氮素和水分添加对贝加尔针茅草原植物多样性及生物量的影响

为了解草原植物群落物种多样性和植物地上生物量对氮沉降增加和降水变化的响应,在内蒙古贝加尔针茅(Stipa baicalensis)草原,分别设置对照(N0)、1.5 g/m2(N15)、3.0 g/m2(N30)、5.0 g/m2(N50)、10.0 g/m2(N100)、15.0 g/m2(N150)、20.0g/m2(N200)和30.0 g/m2(N300)(不包括大气沉降的氮量)8个氮素(NH4NO3)添加梯度和模拟夏季增加降水100mm的水分添加交互试验,研究氮素和水分添加对草原群落植物物种多样性和几种常见植物地上生物量的影响。结果表明:(1)氮素和水分的添加降低了草原群落植物物种多样性,且氮素和水分有显著的互作效应。在水分添加的条件下,随着施氮水平的增加,群落植物物种多样性减小;在无水分添加的条件下,随着施氮水平的增加,群落植物物种多样性呈先增加后减小的"单峰"变化趋势。(2)不同植物对氮素和水分添加的响应不同,随着施氮水平的增加,羊草地上生物量显著增加;贝加尔针茅、羽茅、糙隐子草、寸草苔和冷蒿先增加后减少,呈单峰曲线;星毛委陵菜、牧马豆、扁蓄豆和线叶菊地上生物量则逐渐减少。而且氮素和水分对贝加尔针茅、羽茅、扁蓄豆地上生物量有显著的交互作用。

Effects of nitrogen and water addition on plant species diversity and biomass of common species in the Stipa baicalensis Steppe, Inner Mongolia, China

Increases in atmospheric nitrogen deposition and changes in precipitation patterns are important phenomena related to changes in the global environment. These changes have created a series of increasingly serious ecological problems affecting the structure and function of grassland ecosystems. Therefore, grasslands have become a focus of ecological research in China and around the world in recent years. High nitrogen deposition can acidify grassland soils and lead to nutritional imbalances, decreases in biodiversity and productivity, and grassland degradation, all of which are serious threats to the function of grassland ecosystems. Precipitation can increase the efficiency of nitrogen fertilizer used by plants, and climate warming is accompanied by changes in precipitation. Studies of the interactive effects of nitrogen deposition and variation in rainfall on natural grassland ecosystems can help to increase our understanding of the responses of such ecosystems to changes in the global climate. In China, the Stipa baicalensis steppe, a type of meadow steppe, is mainly distributed in the forest steppe zone of the Songliao Plain and the east Inner Mongolian Plateau. In Inner Mongolia, farmers mainly use S. baicalensis steppe as natural pasture;therefore, it has an important role in livestock production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the responses of grassland plant community species diversity and the aboveground biomass of several common plant species to nitrogen deposition and irrigation. We set up a factorial experiment to test the interactive effects of eight nitrogen treatments and water addition in S. baicalensis steppe in Inner Mongolia in June 2010. This involved nitrogen (NH₄NO₃) application levels of 0 (the control treatment, CK), 15, 30, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 kg N hm^-2 a^-1 (referred to as N0, N15, N30, N50, N100, N150, N200, N300, respectively) and simulated 100 mm summer rainfall. In mid-August 2013, we established 96 1 m×1 m sample plots. The vegetation was harvested from each plot and the biomass of each species was measured to determine the effects of nitrogen and water addition on species diversity and the aboveground biomass of several common plants. Nitrogen and water application reduced plant species diversity in the steppe community, and there was a significant interaction effect between nitrogen and moisture. When water was added, increasing nitrogen application levels resulted in decreases in plant species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, and Pielou evenness index. When water was not added, increasing nitrogen application levels resulted in changes in species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, and Pielou evenness index that showed a "single-peak", but overall downward trend. Plant species differed in their responses to nitrogen and water addition. With increasing nitrogen application levels, the aboveground biomass of Leymus chinensis increased significantly, reaching a maximum at N300;the aboveground biomass of S. baicalensis, Achnatherum sibiricum, Cleistogenes squarrosa, Carex duriuscula, and Artemisia frigida first increased and then decreased, showing a "single-peak" trend;and the aboveground biomass of Potentilla acaulis, Thermopsis lanceolata, Melilotoides ruthenica, and Filifolium sibiricum decreased gradually. There was a significant interaction effect between water and nitrogen application level on the biomass of S. baicalensis, A. sibiricum, and M. ruthenica. We concluded that the changes in plant species diversity and aboveground biomass were related to nutrient application levels, water availability, their own characteristics, and interspecific and intraspecific competition.