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Xiaoan Zuo; Shenglong Zhao; Huan Cheng; Ya Hu; Shaokun Wang; Ping Yue; Rentao Liu; Alan K. Knapp; Melinda D. Smith; Qiang Yu; Sally E. Koerner. Functional diversity response to geographic and experimental precipitation gradients varies with plant community type. Functional Ecology 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleXiaoan Zuo, Shenglong Zhao, Huan Cheng, Ya Hu, Shaokun Wang, Ping Yue, Rentao Liu, Alan K. Knapp, Melinda D. Smith, Qiang Yu, Sally E. Koerner. Functional diversity response to geographic and experimental precipitation gradients varies with plant community type. Functional Ecology. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiaoan Zuo; Shenglong Zhao; Huan Cheng; Ya Hu; Shaokun Wang; Ping Yue; Rentao Liu; Alan K. Knapp; Melinda D. Smith; Qiang Yu; Sally E. Koerner. 2021. "Functional diversity response to geographic and experimental precipitation gradients varies with plant community type." Functional Ecology , no. : 1.
Extreme drought decreases aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in most grasslands, but the magnitude of ANPP reductions varies especially in C3-dominated grasslands. Because the mechanisms underlying such differential ecosystem responses to drought are not well-resolved, we experimentally imposed an extreme 4-year drought (2015-2018) in two C3 grasslands that differed in aridity. These sites had similar annual precipitation and dominant grass species (Leymus chinensis) but different annual temperatures and thus water availability. Drought treatments differentially affected these two semiarid grasslands, with ANPP of the drier site reduced more than at the wetter site. Structural equation modeling revealed that community-weighted means for some traits modified relationships between soil moisture and ANPP, often due to intraspecific variation. Specifically, drought reduced community mean plant height at both sites, resulting in a reduction in ANPP beyond that attributable to reduced soil moisture alone. Higher community mean leaf carbon content enhanced the negative effects of drought on ANPP at the drier site, and ANPP-soil moisture relationships were influenced by soil C:N ratio at the wetter site. Importantly, neither species richness nor functional dispersion were significantly correlated with ANPP at either site. Overall, as expected, soil moisture was a dominant, direct driver of ANPP response to drought, but differential sensitivity to drought in these two grasslands was also related to soil fertility and plant traits.
Wentao Luo; Robert J. Griffin‐Nolan; Wang Ma; Bo Liu; Xiaoan Zuo; Chong Xu; Qiang Yu; Yahuang Luo; Pierre Mariotte; Melinda D. Smith; Scott L. Collins; Alan K. Knapp; Zhengwen Wang; Xingguo Han. Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C 3 grasslands. Ecology 2021, e03465 .
AMA StyleWentao Luo, Robert J. Griffin‐Nolan, Wang Ma, Bo Liu, Xiaoan Zuo, Chong Xu, Qiang Yu, Yahuang Luo, Pierre Mariotte, Melinda D. Smith, Scott L. Collins, Alan K. Knapp, Zhengwen Wang, Xingguo Han. Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C 3 grasslands. Ecology. 2021; ():e03465.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWentao Luo; Robert J. Griffin‐Nolan; Wang Ma; Bo Liu; Xiaoan Zuo; Chong Xu; Qiang Yu; Yahuang Luo; Pierre Mariotte; Melinda D. Smith; Scott L. Collins; Alan K. Knapp; Zhengwen Wang; Xingguo Han. 2021. "Plant traits and soil fertility mediate productivity losses under extreme drought in C 3 grasslands." Ecology , no. : e03465.
Both extreme drought and insect herbivores can suppress plant growth in grassland communities. However, most studies have examined extreme drought and insects in isolation, and there is reason to believe that insects might alter the ability of grasslands to withstand drought. Unfortunately, few studies have tested the interactive effects of extreme drought and insect herbivores in grassland communities. Here, we tested the drought-herbivore interactions using a manipulative experiment that factorially crossed extreme drought with the exclusion of insect herbivores in a temperate semiarid grassland in Inner Mongolia. Our results demonstrated that both extreme drought and insect herbivores separately decreased total plant cover. When combined, insect herbivores reduced the impact of drought on total cover by increasing the relative abundance of drought-resistant dominant species. Our results highlight that the negative effect of extreme drought on total plant cover could be alleviated by maintaining robust insect herbivore communities.
Chong Xu; Yuguang Ke; Honghui Wu; Melinda D Smith; Nathan P Lemoine; Weiguo Zhang; Qiang Yu. Herbivores alleviate the negative effects of extreme drought on plant community by enhancing dominant species. Journal of Plant Ecology 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleChong Xu, Yuguang Ke, Honghui Wu, Melinda D Smith, Nathan P Lemoine, Weiguo Zhang, Qiang Yu. Herbivores alleviate the negative effects of extreme drought on plant community by enhancing dominant species. Journal of Plant Ecology. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChong Xu; Yuguang Ke; Honghui Wu; Melinda D Smith; Nathan P Lemoine; Weiguo Zhang; Qiang Yu. 2021. "Herbivores alleviate the negative effects of extreme drought on plant community by enhancing dominant species." Journal of Plant Ecology , no. : 1.
Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to global warming have gained widespread attention. Soil carbon: nitrogen: phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry regulate various functions and services in terrestrial ecosystems. Investigating the stoichiometric changes of soil C:N:P along the temperature gradient provides valuable insights into the long-term impacts of global warming. However, the inconsistent results were found in previous studies. The collinearity between temperature and precipitation might account for it since the variation in precipitation was rarely limited in previous studies. To make the precipitation effect become minimized, we conducted a 6000-km soil investigation along the 400 mm isohyet in China with a broad mean annual temperature (MAT) range of 14.2 °C. Soil C, N and P concentrations and soil C:N, C:P and N:P ratios all decreased with increasing MAT. Most of these temperature patterns were not affected by vegetation type and soil type, which indicated that the decreasing trends of soil C:N:P stoichiometry with increasing temperature might be common phenomena. MAT is the most important influential factor of soil C and N concentrations and soil C:P and N:P ratios along the temperature gradient; and soil properties, vegetation and soil types also exerted some effects on the changes of soil C and N concentrations and soil C:P and N:P ratios. For soil P, its variation was jointly influenced by MAT, soil properties, vegetation and soil types. The change of soil C:N ratio was mainly influenced by MAT and vegetation type. Furthermore, the decreased soil C:P and N:P ratios with increasing MAT indicated that soil C and N lowered faster than soil P as temperature increased, leading to the imbalanced soil C-N-P.
QiQi Tan; Guoan Wang; Melinda D. Smith; Yuzhen Chen; Qiang Yu. Temperature patterns of soil carbon: nitrogen: phosphorus stoichiometry along the 400 mm isohyet in China. CATENA 2021, 203, 105338 .
AMA StyleQiQi Tan, Guoan Wang, Melinda D. Smith, Yuzhen Chen, Qiang Yu. Temperature patterns of soil carbon: nitrogen: phosphorus stoichiometry along the 400 mm isohyet in China. CATENA. 2021; 203 ():105338.
Chicago/Turabian StyleQiQi Tan; Guoan Wang; Melinda D. Smith; Yuzhen Chen; Qiang Yu. 2021. "Temperature patterns of soil carbon: nitrogen: phosphorus stoichiometry along the 400 mm isohyet in China." CATENA 203, no. : 105338.
Aims Increasing nitrogen (N) deposition altered plant communities globally, however the changes in species abundances with short-term vs. long-term N enrichment remains unclear. Stoichiometric homeostasis (H) is a key trait predictive of plant species dominance and species responses to short-term global changes. It is unknown whether N enrichment can alter H over time, thereby affecting species responses to long-term N addition. Methods Here we address these two knowledge gaps with three representative species in a long-term N addition experiment and a sand culture experiment. Results The abundance of Leymus chinensis decreased with short-term N addition, and increased with long-term N addition, while Chenopodium glaucum showed opposite pattern. Cleistogenes squarrosa was only favored by 1-year N addition, and depressed by two and more years of N addition. The H values of L. chinensis and C. glaucum decreased significantly with long-term N addition however did not change for C. squarrosa. Conclusion The decrease of H suggested the nutrients use strategy became more progressive, which mediated the responses of species abundances to short- and long-term N addition. We anticipate our research to be a starting point for explaining ecosystems function and process in response to global change from the perspective of species adaptability mediated by H.
Tian Yang; Min Long; Melinda D. Smith; Qian Gu; Yadong Yang; Nianpeng He; Chong Xu; Leena Vilonen; Jinling Zhao; Qiang Yu. Changes in Species Abundances with Short-Term and Long-Term Nitrogen Addition are Mediated by Stoichiometric Homeostasis. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleTian Yang, Min Long, Melinda D. Smith, Qian Gu, Yadong Yang, Nianpeng He, Chong Xu, Leena Vilonen, Jinling Zhao, Qiang Yu. Changes in Species Abundances with Short-Term and Long-Term Nitrogen Addition are Mediated by Stoichiometric Homeostasis. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTian Yang; Min Long; Melinda D. Smith; Qian Gu; Yadong Yang; Nianpeng He; Chong Xu; Leena Vilonen; Jinling Zhao; Qiang Yu. 2021. "Changes in Species Abundances with Short-Term and Long-Term Nitrogen Addition are Mediated by Stoichiometric Homeostasis." , no. : 1.
1. Biodiversity can stabilise productivity through different mechanisms, such as asynchronous species responses to environmental variability and species stability. Global changes, like intensified drought, could negatively affect species richness, species asynchrony, and species stability, but it is unclear how changes in these mechanisms will affect stability of aboveground primary productivity (ANPP) across ecosystems. 2. We studied the effects of a 4‐year extreme drought on ANPP stability and the underlying mechanisms (species richness, species asynchrony, and species stability) across six grasslands in Northern China. We also assessed the relative importance of these mechanisms in determining ANPP stability under extreme drought. 3. We found that extreme drought decreased ANPP stability, species richness, species asynchrony, and species stability across the six grasslands. However, structural equation modelling revealed that species asynchrony, not species richness or species stability, was the most important mechanism promoting stability of ANPP, regardless of drought across the six grasslands. 4. Synthesis: Our results suggest that species asynchrony, not species richness and species stability, consistently buffers ecosystem stability against extreme drought across and within grasslands spanning a broad precipitation gradient. Thus, species asynchrony may be a more general mechanism for promoting stability of ANPP in grasslands in the face of intensified drought.
Taofeek O. Muraina; Chong Xu; Qiang Yu; Yadong Yang; Minghui Jing; Xiaotong Jia; Shahariar Jaman; Quockhanh Dam; Alan K. Knapp; Scott L. Collins; Yiqi Luo; Wentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Xiaoping Xin; Xingguo Han; Melinda D. Smith. Species asynchrony stabilises productivity under extreme drought across Northern China grasslands. Journal of Ecology 2021, 109, 1665 -1675.
AMA StyleTaofeek O. Muraina, Chong Xu, Qiang Yu, Yadong Yang, Minghui Jing, Xiaotong Jia, Shahariar Jaman, Quockhanh Dam, Alan K. Knapp, Scott L. Collins, Yiqi Luo, Wentao Luo, Xiaoan Zuo, Xiaoping Xin, Xingguo Han, Melinda D. Smith. Species asynchrony stabilises productivity under extreme drought across Northern China grasslands. Journal of Ecology. 2021; 109 (4):1665-1675.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTaofeek O. Muraina; Chong Xu; Qiang Yu; Yadong Yang; Minghui Jing; Xiaotong Jia; Shahariar Jaman; Quockhanh Dam; Alan K. Knapp; Scott L. Collins; Yiqi Luo; Wentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Xiaoping Xin; Xingguo Han; Melinda D. Smith. 2021. "Species asynchrony stabilises productivity under extreme drought across Northern China grasslands." Journal of Ecology 109, no. 4: 1665-1675.
Understanding how global change drivers (GCDs) affect aboveground net primary production (ANPP) through time is essential to predicting the reliability and maintenance of ecosystem function and services in the future. While GCDs, such as drought, warming and elevated nutrients, are known to affect mean ANPP, less is known about how they affect inter-annual variability in ANPP. We examined 27 global change experiments located in 11 different herbaceous ecosystems that varied in both abiotic and biotic conditions, to investigate changes in the mean and temporal variability of ANPP (measured as the coefficient of variation) in response to different GCD manipulations, including resource additions, warming, and irrigation. From this comprehensive data synthesis, we found that GCD treatments increased mean ANPP. However, GCD manipulations both increased and decreased temporal variability of ANPP (24% of comparisons), with no net effect overall. These inconsistent effects on temporal variation in ANPP can, in part, be attributed to site characteristics, such as mean annual precipitation and temperature as well as plant community evenness. For example, decreases in temporal variability in ANPP with the GCD treatments occurred in wetter and warmer sites with lower plant community evenness. Further, the addition of several nutrients simultaneously increased the sensitivity of ANPP to interannual variation in precipitation. Based on this analysis, we expect that GCDs will likely affect the magnitude more than the reliability over time of ecosystem production in the future.
Meghan L. Avolio; Kevin R. Wilcox; Kimberly J. Komatsu; Nathan Lemoine; William D. Bowman; Scott L. Collins; Alan K. Knapp; Sally E. Koerner; Melinda D. Smith; Sara G. Baer; Katherine L. Gross; Forest Isbell; Jennie McLaren; Peter B. Reich; Katharine N. Suding; K. Blake Suttle; David Tilman; Zhuwen Xu; Qiang Yu. Temporal variability in production is not consistently affected by global change drivers across herbaceous-dominated ecosystems. Oecologia 2020, 194, 735 -744.
AMA StyleMeghan L. Avolio, Kevin R. Wilcox, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Nathan Lemoine, William D. Bowman, Scott L. Collins, Alan K. Knapp, Sally E. Koerner, Melinda D. Smith, Sara G. Baer, Katherine L. Gross, Forest Isbell, Jennie McLaren, Peter B. Reich, Katharine N. Suding, K. Blake Suttle, David Tilman, Zhuwen Xu, Qiang Yu. Temporal variability in production is not consistently affected by global change drivers across herbaceous-dominated ecosystems. Oecologia. 2020; 194 (4):735-744.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMeghan L. Avolio; Kevin R. Wilcox; Kimberly J. Komatsu; Nathan Lemoine; William D. Bowman; Scott L. Collins; Alan K. Knapp; Sally E. Koerner; Melinda D. Smith; Sara G. Baer; Katherine L. Gross; Forest Isbell; Jennie McLaren; Peter B. Reich; Katharine N. Suding; K. Blake Suttle; David Tilman; Zhuwen Xu; Qiang Yu. 2020. "Temporal variability in production is not consistently affected by global change drivers across herbaceous-dominated ecosystems." Oecologia 194, no. 4: 735-744.
Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to decreased nitrogen (N) deposition has brought considerable attention. Soil organic carbon (SOC) turnover is an important parameter in the terrestrial ecosystem model and ecosystem management. However, how SOC turnover responds to decreased N deposition has not yet been evaluated. Here we addressed this issue by the comparison of the SOC turnover in the treatment that receiving high N addition for 4 years and then none for 6 years (48 g N·m−2·yr−1, N48-cessation) with that derived from the control treatment (0 g N·m−2·yr−1, N0) in Inner Mongolia grassland, China. In this study, 14C isotope technology was used to directly reveal SOC turnover time. Our results showed that SOC turnover time in the N48-cessation treatment had no statistical difference compared with that in the N0 treatment after 6 years of N cessation, indicating that its SOC turnover had recovered from high N enrichment. The reduction of SOC storage (274 g/m2) in N48-cessation treatment from 2010 to 2014 also proved this recovery. Moreover, we also found that the species richness and Shannon diversity index in the N48-cessation treatment were significantly lower than those in the N0 treatment. It indicated that the recovery of SOC turnover was faster than plant diversity in the grassland when high N addition was ceased. This study suggested that the grasslands experienced high N deposition should reduce grazing and mowing in order to increase soil carbon input and offset the negative effect of the rapid recovery of SOC turnover on soil C storage when N deposition was decreased.
QiQi Tan; Tianxiang Hao; Si Gao; Xuejun Liu; Guoan Wang; Qiang Yu. Soil organic carbon turnover recovers faster than plant diversity in the grassland when high nitrogen addition is ceased: Derived from soil 14C evidences. Global Ecology and Conservation 2020, 24, e01229 .
AMA StyleQiQi Tan, Tianxiang Hao, Si Gao, Xuejun Liu, Guoan Wang, Qiang Yu. Soil organic carbon turnover recovers faster than plant diversity in the grassland when high nitrogen addition is ceased: Derived from soil 14C evidences. Global Ecology and Conservation. 2020; 24 ():e01229.
Chicago/Turabian StyleQiQi Tan; Tianxiang Hao; Si Gao; Xuejun Liu; Guoan Wang; Qiang Yu. 2020. "Soil organic carbon turnover recovers faster than plant diversity in the grassland when high nitrogen addition is ceased: Derived from soil 14C evidences." Global Ecology and Conservation 24, no. : e01229.
Grasslands are expected to experience both long-term chronic reductions in precipitation as well as increased frequency of short-term intense droughts. However, few studies have assessed how these two types of drought differentially alter carbon-nutrient dynamics of grassland vegetation and soil on broad spatial and temporal scales. We conducted a two-year drought experiment in three types of grasslands along a natural aridity gradient in northern China. In each grassland, we removed ~ 50% of annual rainfall using two methods—chronic drought (66% reduction of each rainfall event for four months) and intense drought (100% removal of rainfall for two months). This allowed us to compare the effects of these drought characteristics on carbon and nutrient content of both vegetation and soil. Drought largely led to decreased carbon and nutrient pools, with vegetation concentrations being less responsive than pools likely due to decreased plant biomass. These responses depended on drought type, with no clear directional pattern of intense droughts having a greater effect than chronic drought. Sensitivity of biogeochemical responses to drought treatments decreased with increased aridity, likely due to the high abundance of drought-tolerant species in more xeric grasslands. Overall, ecosystem biogeochemical responses to manipulative drought did not match trends observed along the natural aridity gradient. The sensitivity of carbon-nutrient dynamics of plant and soil strongly depends on drought type as well as local climate and species composition. Such differential drought responses highlight the challenge of predicting ecosystem responses to climate change over large spatial scales.
Wentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Robert J. Griffin-Nolan; Chong Xu; Jordi Sardans; Qiang Yu; Zhengwen Wang; Xingguo Han; Josep Peñuelas. Chronic and intense droughts differentially influence grassland carbon-nutrient dynamics along a natural aridity gradient. Plant and Soil 2020, 1 -12.
AMA StyleWentao Luo, Xiaoan Zuo, Robert J. Griffin-Nolan, Chong Xu, Jordi Sardans, Qiang Yu, Zhengwen Wang, Xingguo Han, Josep Peñuelas. Chronic and intense droughts differentially influence grassland carbon-nutrient dynamics along a natural aridity gradient. Plant and Soil. 2020; ():1-12.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Robert J. Griffin-Nolan; Chong Xu; Jordi Sardans; Qiang Yu; Zhengwen Wang; Xingguo Han; Josep Peñuelas. 2020. "Chronic and intense droughts differentially influence grassland carbon-nutrient dynamics along a natural aridity gradient." Plant and Soil , no. : 1-12.
Random species loss has been shown experimentally to reduce ecosystem function, sometimes more than other anthropogenic environmental changes. Yet, controversy surrounds the importance of this finding for natural systems where species loss is non‐random. We compiled data from 16 multi‐year experiments located at a single native tallgrass prairie site. These experiments included responses to 11 anthropogenic environmental changes, as well as non‐random biodiversity loss either the removal of uncommon/rare plant species or the most common (dominant) species. As predicted by the mass ratio hypothesis, loss of a dominant species had large impacts on productivity that were comparable to other anthropogenic drivers. In contrast, the loss of uncommon/rare species had small effects on productivity despite having the largest effects on species richness. The anthropogenic drivers that had the largest effects on productivity nitrogen, irrigation, and fire experienced not only loss of species but also significant changes in the abundance and identity of dominant species. Synthesis. These results suggest that mass ratio effects, rather than species loss per se, are an important determinant of ecosystem function with environmental change.
Melinda D. Smith; Sally E. Koerner; Alan K. Knapp; Meghan L. Avolio; Francis A. Chaves; Elsie M. Denton; John Dietrich; David J. Gibson; Jesse Gray; Ava M. Hoffman; David L. Hoover; Kimberly J. Komatsu; Andrea Silletti; Kevin R. Wilcox; Qiang Yu; John M. Blair. Mass ratio effects underlie ecosystem responses to environmental change. Journal of Ecology 2020, 108, 855 -864.
AMA StyleMelinda D. Smith, Sally E. Koerner, Alan K. Knapp, Meghan L. Avolio, Francis A. Chaves, Elsie M. Denton, John Dietrich, David J. Gibson, Jesse Gray, Ava M. Hoffman, David L. Hoover, Kimberly J. Komatsu, Andrea Silletti, Kevin R. Wilcox, Qiang Yu, John M. Blair. Mass ratio effects underlie ecosystem responses to environmental change. Journal of Ecology. 2020; 108 (3):855-864.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMelinda D. Smith; Sally E. Koerner; Alan K. Knapp; Meghan L. Avolio; Francis A. Chaves; Elsie M. Denton; John Dietrich; David J. Gibson; Jesse Gray; Ava M. Hoffman; David L. Hoover; Kimberly J. Komatsu; Andrea Silletti; Kevin R. Wilcox; Qiang Yu; John M. Blair. 2020. "Mass ratio effects underlie ecosystem responses to environmental change." Journal of Ecology 108, no. 3: 855-864.
Grazing affects nutrient cycling processes in grasslands, but little is known by researchers about effects on the nutrient stoichiometry of plant–soil–microbe systems. In this study, the influence of grazing intensity (0, 0.23, 0.34, 0.46, 0.69, and 0.92 AU ha−1) on carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and their stoichiometric ratios in plants, soil, and microbes was investigated in a Hulunber meadow steppe, Northeastern China. The C:N and C:P ratios of shoots decreased with grazing increased. Leaf N:P ratios
Juan Cao; Ruirui Yan; Xiaoyong Chen; Xu Wang; Qiang Yu; Yunlong Zhang; Chen Ning; Lulu Hou; Yongjuan Zhang; Xiaoping Xin. Grazing Affects the Ecological Stoichiometry of the Plant–Soil–Microbe System on the Hulunber Steppe, China. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5226 .
AMA StyleJuan Cao, Ruirui Yan, Xiaoyong Chen, Xu Wang, Qiang Yu, Yunlong Zhang, Chen Ning, Lulu Hou, Yongjuan Zhang, Xiaoping Xin. Grazing Affects the Ecological Stoichiometry of the Plant–Soil–Microbe System on the Hulunber Steppe, China. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (19):5226.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJuan Cao; Ruirui Yan; Xiaoyong Chen; Xu Wang; Qiang Yu; Yunlong Zhang; Chen Ning; Lulu Hou; Yongjuan Zhang; Xiaoping Xin. 2019. "Grazing Affects the Ecological Stoichiometry of the Plant–Soil–Microbe System on the Hulunber Steppe, China." Sustainability 11, no. 19: 5226.
Grasslands are expected to experience droughts of unprecedented magnitude and duration in this century. Plant traits can be useful for understanding community and ecosystem responses to climate extremes. Few studies, however, have investigated the response of community-scale traits to extreme drought on broad spatial/temporal scales, with even less research on the relative contribution of species turnover vs. intraspecific trait variation to such responses. We experimentally removed ~66% of growing season rainfall for three years across three semi-arid grasslands of northern China and tracked changes in community functional composition, defined as the community mean and variation of several leaf economic traits. Community trait variations were more sensitive to drought than community trait means, which suggests this component of functional composition may be a better indicator of initial community drought responses than trait values themselves. The greatest change in trait variation was observed at the high aridity site and was driven largely by intraspecific trait variability. Apart from specific leaf area, trait variability increased with increasing aridity across sites, largely due to species turnover. Variations in soil moisture and fertility likely mediated the responses of community trait variations to water stress. These results highlight the importance of measuring community trait variability in response to drought and support the well-documented pattern of increased community drought sensitivity of more arid ecosystems.
Wentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Robert J. Griffin-Nolan; Chong Xu; Wang Ma; Lin Song; Kenny Helsen; Yingchao Lin; Jiangping Cai; Qiang Yu; Zhengwen Wang; Melinda D. Smith; Xingguo Han; Alan K. Knapp. Long term experimental drought alters community plant trait variation, not trait means, across three semiarid grasslands. Plant and Soil 2019, 442, 343 -353.
AMA StyleWentao Luo, Xiaoan Zuo, Robert J. Griffin-Nolan, Chong Xu, Wang Ma, Lin Song, Kenny Helsen, Yingchao Lin, Jiangping Cai, Qiang Yu, Zhengwen Wang, Melinda D. Smith, Xingguo Han, Alan K. Knapp. Long term experimental drought alters community plant trait variation, not trait means, across three semiarid grasslands. Plant and Soil. 2019; 442 (1-2):343-353.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Robert J. Griffin-Nolan; Chong Xu; Wang Ma; Lin Song; Kenny Helsen; Yingchao Lin; Jiangping Cai; Qiang Yu; Zhengwen Wang; Melinda D. Smith; Xingguo Han; Alan K. Knapp. 2019. "Long term experimental drought alters community plant trait variation, not trait means, across three semiarid grasslands." Plant and Soil 442, no. 1-2: 343-353.
Desertification of sandy grasslands is an increasing problem, with serious negative impacts on ecosystem functions. Sandy grasslands are fragile with low ecosystem productivity mainly because of the sandy soil structure with low water and nutrient holding capacities and especially low levels of nitrogen. Here, we evaluate the long‐term impacts of sediment addition from a local reservoir, and grass and legume cultivation (artificial grasslands) on a sandy grassland in eastern Inner Mongolia, China. The results showed that, even after 32 years, sediment addition had improved soil structure significantly, i.e. increasing of silt and clay contents, soil bulk density, and water holding capacity. As the result of improved soil structure, ecosystem functions, including aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and soil carbon, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus storage increased significantly. Net C, N and P sequestration increased even after accounting for the sediment addition, due, at least partially, to the greater plant biomass trapping large quantities of wind‐blown dust. Plant cultivation, especially the addition of a legume, further increased ANPP significantly, i.e. the cultivation of Leymus chinensis and the legume Medicago sativa increased ANPP 6.99 and 44.62 times, respectively. Our study highlights that improvements in soil structure and cultivation with legume species can increased substantially the productivity of sandy grasslands, and that the initial increases in grass biomass promoted the sequestration of wind‐blown dust which helped sustain the increases in productivity.
Honghui Wu; Linyou Lü; Yunlong Zhang; Chong Xu; Hao Yang; Wei Zhou; Weiqi Wang; LiRen Zhao; Nianpeng He; Melinda D. Smith; Xingguo Han; Iain P. Hartley; Qiang Yu. Sediment addition and legume cultivation result in sustainable, long‐term increases in ecosystem functions of sandy grasslands. Land Degradation & Development 2019, 30, 1667 -1676.
AMA StyleHonghui Wu, Linyou Lü, Yunlong Zhang, Chong Xu, Hao Yang, Wei Zhou, Weiqi Wang, LiRen Zhao, Nianpeng He, Melinda D. Smith, Xingguo Han, Iain P. Hartley, Qiang Yu. Sediment addition and legume cultivation result in sustainable, long‐term increases in ecosystem functions of sandy grasslands. Land Degradation & Development. 2019; 30 (14):1667-1676.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHonghui Wu; Linyou Lü; Yunlong Zhang; Chong Xu; Hao Yang; Wei Zhou; Weiqi Wang; LiRen Zhao; Nianpeng He; Melinda D. Smith; Xingguo Han; Iain P. Hartley; Qiang Yu. 2019. "Sediment addition and legume cultivation result in sustainable, long‐term increases in ecosystem functions of sandy grasslands." Land Degradation & Development 30, no. 14: 1667-1676.
As the range of studies on macroecology and functional traits expands, integration of traits into higher-level approaches offers new opportunities to improve clarification of larger-scale patterns and their mechanisms and predictions using models. Here, we propose a framework for quantifying 'ecosystem traits' and means to address the challenges of broadening the applicability of functional traits to macroecology. Ecosystem traits are traits or quantitative characteristics of organisms (plants, animals, and microbes) at the community level expressed as the intensity (or density) normalized per unit land area. Ecosystem traits can inter-relate and integrate data from field trait surveys, eddy-flux observation, remote sensing, and ecological models, and thereby provide new resolution of the responses and feedback at regional to global scale.
Nianpeng He; Congcong Liu; Shilong Piao; Lawren Sack; Li Xu; Yiqi Luo; Jinsheng He; Xingguo Han; Guangsheng Zhou; Xuhui Zhou; Yi Lin; Qiang Yu; Shirong Liu; Wei Sun; Shuli Niu; Shenggong Li; Jiahui Zhang; Guirui Yu. Ecosystem Traits Linking Functional Traits to Macroecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 2019, 34, 200 -210.
AMA StyleNianpeng He, Congcong Liu, Shilong Piao, Lawren Sack, Li Xu, Yiqi Luo, Jinsheng He, Xingguo Han, Guangsheng Zhou, Xuhui Zhou, Yi Lin, Qiang Yu, Shirong Liu, Wei Sun, Shuli Niu, Shenggong Li, Jiahui Zhang, Guirui Yu. Ecosystem Traits Linking Functional Traits to Macroecology. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 2019; 34 (3):200-210.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNianpeng He; Congcong Liu; Shilong Piao; Lawren Sack; Li Xu; Yiqi Luo; Jinsheng He; Xingguo Han; Guangsheng Zhou; Xuhui Zhou; Yi Lin; Qiang Yu; Shirong Liu; Wei Sun; Shuli Niu; Shenggong Li; Jiahui Zhang; Guirui Yu. 2019. "Ecosystem Traits Linking Functional Traits to Macroecology." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 34, no. 3: 200-210.
Herbivores alter plant biodiversity (species richness) in many of the world’s ecosystems, but the magnitude and the direction of herbivore effects on biodiversity vary widely within and among ecosystems. One current theory predicts that herbivores enhance plant biodiversity at high productivity but have the opposite effect at low productivity. Yet, empirical support for the importance of site productivity as a mediator of these herbivore impacts is equivocal. Here, we synthesize data from 252 large-herbivore exclusion studies, spanning a 20-fold range in site productivity, to test an alternative hypothesis—that herbivore-induced changes in the competitive environment determine the response of plant biodiversity to herbivory irrespective of productivity. Under this hypothesis, when herbivores reduce the abundance (biomass, cover) of dominant species (for example, because the dominant plant is palatable), additional resources become available to support new species, thereby increasing biodiversity. By contrast, if herbivores promote high dominance by increasing the abundance of herbivory-resistant, unpalatable species, then resource availability for other species decreases reducing biodiversity. We show that herbivore-induced change in dominance, independent of site productivity or precipitation (a proxy for productivity), is the best predictor of herbivore effects on biodiversity in grassland and savannah sites. Given that most herbaceous ecosystems are dominated by one or a few species, altering the competitive environment via herbivores or by other means may be an effective strategy for conserving biodiversity in grasslands and savannahs globally.
Sally E. Koerner; Melinda D. Smith; Deron E. Burkepile; Niall Hanan; Meghan L. Avolio; Scott L. Collins; Alan K. Knapp; Nathan P. Lemoine; Elisabeth J. Forrestel; Stephanie Eby; Dave I. Thompson; Gerardo A. Aguado-Santacruz; John P. Anderson; T. Michael Anderson; Ayana Angassa; Sumanta Bagchi; Elisabeth S. Bakker; Gary Bastin; Lauren E. Baur; Karen H. Beard; Erik A. Beever; Patrick J. Bohlen; Elizabeth H. Boughton; Don Canestro; Ariela Cesa; Enrique Chaneton; Jimin Cheng; Carla M. D’Antonio; Claire Deleglise; Fadiala Dembélé; Josh Dorrough; David J. Eldridge; Barbara Fernandez-Going; Silvia Fernández-Lugo; Lauchlan H. Fraser; Bill Freedman; Gonzalo García-Salgado; Jacob R. Goheen; Liang Guo; Sean Husheer; Moussa Karembé; Johannes M. H. Knops; Tineke Kraaij; Andrew Kulmatiski; Minna-Maarit Kytöviita; Felipe Lezama; Gregory Loucougaray; Alejandro Loydi; Dan G. Milchunas; Suzanne J. Milton; John W. Morgan; Claire Moxham; Kyle C. Nehring; Han Olff; Todd M. Palmer; Salvador Rebollo; Corinna Riginos; Anita C. Risch; Marta Rueda; Mahesh Sankaran; Takehiro Sasaki; Kathryn A. Schoenecker; Nick L. Schultz; Martin Schütz; Angelika Schwabe; Frances Siebert; Christian Smit; Karen A. Stahlheber; Christian Storm; Dustin J. Strong; Jishuai Su; Yadugiri V. Tiruvaimozhi; Claudia Tyler; James Val; Martijn L. Vandegehuchte; Kari E. Veblen; Lance T. Vermeire; David Ward; Jianshuang Wu; Truman P. Young; Qiang Yu; Tamara Jane Zelikova. Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution 2018, 2, 1925 -1932.
AMA StyleSally E. Koerner, Melinda D. Smith, Deron E. Burkepile, Niall Hanan, Meghan L. Avolio, Scott L. Collins, Alan K. Knapp, Nathan P. Lemoine, Elisabeth J. Forrestel, Stephanie Eby, Dave I. Thompson, Gerardo A. Aguado-Santacruz, John P. Anderson, T. Michael Anderson, Ayana Angassa, Sumanta Bagchi, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Gary Bastin, Lauren E. Baur, Karen H. Beard, Erik A. Beever, Patrick J. Bohlen, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Don Canestro, Ariela Cesa, Enrique Chaneton, Jimin Cheng, Carla M. D’Antonio, Claire Deleglise, Fadiala Dembélé, Josh Dorrough, David J. Eldridge, Barbara Fernandez-Going, Silvia Fernández-Lugo, Lauchlan H. Fraser, Bill Freedman, Gonzalo García-Salgado, Jacob R. Goheen, Liang Guo, Sean Husheer, Moussa Karembé, Johannes M. H. Knops, Tineke Kraaij, Andrew Kulmatiski, Minna-Maarit Kytöviita, Felipe Lezama, Gregory Loucougaray, Alejandro Loydi, Dan G. Milchunas, Suzanne J. Milton, John W. Morgan, Claire Moxham, Kyle C. Nehring, Han Olff, Todd M. Palmer, Salvador Rebollo, Corinna Riginos, Anita C. Risch, Marta Rueda, Mahesh Sankaran, Takehiro Sasaki, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Nick L. Schultz, Martin Schütz, Angelika Schwabe, Frances Siebert, Christian Smit, Karen A. Stahlheber, Christian Storm, Dustin J. Strong, Jishuai Su, Yadugiri V. Tiruvaimozhi, Claudia Tyler, James Val, Martijn L. Vandegehuchte, Kari E. Veblen, Lance T. Vermeire, David Ward, Jianshuang Wu, Truman P. Young, Qiang Yu, Tamara Jane Zelikova. Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2018; 2 (12):1925-1932.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSally E. Koerner; Melinda D. Smith; Deron E. Burkepile; Niall Hanan; Meghan L. Avolio; Scott L. Collins; Alan K. Knapp; Nathan P. Lemoine; Elisabeth J. Forrestel; Stephanie Eby; Dave I. Thompson; Gerardo A. Aguado-Santacruz; John P. Anderson; T. Michael Anderson; Ayana Angassa; Sumanta Bagchi; Elisabeth S. Bakker; Gary Bastin; Lauren E. Baur; Karen H. Beard; Erik A. Beever; Patrick J. Bohlen; Elizabeth H. Boughton; Don Canestro; Ariela Cesa; Enrique Chaneton; Jimin Cheng; Carla M. D’Antonio; Claire Deleglise; Fadiala Dembélé; Josh Dorrough; David J. Eldridge; Barbara Fernandez-Going; Silvia Fernández-Lugo; Lauchlan H. Fraser; Bill Freedman; Gonzalo García-Salgado; Jacob R. Goheen; Liang Guo; Sean Husheer; Moussa Karembé; Johannes M. H. Knops; Tineke Kraaij; Andrew Kulmatiski; Minna-Maarit Kytöviita; Felipe Lezama; Gregory Loucougaray; Alejandro Loydi; Dan G. Milchunas; Suzanne J. Milton; John W. Morgan; Claire Moxham; Kyle C. Nehring; Han Olff; Todd M. Palmer; Salvador Rebollo; Corinna Riginos; Anita C. Risch; Marta Rueda; Mahesh Sankaran; Takehiro Sasaki; Kathryn A. Schoenecker; Nick L. Schultz; Martin Schütz; Angelika Schwabe; Frances Siebert; Christian Smit; Karen A. Stahlheber; Christian Storm; Dustin J. Strong; Jishuai Su; Yadugiri V. Tiruvaimozhi; Claudia Tyler; James Val; Martijn L. Vandegehuchte; Kari E. Veblen; Lance T. Vermeire; David Ward; Jianshuang Wu; Truman P. Young; Qiang Yu; Tamara Jane Zelikova. 2018. "Change in dominance determines herbivore effects on plant biodiversity." Nature Ecology & Evolution 2, no. 12: 1925-1932.
Understanding the effects of climate change, in particular, climate extremes on plant functional traits can provide a mechanistic basis for predicting how plant communities may be altered in the future. Here, we focused on a dominant species in Inner-Mongolia typical temperate steppe, Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvei, to examine the responses of plant functional traits to experimentally imposed extreme drought at three sites along an aridity gradient. When comparing the driest (high aridity) to the wettest sites (low aridity), plant height, leaf dry matter content and δ13C (water use efficiency) were increased at the intermediate and low aridity sites, whereas specific leaf area and leaf nitrogen content were reduced at the high-aridity site. When extreme drought (~ 66% reduction in the growing season precipitation) was experimentally imposed at all sites, plant height decreased and δ13C of L. chinensis increased at the intermediate and low aridity sites. The extreme drought of 66% precipitation reduction also increased leaf dry matter content in high- and low-aridity sites. Compared to the control (ambient precipitation), extreme drought increased the strength of the positive association between plant height and δ13C, as well as the negative associations of specific leaf area with plant height and leaf dry matter content. Thus, extreme drought altered key functional traits of the dominant grass of Inner Mongolia steppe, particularly at the low-aridity site where the drought decreased plant size and increased water use efficiency and affected relationships between these traits.
Xiyuan Yue; Xiaoan Zuo; Qiang Yu; Chong Xu; Peng Lv; Jing Zhang; Alan K. Knapp; Melinda D. Smith. Response of plant functional traits of Leymus chinensis to extreme drought in Inner Mongolia grasslands. Plant Ecology 2018, 220, 141 -149.
AMA StyleXiyuan Yue, Xiaoan Zuo, Qiang Yu, Chong Xu, Peng Lv, Jing Zhang, Alan K. Knapp, Melinda D. Smith. Response of plant functional traits of Leymus chinensis to extreme drought in Inner Mongolia grasslands. Plant Ecology. 2018; 220 (2):141-149.
Chicago/Turabian StyleXiyuan Yue; Xiaoan Zuo; Qiang Yu; Chong Xu; Peng Lv; Jing Zhang; Alan K. Knapp; Melinda D. Smith. 2018. "Response of plant functional traits of Leymus chinensis to extreme drought in Inner Mongolia grasslands." Plant Ecology 220, no. 2: 141-149.
The allocation and stoichiometry of plant nutrients in leaves reflect fundamental ecosystem processes, biotic interactions, and environmental drivers such as water availability. Climate change will lead to increases in drought severity and frequency, but how canopy nutrients will respond to drought, and how these responses may vary with community composition along aridity gradients is poorly understood. We experimentally addressed this issue by reducing precipitation amounts by 66% during two consecutive growing seasons at three sites located along a natural aridity gradient. This allowed us to assess drought effects on canopy nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in arid and semiarid grasslands of northern China. Along the aridity gradient, canopy nutrient concentrations were positively related to aridity, with this pattern was driven primarily by species turnover (i.e., an increase in the relative biomass of N‐ and P‐rich species with increasing aridity). In contrast, drought imposed experimentally increased N but decreased P concentrations in plant canopies. These changes were driven by the combined effects of species turnover and intraspecific variation in leaf nutrient concentrations. In addition, the sensitivity of canopy N and P concentrations to drought varied across the three sites. Canopy nutrient concentrations were less affected by drought at drier than wetter sites, because of the opposing effects of species turnover and intraspecific variation, as well as greater drought tolerance for nutrient‐rich species. These contrasting effects of long‐term aridity vs. short‐term drought on canopy nutrient concentrations, as well as differing sensitivities among sites in the same grassland biome, highlight the challenge of predicting ecosystem responses to future climate change.
Wentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Wang Ma; Chong Xu; Ang Li; Qiang Yu; Alan K. Knapp; Roberto Tognetti; Feike A. Dijkstra; Mai-He Li; Guodong Han; Zhengwen Wang; Xingguo Han. Differential responses of canopy nutrients to experimental drought along a natural aridity gradient. Ecology 2018, 99, 2230 -2239.
AMA StyleWentao Luo, Xiaoan Zuo, Wang Ma, Chong Xu, Ang Li, Qiang Yu, Alan K. Knapp, Roberto Tognetti, Feike A. Dijkstra, Mai-He Li, Guodong Han, Zhengwen Wang, Xingguo Han. Differential responses of canopy nutrients to experimental drought along a natural aridity gradient. Ecology. 2018; 99 (10):2230-2239.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWentao Luo; Xiaoan Zuo; Wang Ma; Chong Xu; Ang Li; Qiang Yu; Alan K. Knapp; Roberto Tognetti; Feike A. Dijkstra; Mai-He Li; Guodong Han; Zhengwen Wang; Xingguo Han. 2018. "Differential responses of canopy nutrients to experimental drought along a natural aridity gradient." Ecology 99, no. 10: 2230-2239.
Both the dominance and the mass ratio hypotheses predict that plant internal nutrient cycling in ecosystems is determined by the dominant species within plant communities. We tested this hypothesis under conditions of extreme drought by assessing plant nutrient (N, P and K) uptake and resorption in response to experimentally imposed precipitation reductions in two semiarid grasslands of northern China. These two communities shared similar environmental conditions, but had different dominant species—one was dominated by a rhizomatous grass (Leymus chinensis) and the other by a bunchgrass (Stipa grandis). Results showed that responses of N to drought differed between the two communities with drought decreasing green leaf N concentration and resorption in the community dominated by the rhizomatous grass, but not in the bunchgrass-dominated community. In contrast, negative effects of drought on green leaf P and K concentrations and their resorption efficiencies were consistent across the two communities. Additionally, in each community, the effects of extreme drought on soil N, P and K supply did not change synchronously with that on green leaf N, P and K concentrations, and senesced leaf N, P and K concentrations showed no response to extreme drought. Consistent with the dominance/mass ratio hypothesis, our findings suggest that differences in dominant species and their growth form (i.e., rhizomatous vs bunch grass) play an important nutrient-specific role in mediating plant internal nutrient cycling across communities within a single region.
Wentao Luo; Chong Xu; Wang Ma; Xiyuan Yue; Xiaosa Liang; Xiaoan Zuo; Alan K. Knapp; Melinda D. Smith; Jordi Sardans; Feike A. Dijkstra; Josep Peñuelas; Yongfei Bai; Zhengwen Wang; Qiang Yu; Xingguo Han. Effects of extreme drought on plant nutrient uptake and resorption in rhizomatous vs bunchgrass-dominated grasslands. Oecologia 2018, 188, 633 -643.
AMA StyleWentao Luo, Chong Xu, Wang Ma, Xiyuan Yue, Xiaosa Liang, Xiaoan Zuo, Alan K. Knapp, Melinda D. Smith, Jordi Sardans, Feike A. Dijkstra, Josep Peñuelas, Yongfei Bai, Zhengwen Wang, Qiang Yu, Xingguo Han. Effects of extreme drought on plant nutrient uptake and resorption in rhizomatous vs bunchgrass-dominated grasslands. Oecologia. 2018; 188 (2):633-643.
Chicago/Turabian StyleWentao Luo; Chong Xu; Wang Ma; Xiyuan Yue; Xiaosa Liang; Xiaoan Zuo; Alan K. Knapp; Melinda D. Smith; Jordi Sardans; Feike A. Dijkstra; Josep Peñuelas; Yongfei Bai; Zhengwen Wang; Qiang Yu; Xingguo Han. 2018. "Effects of extreme drought on plant nutrient uptake and resorption in rhizomatous vs bunchgrass-dominated grasslands." Oecologia 188, no. 2: 633-643.
Temporal stability of ecosystem functioning increases the predictability and reliability of ecosystem services, and understanding the drivers of stability across spatial scales is important for land management and policy decisions. We used species‐level abundance data from 62 plant communities across five continents to assess mechanisms of temporal stability across spatial scales. We assessed how asynchrony (i.e. different units responding dissimilarly through time) of species and local communities stabilised metacommunity ecosystem function. Asynchrony of species increased stability of local communities, and asynchrony among local communities enhanced metacommunity stability by a wide range of magnitudes (1–315%); this range was positively correlated with the size of the metacommunity. Additionally, asynchronous responses among local communities were linked with species’ populations fluctuating asynchronously across space, perhaps stemming from physical and/or competitive differences among local communities. Accordingly, we suggest spatial heterogeneity should be a major focus for maintaining the stability of ecosystem services at larger spatial scales.
Kevin R. Wilcox; Andrew T. Tredennick; Sally E. Koerner; Emily Grman; Lauren M. Hallett; Meghan L. Avolio; Kimberly J. La Pierre; Gregory R. Houseman; Forest Isbell; David Samuel Johnson; Juha M. Alatalo; Andrew H. Baldwin; Edward W. Bork; Elizabeth H. Boughton; William D. Bowman; Andrea J. Britton; James F. Cahill; Scott L. Collins; Guozhen Du; Anu Eskelinen; Laura Gough; Anke Jentsch; Christel Kern; Kari Klanderud; Alan K. Knapp; Juergen Kreyling; Yiqi Luo; Jennie R. McLaren; Patrick Megonigal; Vladimir Onipchenko; Janet Prevéy; Jodi N. Price; Clare H. Robinson; Osvaldo E. Sala; Melinda D. Smith; Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia; Lara Souza; David Tilman; Shannon R. White; Zhuwen Xu; Laura Yahdjian; Qiang Yu; Pengfei Zhang; Yunhai Zhang. Asynchrony among local communities stabilises ecosystem function of metacommunities. Ecology Letters 2017, 20, 1534 -1545.
AMA StyleKevin R. Wilcox, Andrew T. Tredennick, Sally E. Koerner, Emily Grman, Lauren M. Hallett, Meghan L. Avolio, Kimberly J. La Pierre, Gregory R. Houseman, Forest Isbell, David Samuel Johnson, Juha M. Alatalo, Andrew H. Baldwin, Edward W. Bork, Elizabeth H. Boughton, William D. Bowman, Andrea J. Britton, James F. Cahill, Scott L. Collins, Guozhen Du, Anu Eskelinen, Laura Gough, Anke Jentsch, Christel Kern, Kari Klanderud, Alan K. Knapp, Juergen Kreyling, Yiqi Luo, Jennie R. McLaren, Patrick Megonigal, Vladimir Onipchenko, Janet Prevéy, Jodi N. Price, Clare H. Robinson, Osvaldo E. Sala, Melinda D. Smith, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Lara Souza, David Tilman, Shannon R. White, Zhuwen Xu, Laura Yahdjian, Qiang Yu, Pengfei Zhang, Yunhai Zhang. Asynchrony among local communities stabilises ecosystem function of metacommunities. Ecology Letters. 2017; 20 (12):1534-1545.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKevin R. Wilcox; Andrew T. Tredennick; Sally E. Koerner; Emily Grman; Lauren M. Hallett; Meghan L. Avolio; Kimberly J. La Pierre; Gregory R. Houseman; Forest Isbell; David Samuel Johnson; Juha M. Alatalo; Andrew H. Baldwin; Edward W. Bork; Elizabeth H. Boughton; William D. Bowman; Andrea J. Britton; James F. Cahill; Scott L. Collins; Guozhen Du; Anu Eskelinen; Laura Gough; Anke Jentsch; Christel Kern; Kari Klanderud; Alan K. Knapp; Juergen Kreyling; Yiqi Luo; Jennie R. McLaren; Patrick Megonigal; Vladimir Onipchenko; Janet Prevéy; Jodi N. Price; Clare H. Robinson; Osvaldo E. Sala; Melinda D. Smith; Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia; Lara Souza; David Tilman; Shannon R. White; Zhuwen Xu; Laura Yahdjian; Qiang Yu; Pengfei Zhang; Yunhai Zhang. 2017. "Asynchrony among local communities stabilises ecosystem function of metacommunities." Ecology Letters 20, no. 12: 1534-1545.
Ecological stoichiometry connects different levels of biology, from the gene to the globe, by scaling up elemental ratios (e.g. carbon [C], nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P]). Thus, ecological stoichiometry could be a powerful tool for revealing certain physiological processes of plants. However, C:N:P stoichiometry remains unclear at the community and ecosystem levels, despite it being potentially important for primary productivity. In this study, we measured the C, N and P contents of different plant organs, litter and soil in nine natural forest ecosystems (from cold‐temperate to tropical forests along a 3,700‐km transect in China) to explore C:N:P stoichiometry and the main influencing factors. C:N:P stoichiometry was evaluated for different components in the forest ecosystems (plant community, soil, litter and ecosystem) and, at the community level, for different organs (leaves, branches, trunks and roots) from 803 plant species. The ratios of C:P and N:P decreased with increasing latitude, with spatial patterns being primarily regulated by climate. Interestingly, the homeostasis of N, P and N:P was highest in leaves, followed by branches, roots and trunks, supporting the hypothesis that more active organs have a higher capacity to maintain relatively stable element content and ratios. At the community level, the leaf N:P ratio indicated increasing P limitation in forests of lower latitude (i.e. more southerly) in China's forests. Our findings demonstrate the spatial patterns of C:N:P stoichiometry and the strategies of element distribution among different organs in a plant community, providing important data on C:N:P to improve the parameterization of future ecological models. A plain language summary is available for this article.
Jiahui Zhang; Ning Zhao; Congcong Liu; Hao Yang; Meiling Li; Guirui Yu; Kevin Wilcox; Qiang Yu; Nianpeng He. C:N:P stoichiometry in China's forests: From organs to ecosystems. Functional Ecology 2017, 32, 50 -60.
AMA StyleJiahui Zhang, Ning Zhao, Congcong Liu, Hao Yang, Meiling Li, Guirui Yu, Kevin Wilcox, Qiang Yu, Nianpeng He. C:N:P stoichiometry in China's forests: From organs to ecosystems. Functional Ecology. 2017; 32 (1):50-60.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJiahui Zhang; Ning Zhao; Congcong Liu; Hao Yang; Meiling Li; Guirui Yu; Kevin Wilcox; Qiang Yu; Nianpeng He. 2017. "C:N:P stoichiometry in China's forests: From organs to ecosystems." Functional Ecology 32, no. 1: 50-60.