Rainfall influences on ungulate population abundance in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem

1. Rainfall is the prime climatic factor underpinning the dynamics of African savanna ungulates, but no study has analysed its influence on the abundance of these ungulates at monthly to multiannual time scales. 2. We report relationships between rainfall and changes in age- and sex-structured abundances of seven ungulate species monitored monthly for 15 years using vehicle ground counts in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. 3. Abundance showed strong and curvilinear relationships with current and cumulative rainfall, with older topi, Damaliscus korrigum (Ogilby); warthog, Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Pallas); waterbuck, Kobus ellipsyprimnus (Ogilby); and impala, Aepyceros melampus (Lichtenstein) responding to longer lags than younger animals, portraying carryover effects of prior habitat conditions. 4. The abundances of newborn calves were best correlated with monthly rainfall averaged over the preceding 5-6 months for topi, waterbuck, warthog, and 2 months for the migratory zebra Equus burchelli (Gray), but with seasonal rainfall averaged over 2-5 years for giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis (L.); impala; and kongoni, Alcelaphus busephalus (Pallas). The cumulative late wet-season rainfall was the best predictor of abundance for quarter- to full-grown animals for most species. Monthly rainfall exerted both negative and positive effects on the abundances of zebra, impala and waterbuck. Ignoring age, both sexes responded similarly to rainfall. 5. Births were strongly seasonal only for warthog and topi, but peaked between August and December for most species. Hence abundance was strongly seasonal for young topi and warthog and the migratory zebra. Pronounced seasonality in births for warthog and topi obliterated otherwise strong relationships between abundance and rainfall when both month and rainfall were included in the same model. Aggregated density produced relationships with rainfall similar to those for fully grown animals, emphasizing the necessity of demographic monitoring to reliably reveal rainfall influences on ungulate abundance in the Mara. 6. Strong relationships between abundance and rainfall suggest that rainfall underpins the dynamics of African savanna ungulates, and that changes in rainfall due to global warming may markedly alter the abundance and diversity of these mammals. Ungulates respond to rainfall fluctuations through movements, reproduction or survival, and the responses appear independent of breeding phenology and synchrony, dietary guild, or degree of water dependence. Newborns and adults have contrasting responses to rainfall. Males and females respond similarly to rainfall when age is ignored.     

Pattern of natural 15N abundance in lakeside forest ecosystem affected by cormorant-derived nitrogen

Waterbirds are one of the most important groups of organisms inhabiting the land–water interface, especially with regard to mediating the transport of materials from the aquatic to the terrestrial environment. The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) is a colonial piscivorous bird that transports nutrients from fresh water to forest. We measured cormorant-derived nitrogen at two nesting colonies on the Isaki Peninsula and Chikubu Island at Lake Biwa, Japan, and analyzed the long-term effects of cormorant colonization on the forest nitrogen cycle, and the mechanisms of nitrogen retention. Three sites were examined in each colony: a currently occupied area, a previously occupied but now abandoned area, and a control area never colonized by cormorants. High nitrogen stable isotope ratios of cormorant excreta, the forest floor, mineral soil, and living plants showed cormorant-derived nitrogen in both occupied and abandoned areas. The relationship between δ¹⁵N and N content showed that the high δ¹⁵N of the excreta and N turnover in the soil were important at the occupied sites, whereas high δ¹⁵N of litter was important at the abandoned sites. Physiological changes of various organisms are also important for the N decomposition process. In conclusion, cormorant-derived nitrogen remains in the forest ecosystem as a result of two cormorant activities: heavy deposition of excreta and collection of nitrogen-rich nest material. Colony stage (occupied, abandoned, or never inhabited) and historical change of N decomposition process of an area can be identified from the relationship between δ¹⁵N and N content.     

长期施肥条件下水稻土腐殖质组成及稳定性碳同位素特性

利用太湖地区26年水稻土长期定位施肥试验,分析了长期不同施肥处理对土壤剖面有机碳分布和稳定性碳同位素自然丰度(δ¹³C)的影响,以及土壤中不同结合态腐殖质组成的变化.结果表明：长期施肥使水稻土表层土壤有机碳含量显著升高,不同处理土壤剖面有机碳含量与土层深度呈极显著指数负相关(P<0.01);施化肥处理10～30 cm土层和施有机肥处理20～40 cm土层有机碳含量变化相对稳定;随土层深度增加,土壤δ¹³C值逐渐升高,其变化范围在-24‰～-28‰,不同处理土壤剖面有机碳含量与δ¹³C值呈显著线性负相关(P<0.05);0～20 cm土层,仅施有机肥处理(M0)、有机肥+氮+磷处理(MNP)、有机肥+氮+磷+钾处理(MNPK)、有机肥+秸秆+氮处理(MRN)以及秸秆+氮处理(CRN)的δ¹³C值明显降低;30～50 cm土层,除CRN外,有机肥和化肥处理土壤的δ¹³C值均明显升高;不同处理土壤中结合态腐殖质均以紧结合态腐殖质(胡敏素)为主,其含量在50%以上,其余部分为松结合态和稳结合态腐殖质;长期施肥使土壤松结合态腐殖质含量及富啡酸(FA)与胡敏酸(HA)比值(HA/FA)升高.     

Leguminous plants significantly increase soil nitrogen cycling across global climates and ecosystem types

Leguminous plants are an important component of terrestrial ecosystems and significantly increase soil nitrogen (N) cycling and availability, which affects productivity in most ecosystems. Clarifying whether the effects of legumes on N cycling vary with contrasting ecosystem types and climatic regions is crucial for understanding and predicting ecosystem processes, but these effects are currently unknown. By conducting a global meta-analysis, we revealed that legumes increased the soil net N mineralization rate (R_min) by 67%, which was greater than the recently reported increase associated with N deposition (25%). This effect was similar for tropical (53%) and temperate regions (81%) but was significantly greater in grasslands (151%) and forests (74%) than in croplands (−3%) and was greater in in situ incubation (101%) or short-term experiments (112%) than in laboratory incubation (55%) or long-term experiments (37%). Legumes significantly influenced the dependence of R_min on N fertilization and experimental factors. The R_min was significantly increased by N fertilization in the nonlegume soils, but not in the legume soils. In addition, the effects of mean annual temperature, soil nutrients and experimental duration on R_min were smaller in the legume soils than in the nonlegume soils. Collectively, our results highlighted the significant positive effects of legumes on soil N cycling, and indicated that the effects of legumes should be elucidated when addressing the response of soils to plants.     

Changes in stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios of plants and soil across a boreal forest fire chronosequence

Background and Aim

Nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) isotopic signatures (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C) serve as powerful tools for understanding temporal changes in ecosystem processes, but how these signatures change across boreal forest chronosequences is poorly understood.

Methods

The δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, and C/N ratio of foliage of eight dominant plant species, including trees, understory shrubs, and a moss, as well as humus, were examined across a 361 years fire-driven chronosequence in boreal forest in northern Sweden.

Results

The δ¹³C and C/N ratio of plants and humus increased along the chronosequence, suggesting increasing plant stress through N limitation. Despite increasing biological N fixation by cyanobacteria associated with feather mosses, δ¹⁵N showed an overall decline, and δ¹⁵N of the feather moss and associated vascular plants diverged over time from that of atmospheric N₂.

Conclusions

Across this chronosequence the N fixed by cyanobacteria is unlikely to be used by mosses and vascular plants without first undergoing mineralization and mycorrhizal transport, which would cause a change in δ¹⁵N signature due to isotopic fractionation. The decreasing trend of δ¹⁵N suggests that as the chronosequence proceeds, the plants may become more dependent on N transferred from mycorrhizal fungi or from N deposition.     

Changes in assembly processes in soil bacterial communities following a wildfire disturbance

Although recent work has shown that both deterministic and stochastic processes are important in structuring microbial communities, the factors that affect the relative contributions of niche and neutral processes are poorly understood. The macrobiological literature indicates that ecological disturbances can influence assembly processes. Thus, we sampled bacterial communities at 4 and 16 weeks following a wildfire and used null deviation analysis to examine the role that time since disturbance has in community assembly. Fire dramatically altered bacterial community structure and diversity as well as soil chemistry for both time-points. Community structure shifted between 4 and 16 weeks for both burned and unburned communities. Community assembly in burned sites 4 weeks after fire was significantly more stochastic than in unburned sites. After 16 weeks, however, burned communities were significantly less stochastic than unburned communities. Thus, we propose a three-phase model featuring shifts in the relative importance of niche and neutral processes as a function of time since disturbance. Because neutral processes are characterized by a decoupling between environmental parameters and community structure, we hypothesize that a better understanding of community assembly may be important in determining where and when detailed studies of community composition are valuable for predicting ecosystem function.     

Relationship between the natural abundance of soil nitrogen isotopes and condition in North Dakota wetlands

A statewide condition assessment of North Dakota wetlands in the summer of 2011 was conducted as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA). Two other wetland condition assessments, the Index of Plant Community Integrity (IPCI) and North Dakota Rapid Assessment Method (NDRAM), were also completed at each wetland. Previous studies have identified how the distinct signatures of stable isotopes can be used to determine different land uses, anthropogenic impacts, nutrient cycling, and biological processes. To evaluate if these relationships existed in northern prairie wetlands, the data collected from the wetland assessments were compared with the natural abundance of soil nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotopes. Wetland soil δ¹⁵N was significantly higher (isotopically heavier) in wetlands surrounded by cropland compared to those surrounded by idle or grazed/hayed grasslands, possibly reflecting anthropogenic impacts and multiple nitrogen sources. Soil δ¹⁵N was significantly correlated with floristic quality, IPCI scores, NDRAM scores, and average buffer width, indicating that soil δ¹⁵N values may be representative of wetland condition. Soil δ¹⁵N exhibited significant differences among wetland types, although limited sample sizes of certain wetland types may have affected this result. Additional studies on the natural abundance of wetland soil isotopes need to be performed in northern prairie wetlands. This study is the first step in exploring the potential applications of wetland soil nitrogen isotopes regarding wetland assessment and surrounding land use and provides important insight for future studies.     

Spatial variation of the stable nitrogen isotope ratio of woody plants along a topoedaphic gradient in a subtropical savanna

Variation in the stable N isotope ratio (δ¹⁵N) of plants and soils often reflects the influence of environment on the N cycle. We measured leaf δ¹⁵N and N concentration ([N]) on all individuals of Prosopis glandulosa (deciduous tree legume), Condalia hookeri (evergreen shrub), and Zanthoxylum fagara (evergreen shrub) present within a belt transect 308 m long × 12 m wide in a subtropical savanna ecosystem in southern Texas, USA in April and August 2005. Soil texture, gravimetric water content (GWC), total N and δ¹⁵N were also measured along the transect. At the landscape scale, leaf δ¹⁵N was negatively related to elevation for all the three species along this topoedaphic sequence. Changes in soil δ¹⁵N, total N, and GWC appeared to contribute to this spatial pattern of leaf δ¹⁵N. In lower portions of the landscape, greater soil N availability and GWC are associated with relatively high rates of both N mineralization and nitrification. Both soil δ¹⁵N and leaf [N] were positively correlated with leaf δ¹⁵N of non-N₂ fixing plants. Leaf δ¹⁵N of P. glandulosa, an N₂-fixing legume, did not correlate with leaf [N]; the δ¹⁵N of P. glandulosa’s leaves were closer to atmospheric N₂ and significantly lower than those of C. hookeri and Z. fagara. Additionally, at smaller spatial scales, a proximity index (which reflected the density and distance of surrounding P. glandulosa trees) was negatively correlated with leaf δ¹⁵N of C. hookeri and Z. fagara, indicating the N₂-fixing P. glandulosa may be important to the N nutrition of nearby non-N₂-fixing species. Our results indicate plant ¹⁵N natural abundance can reflect the extent of N retention and help us better understand N dynamics and plant-soil interactions at ecosystem and landscape scales.     

Topographical influences on foliar nitrogen concentration and stable isotope composition in a Mediterranean-climate catchment

Nitrogen (N) oligotrophication is increasing globally across terrestrial ecosystems and manifested in decreasing nitrogen concentration ([N]) and changes in the stable nitrogen isotope composition (δ¹⁵N) of foliage. Heterogeneity in plant nitrogen sources makes it challenging to detect the effects of N oligotrophication even at a small catchment scale with complex topography. Understanding the spatial and temporal variation of foliar δ¹⁵N and [N] at such a scale is required to develop useful ecological indicators and monitoring methods to support catchment management with a potential N oligotrophication problem. This study examined spatial and high-resolution temporal variation of foliar δ¹⁵N and [N] and their influencing factors in ten trees grouped by Eucalyptus and Acacia in a native forest vegetation catchment. Over 16 sampling campaigns within a 12-month period, foliar δ¹⁵N and [N] increased in Eucalyptus but were constant in the N₂-fixing Acacia. The higher foliar [N] and δ¹⁵N in Acacia reflected its N₂-fixation ability. Topographic flow accumulation area (NDVI) explained 46% (77%) of spatial variation in dry-season Eucalyptus foliar δ¹⁵N ([N]). For Eucalyptus, foliar δ¹⁵N was higher at the downslope than the upslope locations, but no hillslope location differences were observed for foliar [N]. These results suggest that in the non-N₂-fixing Eucalyptus, seasonal water stress related nitrogen availability may be reflected in foliar δ¹⁵N rather than foliar [N]. As such, foliar δ¹⁵N of non-N₂-fixing plants potentially is a more sensitive indicator of seasonal or topographical N availability than foliar [N].     

草甸草原土壤与植物系统自然丰度氮稳定同位素的年际变化及其指示作用

氮是陆地生态系统生产力的首要限制性养分,利用自然丰度δ¹⁵N(¹⁵N/¹⁴N)可以有效指示生态系统氮循环过程。本试验研究了内蒙古草甸草原土壤与植物系统自然丰度δ¹⁵N、土壤净氮矿化潜势的年际变化。结果表明: 2017—2020年,土壤NO₃^--N含量(9.83～14.79 mg·kg^-1)均显著高于NH₄⁺-N含量(3.92～5.00 mg·kg^-1);土壤NH₄⁺的δ¹⁵N值(13.3‰～18.3‰)显著高于NO₃^-的δ¹⁵N值(3.76‰～6.14‰),土壤NO₃^-的δ¹⁵N值与土壤NO₃^-含量呈显著负相关;干旱年NH₄⁺的δ¹⁵N值相对较高,降水较高或较低年NO₃^-的δ¹⁵N值显著降低。干旱年土壤净氮矿化速率、净氨化速率显著高于湿润年,而土壤硝化速率与年降水量无显著相关性。植物δ¹⁵N值与土壤δ¹⁵N值无显著相关性,但与植物N含量呈显著负相关;豆科植物与非豆科植物δ¹⁵N值、N含量均呈显著正相关,在一定程度上表明豆科植物对非豆科植物的N吸收具有促进作用。研究结果可为草原土壤-植物系统氮循环过程及其对降水变化的响应提供数据支撑。     

Uptake of pulse injected nitrogen by soil microbes and mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants in a species-diverse subarctic heath ecosystem

HiMag tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire = Festuca arundinacea Schreb) was selected for high Mg concentration in the herbage to reduce grass tetany risk to ruminants; however, the mechanism of increased Mg uptake into shoots is unknown. The objective was to determine cation concentrations of roots, crowns, and leaves in plants of cv. HiMag and its parents, cv. Kentucky 31 and cv. Missouri 96, grown in nutrient solution for 42 days, and determine if cation ratios in roots, crowns, and leaves are different, indicating a difference due to translocation. Treatments were “basal” (1.5 mM K and 0.5 mM Mg), “K” (3.2 mM K), “Mg” (1 mM Mg), and “K?+?Mg” (3.2 mM K and 1 mM Mg). For HiMag, Mg was lower in roots (Trial 2 only), not different in crowns, and greater in leaves than Kentucky 31 and Missouri 96. Doubling the K and Mg of the nutrient solution from basal levels resulted in a 44% reduction of root Mg in Kentucky 31 and Missouri 96, compared to a 17% reduction in root Mg for HiMag. The K inflow rate in HiMag for the basal treatment was lower than that in Kentucky 31 and Missouri 96. These results provide evidence for a process that limits K uptake and an active Mg translocation mechanism in tall fescue. HiMag was apparently selected for traits that promote translocation of Mg from roots to shoots.     

Responses of soil nitrogen dynamics in a Mojave Desert ecosystem to manipulations in soil carbon and nitrogen availability

We investigated the effects of changes in soil C and N availability on N mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, NH(3) volatilization, and soil respiration in the Mojave Desert. Results indicate a C limitation to microbial N cycling. Soils from underneath the canopies of Larrea tridentata (DC.) Cov., Pleuraphis rigida Thurber, and Lycium spp. exhibited higher rates of CO(2 ) flux, lower rates of NH(3) volatilization, and a decrease in inorganic N (NH(4)(+)-N and NO(3)(-)-N) with C addition. In addition to C limitation, soils from plant interspaces also exhibited a N limitation. Soils from all locations had net immobilization of N over the course of a 15-day laboratory incubation. However, soils from interspaces had lower rates of net nitrification and potential denitrification compared to soils from under plant canopies. The response to changes in C availability appears to be a short-term increase in microbial immobilization of inorganic N. Under controlled conditions, and over a longer time period, the effects of C and N availability appear to give way to larger differences due to spatial location. These findings have implications for ecosystems undergoing changes in soil C and N availability due to such processes as desertification, exotic species invasions, or elevated atmospheric CO(2) concentration.     

Plant community effects on soil moisture and nitrogen cycling in a semi-arid ecosystem

Biogeochemistry - Salinization of freshwater ecosystems impacts carbon cycling, a particular concern for coastal wetlands, which are important agents of carbon sequestration. Previous experimental...     

枣粮间作生态系统土壤氮空间分布特性

基于枣粮间作复合生态系统内部异质性,通过在不同位置采样测定,探讨了枣粮间作系统内土壤氮素空间分布特性.结果表明:(1)枣粮间作生态系统中,在小麦收获期和玉米收获期两个时期,土壤全氮和硝态氮含量均存在明显的垂直和水平两个方向空间变异性.而土壤铵态氮含量极低且没有明显的空间变异;(2)与全氮相比,枣粮间作系统中硝态氮空间变异性更强,且随着时间变化其空间分布特性有明显变化;(3)氮素施用量对土壤全氮和硝态氮空间变异有正向作用,而植株对氮的吸收利用可以降低土壤氮素分布空间差异程度.各因子对土壤全氮空间变异影响强弱顺序为氮吸收量＞氮素施用量＞土壤含水量;对土壤硝态氮空间变异影响强弱顺序为氮素施用量＞土壤全氮含量＞氮素吸收量＞土壤含水量.     

Allocation strategies of carbon,nitrogen and phosphorus following a gradient of wildfire severities

植物碳、氮、磷在不同火烧强度下的分配策略 森林野火是影响北方针叶林演替过程中养分分配规律的重要因素。然而,植物叶片和细根之间 的碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)分配策略在不同强度森林野火后的研究尚不充分。本研究旨在探讨不同野火强度下叶片和细根间C、N、P的分配策略。运用化学计量学理论和异速生长方程,选取中国东北大兴安岭地区的4个不同火烧强度(未火烧、低、中、高)恢复10年后的火烧迹地为研究样地,比较不同火烧强 度下各物种叶片和细根的C、N、P含量。研究结果表明,与未受到火烧的样地相比,轻度火烧迹地的植物叶片和细根C浓度增加,重度火烧迹地植物叶片N浓度最高,但是细根N浓度最低。N:P比值的平均值大于16的结果表示植物养分利用策略在高火烧强度下趋于P限制。更重要的是,随着火烧严重程度的增加,细根与叶片间的C、N、P分配规律出现由异速生长向等速生长的转变,即随着火烧强度的增加,元素分配表现为对叶片的分配多于细根。这些结果表明,植物叶片和细根之间的元素分配策略在受到不同强度的野火干扰以后发生了失衡。本研究加深了我们对火后森林生态系统演替过程中植物与土壤养分动态的认识。     

Correlations between carbon isotope ratio and microhabitat in desert plants

Summary Water is usually considered to be the key limiting factor for growth of desert plants, yet there is little information available of the water-use efficiency of species within a desert community. Leaf carbon isotope ratios, an indicator of long-term intercellular carbon dioxide concentrations and thus of water-use efficiency in C₃ plants, were measured on species occurring within a Sonoran Desert community, consisting of wash, transition and slope microhabitats. Along a soil moisture gradient from the relatively wetter wash to the relatively drier slope, leaf carbon isotope ratios increased in all species, indicating that water-use efficiency increased as soil water availability decreased. Leaf carbon isotope ratios of long-lived perennials were substantially more positive than in short-lived perennials, even though plants were growing adjacent to each other. Leaf carbon isotope ratio and leaf duration (evergreen versus deciduous) were not correlated with each other. The results are discussed in terms of how the efficiency of water use may affect community structure and composition.     

Feedback from soil inorganic nitrogen on soil organic matter mineralisation and growth in a boreal forest ecosystem

Current nitrogen (N) deposition rates are considerably higher than during pre-industrial times and the growing interest in forest fertilisation requires better understanding of how the N and carbon (C) cycles interact. This study is based on experimental data showing how Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests respond to single or consecutive pulse doses of N. The data were used to support the implementation of a dynamic feedback mechanism in the Q model, allowing for changes in soil N availability to regulate the rate of decomposer efficiency. Simulations of the long-term effects of slowly increasing N deposition with and without dynamic decomposer efficiency were then compared. Both versions of the model accurately predicted the response of tree growth to N fertilisation. Slowly increasing inputs of N over a century in the modified version acted on the inputs and outputs of soil C in opposing ways: (a) rate of litter input slowed down because more N was retained in the soil and thus not available for tree growth; (b) rate of C output, through soil heterotrophic respiration, was also gradually reduced due to increasing decomposer efficiency, although not enough to sufficiently balance the reduced litter input. Accurate prediction of the amount of added N retained in the ecosystem seems to be one of the key issues for estimating enhanced C sequestration.     

Changes in soil organic matter with cropping as measured by organic carbon fractions and 13C natural isotope abundance

The decline in soil organic matter with cropping is a major factor affecting the sustainability of cropping systems. Changes in total C levels are relativelyinsensitive as a sustainability measure. Oxidation with different strength KMnO₄ has been shown to be a more sensitive indicator of change. The relative size of soil C fractions oxidised by 333 mM KMnO₄ declined with cropping, whilst the relative size of the unoxidised fraction increased. Changes in ¹³C ratio have been used to measure C turnover in systems which include C3 and C4 species.     

Partitioning of respiration from soil,litter and plants in a mixed-grassland ecosystem

Summary Carbon dioxide effluxes from plants, litter and soil were measured in two mixed-grassland sites in Saskatchewan, Canada. Ecosystems at both locations were dominated by Agropyron dasystachyum (Hook.) Scribn. Respiration rates of intact and experimentally-modified systems were measured in field chambers using alkali-absorption. Removal of green leaves, dead leaves, and litter from a wet sward reduced respiration to as low as 58% of the rate in an intact system. In a dry sward green shoots were the only significant above-ground source of CO₂.Carbon dioxide effluxes from different parts of A. dasystachyum plants, and from soil samples were measured in laboratory vessels at 20° using alkali-absorption. Respiration of green leaves (1.46 mg CO₂ g^-1 h^-1) was significantly higher than microbial respiration in moist, dead leaf samples (0.79 mg CO₂ g^-1 h^-1) or litter (0.75 mg CO₂ g^-1 h^-1). Microbial respiration in air-dried, dead plant material was very low. Average repiration rates of roots separated from soil cores (0.24 mg CO₂ g^-1 h^-1) were lower than many values reported in the literature, probably because the root population sampled included inactive, suberized and senescent roots. Root respiration was estimated to be 17–26% of total CO₂ efflux from intact cores.Laboratory data and field measurements of environmental conditions and plant biomass were combined in order to reconstruct the CO₂ efflux from the shoot-root-soil system. Reconstructed rates were 1.3 to 2.3 times as large as field measured rates, apparently because of stimulation to respiration caused by the experimental manipulations. The standing dead and litter fractions contributed 26% and 23% of the total CO₂ efflux in a wet sward. Both field-measured and reconstructed repiration values suggest that in situ decomposition of standing dead material under moist conditions can be a significant part of carbon balance in mixed grassland.     

Correlations between net primary productivity and foliar carbon isotope ratio across a Tibetan ecosystem transect

Warming climate could affect leaf-level carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) through variations in photosynthetic gas exchange. However, it is still unclear to what extent variations in foliar δ¹³C can be used to detect changes in net primary productivity (NPP) because leaf physiology is only one of many determinants of stand productivity. We aim to examine how well site-mean foliar δ¹³C and stand NPP co-vary across large resource gradients using data obtained from the Tibetan Alpine Vegetation Transects (1900–4900 m, TAVT). The TAVT data indicated a robust negative correlation between foliar δ¹³C and NPP across ecosystems (NPP=−2.7224δ¹³C-67.738, r²=0.60, p<0.001). The mean foliar δ¹³C decreased with increasing annual precipitation and its covariation with mean temperature and soil organic carbon and nitrogen contents. The results were further confirmed by global literature data. Pooled δ¹³C data from global literature and this study explained 60% of variations in annual NPP both from TAVT-measures and MODIS-estimates across 67 sites. Our results appear to support a conceptual model relating foliar δ¹³C and nitrogen concentration (N_mass) to NPP, suggesting that: 1) there is a general (negative) relationship between δ¹³C and NPP across different water availability conditions; 2) in water-limited conditions, water availability has greater effects on NPP than N_mass; 3) when water is not limiting, NPP increases with increasing N_mass.