Journal ArticleDOI
Tradeoffs and thresholds in the effects of nitrogen addition on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: evidence from inner Mongolia Grasslands
Yongfei Bai,Jianguo Wu,Jianguo Wu,Christopher M. Clark,Shahid Naeem,Qingmin Pan,Jianhui Huang,Lixia Zhang,Xingguo Han +8 more
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
It is suggested that the critical threshold for N-induced species loss to mature Eurasian grasslands is below 1.75gNm � 2 yr � 1, and that changes in aboveground biomass, species richness, and plant functional group composition to both mature and degraded ecosystems saturate at N addition rates of approximately 10.5 gNm� 2 yr� 1.Abstract:
Nitrogen (N) deposition is widely considered an environmental problem that leads to biodiversity loss and reduced ecosystem resilience; but, N fertilization has also been used as a management tool for enhancing primary production and ground cover, thereby promoting the restoration of degraded lands. However, empirical evaluation of these contrasting impacts is lacking. We tested the dual effects of N enrichment on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at different organizational levels (i.e., plant species, functional groups, and community) by adding N at 0, 1.75, 5.25, 10.5, 17.5, and 28.0gNm � 2 yr � 1 for four years in two contrasting field sites in Inner Mongolia: an undisturbed mature grassland and a nearby degraded grassland of the same type. N addition had both quantitatively and qualitatively different effects on the two communities. In the mature community, N addition led to a large reduction in species richness, accompanied by increased dominance of early successional annuals and loss of perennial grasses and forbs at all N input rates. In the degraded community, however, N addition increased the productivity and dominance of perennial rhizomatous grasses, with only a slight reduction in species richness and no significant change in annual abundance. The mature grassland was much more sensitive to N-induced changes in community structure, likely as a result of higher soil moisture accentuating limitation by N alone. Our findings suggest that the critical threshold for N-induced species loss to mature Eurasian grasslands is below 1.75gNm � 2 yr � 1 , and that changes in aboveground biomass, species richness, and plant functional group composition to both mature and degraded ecosystems saturate at N addition rates of approximately 10.5gNm � 2 yr � 1 . This work highlights the tradeoffs that exist in assessing the total impact of N deposition on ecosystem function.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Nitrogen deposition and its ecological impact in China: An overview☆
Xuejun Liu,Lei Duan,Jiangming Mo,Enzai Du,Jianlin Shen,Xiankai Lu,Ying Zhang,Xiaobing Zhou,Chun-E. He,Fusuo Zhang +9 more
TL;DR: The data is synthesized to assess the status of the anthropogenic N(r) emissions and N deposition as well as their impacts on different ecosystems, including empirical critical loads for different ecosystems.
Journal ArticleDOI
A global analysis of soil acidification caused by nitrogen addition
Dashuan Tian,Shuli Niu +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a meta-analysis of 106 studies to reveal global patterns of soil acidification in responses to N addition and found that N addition significantly reduced soil pH by 0.26 on average globally.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biodiversity of Palaearctic grasslands: a synthesis
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce a special issue on biodiversity of Palaearctic grasslands and provide a synthesis of the current knowledge on this topic and provide some promising conservation and management approaches and call for a strong and comprehensive Convention on Grassland Conservation.
Journal ArticleDOI
Grassland responses to grazing: effects of grazing intensity and management system in an Inner Mongolian steppe ecosystem
Philipp Schönbach,Hongwei Wan,Martin Gierus,Yongfei Bai,K. Müller,L. Lin,Andreas Susenbeth,Friedhelm Taube +7 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed the grazing-induced steppe degradation process and identified an efficient and sustainable grazing management system for the widely degraded Inner Mongolian typical steppe ecosystem.
Journal ArticleDOI
Analysis of abrupt transitions in ecological systems
Brandon T. Bestelmeyer,Aaron M. Ellison,William R. Fraser,Kristen B. Gorman,Sally J. Holbrook,Christine Laney,Mark D. Ohman,Debra P. C. Peters,Finn C. Pillsbury,Andrew Rassweiler,Russell J. Schmitt,Sapna Sharma +11 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply an approach to 30-60 years of data on environmental drivers, biological responses, and associated evidence from pelagic ocean, coastal benthic, polar marine, and semi-arid grassland ecosystems.
References
More filters
Book ChapterDOI
The globalization of N deposition: ecosystem consequences in tropical environments
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the likely direct and indirect effects of increasing anthropogenic N inputs on tropical ecosytem processes and conclude that anthropogenic inputs of N into tropical forests are unlikely to increase productivity and may even decrease it.
Journal ArticleDOI
Diversity-dependent production can decrease the stability of ecosystem functioning
A. B. Pfisterer,Bernhard Schmid +1 more
TL;DR: It is confirmed that biodiversity increases biomass production, but the results also point to the fact that such diversity–production associations may lead to an inverse relationship between biodiversity and the stability of ecosystem functioning.
Book ChapterDOI
Nitrogen limitation in dryland ecosystems: Responses to geographical and temporal variation in precipitation
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the relationship between plant nitrogen limitation and water availability in dryland ecosystems and found that at lower levels of annual precipitation, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is limited primarily by water whereas at higher levels of precipitation, it is limited mainly by nitrogen.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Response of Two Contrasting Limestone Grasslands to Simulated Climate Change
J. Philip Grime,Valerie K. Brown,K. Thompson,Gregory J. Masters,Susan H. Hillier,Ian P. Clarke,Andrew Askew,David Corker,Jonathan P. Kielty +8 more
TL;DR: Two different UK limestone grasslands were exposed to simulated climate change with the use of nonintrusive techniques to manipulate local climate over 5 years, finding the more fertile, early-successional grassland was much more responsive to climate change.