, the N:P resorption ratios were negatively correlated with increasing N levels, suggesting different sensitivities of plant N and P to N addition. The aboveground production of both grass species was positively correlated with PRE and negatively correlated with NRE. Under the background of the currently high and steadily increasing atmospheric N deposition, the imbalance of plant nutrient cycling will likely alter plant community compositions and subsequent litter decomposition, ultimately affecting ecosystem stability and function.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the staff of the Bayanbulak Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who helped with the fieldwork. The present study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41673079, 41425007) and the "Light of West China" Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Han W.X.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China

    Yuan Su, Xiaofei Ma, Jiajia Le, Kaihui Li, Wenxuan Han & Xuejun Liu

  2. Bayinbuluk Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bayinbuluk, 841314, China

    Yuan Su, Jiajia Le & Kaihui Li

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yuan Su, Xiaofei Ma & Jiajia Le

  4. Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Urumqi, 830011, China

    Kaihui Li

  5. Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Haidian District, West Road #2, Beijing, 100193, China

    Wenxuan Han & Xuejun Liu

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  1. Yuan Su
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  2. Xiaofei Ma
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  3. Jiajia Le
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  4. Kaihui Li
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Correspondence to Kaihui Li or Xuejun Liu.

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Communicated by Dafeng Hui.

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Su, Y., Ma, X., Le, J. et al. Decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus in dominant grass species in response to long-term nitrogen addition in an Alpine Grassland in Central Asia. Plant Ecol 222, 261–274 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01103-3

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