Coordination of plant functional traits under nitrogen deposition with phosphorus addition in a desert steppe ecosystem

IF 6.1 2区生物学 Q1 PLANT SCIENCES

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Pub Date : 2025-03-20 DOI:10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.109813

Leren Liu , Yifan Xia , Kuo Sun , Ruojun Sun , Zhenzhu Xu , Feng Zhang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Understanding how plant functional traits respond to nutrient enrichment becomes more crucial for predicting changes in grassland community composition and functions under global changes. However, it remains unclear how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions jointly influence a variety of leaf traits and how they coordinate with contrastingly adaptive mechanisms in arid ecosystems. A two-year field experiment with five N levels and two P treatments was conducted to examine the effects of N and P additions on leaf/community functional traits in a desert steppe. We found N addition significantly affected the other six leaf morphological and nutrient traits except leaf thickness (LT); nitrogen addition remarkably increased leaf nitrogen concentration (N_mass) and decreased C/N with or without P; nitrogen addition profoundly elevated stomatal conductance (g_s) but did not obviously affect photosynthetic rate (A_area) except Tribulus terrestris. Compared to grasses, the annual forb T. terrestris exhibited stronger competitiveness (N_mass, A_area) with increased N application. Nitrogen addition obviously increased community-weighted means (CWMs) of N_mass, specific leaf area (SLA), plant height, g_s and A_area, improving aboveground biomass (AGB), whereas P addition significantly enhanced CWM of SLA but reduced CWMs of transpiration rate and LT. With increasing N addition rates, dominant S-strategy species (higher LT and C/N) in low-nutrient environments were gradually substituted by R-strategy species (higher N_mass and A_area) in high-nutrient environments. Our results highlight differential responses of plant functional traits to nutrient enrichment and divergent adaptive strategies among species should be considered when assessing the impacts of global environmental changes on community assembly and functioning.

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要预测全球变化下草地群落组成和功能的变化，了解植物功能特征如何对养分富集做出反应变得更加重要。然而，目前仍不清楚氮（N）和磷（P）的添加如何共同影响各种叶片性状，以及它们如何与干旱生态系统中的对比适应机制相协调。我们进行了一项为期两年的田间试验，采用了五种氮水平和两种磷处理，以研究氮和磷的添加对荒漠干草原叶片/群落功能性状的影响。我们发现，除叶片厚度（LT）外，氮添加量对其他六种叶片形态和养分性状均有明显影响；无论是否添加磷，氮添加量都能明显增加叶片氮浓度（Nmass），降低C/N；氮添加量能显著提高气孔导度（gs），但除刺蒺藜外，对光合速率（Aarea）无明显影响。与禾本科植物相比，一年生草本植物 T. terrestris 在施氮量增加时表现出更强的竞争力（Nmass、Aarea）。氮的添加明显增加了氮质量、比叶面积、株高、gs 和面积的群落加权平均值（CWMs），提高了地上生物量（AGB），而磷的添加则显著提高了比叶面积的群落加权平均值，但降低了蒸腾速率和蒸腾长度的群落加权平均值。随着氮添加量的增加，低养分环境中占优势的 S 策略物种（较高的低温速率和 C/N）逐渐被高养分环境中的 R 策略物种（较高的 Nmass 和 Aarea）所取代。我们的研究结果突显了植物功能特征对养分富集的不同反应，在评估全球环境变化对群落组合和功能的影响时，应考虑物种间不同的适应策略。

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来源期刊

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 生物-植物科学

CiteScore

11.10

自引率

3.10%

发文量

410

审稿时长

33 days

期刊介绍： Plant Physiology and Biochemistry publishes original theoretical, experimental and technical contributions in the various fields of plant physiology (biochemistry, physiology, structure, genetics, plant-microbe interactions, etc.) at diverse levels of integration (molecular, subcellular, cellular, organ, whole plant, environmental). Opinions expressed in the journal are the sole responsibility of the authors and publication does not imply the editors'' agreement. Manuscripts describing molecular-genetic and/or gene expression data that are not integrated with biochemical analysis and/or actual measurements of plant physiological processes are not suitable for PPB. Also "Omics" studies (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) reporting descriptive analysis without an element of functional validation assays, will not be considered. Similarly, applied agronomic or phytochemical studies that generate no new, fundamental insights in plant physiological and/or biochemical processes are not suitable for publication in PPB. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry publishes several types of articles: Reviews, Papers and Short Papers. Articles for Reviews are either invited by the editor or proposed by the authors for the editor''s prior agreement. Reviews should not exceed 40 typewritten pages and Short Papers no more than approximately 8 typewritten pages. The fundamental character of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry remains that of a journal for original results.