Climate change has only a minor impact on nutrient resorption parameters in a high-latitude peatland |
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Authors: | R Aerts J H C Cornelissen R S P van Logtestijn T V Callaghan |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Ecological Science, Department of Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands;(2) Abisko Scientific Research Station, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Abisko, 981 07, Sweden;(3) Sheffield Centre for Arctic Ecology, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Sheffield University, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK |
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Abstract: | Nutrient resorption from senescing plant tissues is an important determinant of the fitness of plant populations in nutrient-poor
ecosystems, because it makes plants less dependent on current nutrient uptake. Moreover, it can have significant “afterlife”
effects through its impact on litter chemistry and litter decomposability. Little is known about the effects of climate change
on nutrient resorption. We studied the effects of climate change treatments (including winter snow addition, and spring and/or
summer warming) on nutrient resorption of four dominant species in a nutrient-poor subarctic peatland. These species were
Betula nana (woody deciduous), Vaccinium uliginosum (woody deciduous), Calamagrostis lapponica (graminoid) and Rubus chamaemorus (forb). After five years of treatments both mature and senesced leaf N concentrations showed a small but significant overall
reduction in response to the climate treatments. However, the effects were species-specific. For example, in the controls
the N concentration in senesced leaves of Calamagrostis (3.0±0.2 mg N g−1) was about four times lower than for Rubus (11.2±0.2 mg N g−1). There were no significant treatment effects on N resorption efficiency (% of the N pool in mature leaves that is resorbed
during senescence). The nitrogen resorption efficiency of Calamagrostis (about 80%) was higher than in the other three species (about 60%). Thus, climate change has only a minor impact on nutrient
resorption parameters. However, given the substantial interspecific differences in these parameters, substantial changes in
plant–soil feedbacks may be expected as a result of the observed changes in the species composition of high-latitude vegetation.
These changes are species-specific and thus difficult to predict. |
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Keywords: | Climate change Nutrient resorption efficiency Nutrient resorption proficiency Plant– soil feedbacks |
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