A water-centred framework to assess the effects of salinity on the growth and yield of wheat and barley

We conducted a field experiment in two alpine meadows to investigate the short-term effects of nitrogen enrichment and plant litter biomass on plant species richness, the percent cover of functional groups, soil microbial biomass, and enzyme activity in two alpine meadow communities. The addition of nitrogen fertilizer to experimental plots over two growing seasons increased plant production, as indicated by increases in both the living plant biomass and litter biomass in the Kobresia humilis meadow community. In contrast, fertilization had no significant effect on the amounts of living biomass and litter biomass in the K. tibetica meadow. The litter treatment results indicate that litter removal significantly increased the living biomass and decreased the litter biomass in the K. humilis meadow; however, litter-removal and litter-intact treatments had no impact on the amounts of living biomass and litter biomass in the K. tibetica meadow. Litter production depended on the degree of grass cover and was also influenced by nitrogen enrichment. The increase in plant biomass reflects a strong positive effect of nitrogen enrichment and litter removal on grasses in the K. humilis meadow. Neither fertilization nor litter removal had any impact on the grass biomass in the K. tibetica meadow. Sedge biomass was not significantly affected by either nutrient enrichment or litter removal in either alpine meadow community. The plant species richness decreased in the K. humilis meadow following nitrogen addition. In the K. humilis meadow, microbial biomass C increased significantly in response to the nitrogen enrichment and litter removal treatments. Enzyme activities differed depending on the enzyme and the different alpine meadow communities; in general, enzyme activities were higher in the upper soil layers (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) than in the lower soil layers (20–40 cm). The amounts of living plant biomass and plant litter biomass in response to the different treatments of the two alpine meadow communities affected the soil microbial biomass C, soil organic C, and soil fertility. These results suggest that the original soil conditions, plant community composition, and community productivity are very important in regulating plant community productivity and microbial biomass and activity.     

Species evenness and productivity in experimental plant communities

In nature, plant biomass is not evenly distributed across species, and naturally uncommon species may differ from common species in the probability of loss from the community. Understanding relationships between evenness and productivity is therefore critical to understanding changes in ecosystem functioning as species are lost from communities. We examined data from a large multi-site grassland experiment (BIODEPTH) for relationships between evenness of species composition (proportional abundance of biomass) and total biomass of communities. For plots which started with the same and even species composition, but which diverged in evenness over time, those with lower evenness had a significantly greater biomass. The relationship between evenness and biomass across all plots was also negative. However, for communities where the most common species represented one of the three largest species in monoculture at that site (inclusion of a large dominant species), the relationship was neutral. Path analyses indicated that three paths contributed to this negative relationship. First, higher species richness decreased evenness, but increased biomass (primarily through an increase in maximum plant size). Contrary to predictions, maximum plant size had either no effect on evenness, or a positive effect (in year 3 plots with a large dominant species), thereby reducing this relationship. In year 2, large variation among species in plant size (as measured in monoculture) both decreased evenness and increased biomass, thus increasing the strength of the negative relationship between evenness and biomass. However, the former effect was only found in plots with a large dominant species, the latter only in plots without a large dominant species. When species richness, maximum plant size, and variation in size were accounted for, in year 2 evenness positively affected biomass in plots that included a large dominant species. Our results are consistent with the view that naturally uncommon species may be unaffected by (or even benefit from) the presence of a large naturally common species, and that uncommon plants may have little ability to increase productivity in the absence of such a species. We conclude that the observed negative relationship between evenness and biomass resulted from multiple direct and indirect effects, the relative strength of which depended in part on the presence of large dominant species.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hedychium gardnerianum</Emphasis> Invasion into Hawaiian Montane Rainforest: Interactions Among Litter Quality,Decomposition Rate,and Soil Nitrogen Availability

Few studies have examined the invasion of understory species into closed-canopy forests and, despite inter-specific differences in litter quality and quantity between understory and dominant canopy trees, the influence of understory invasions on soil nitrogen (N) cycling remains unknown. This paper examines litter quality and decomposition of kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum), an invasive understory herb, to determine the influence of this species on N cycling in a Hawaiian montane rainforest. To examine the potential feedback between increased soil N availability and litter decomposition, litter from the invasive ginger, a native tree, and native tree fern was collected from unfertilized and fertilized plots and decomposed in a reciprocal transplant design. Hedychium litter decomposed faster than litter from the two native species. Across species, decomposition rates were negatively correlated with litter lignin content. Despite rapid decomposition rates of Hedychium litter, soil nitrogen availability and rates of net mineralization in the soil were similar in invaded and uninvaded plots. Nitrogen cycling at this site may be more strongly influenced by native species, which contribute the most to overall stand biomass. A negative effect of fertilization on the decomposition of Hedychium litter suggests that a negative feedback between litter quality and soil N availability may exist over longer timescales.     

Impact of management on biodiversity-biomass relations in Estonian flooded meadows

A negative species richness–productivity relationship is often described in grasslands at smaller scales. We aimed to study the effect of management on this relationship. In particular, we addressed the relative importance of biomass cutting, hay removal and nutrient impoverishment on species richness and growth form structure. We conducted fieldwork in flooded meadows in Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, central Estonia. We sampled vegetation in managed and abandoned stands of two types of alluvial meadows, sedge and tall forb meadow. Aboveground biomass and litter were harvested, weighed and analysed for major plant nutrients by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Three groups of general additive models were developed and compared, addressing the impact of (i) productivity, (ii) nutrients and (iii) management regime on species richness. Management—mowing and hay removal—reduced the amount of litter but not aboveground biomass. Management led to a decrease in nitrogen in the biomass and enhanced species richness, particularly in the tall forb meadow. The strongest determinant of species richness was the amount of litter, exhibiting a hump-shaped relationship with richness. The effect of nitrogen supply was significant, but explained less variation. Management increased the proportion of sedges in the sedge meadow and of small herbs in the tall forb meadow. We conclude that litter removal is the most important management means to support biodiversity. On highly productive sites, reducing nutrients via hay removal is of secondary importance within a timeframe of 10 years.     

Determinants of species richness in the Park Grass Experiment

The Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted in southeast England was started in 1856, making it the longest-running experiment in plant ecology anywhere in the world. Experimental inputs include a range of fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and organic manures) applied annually, with lime applied occasionally, and these have led to an increase in biomass and, where nitrogen was applied in the form of ammonium sulfate, to substantial decreases in soil pH. The number of species per plot varies from three to 44 per 200 m(2), affording a unique opportunity to study the determinants of plant species richness and to estimate the effect sizes attributable to different factors. The response of species richness to biomass depends on the amount and type of nitrogen applied; richness declined monotonically with increasing biomass on plots receiving no nitrogen or receiving nitrogen in the form of sodium nitrate, but there was no relationship between species richness and biomass on plots acidified by ammonium sulfate application. The response to lime also depended on the type of nitrogen applied; there was no relationship between lime treatment and species richness, except in plots receiving nitrogen in the form of ammonium sulfate, where species richness increased sharply with increasing soil pH. The addition of phosphorus reduced species richness, and application of potassium along with phosphorus reduced species richness further, but the biggest negative effects were when nitrogen and phosphorus were applied together. The analysis demonstrates how multiple factors contribute to the observed diversity patterns and how environmental regulation of species pools can operate at the same spatial and temporal scale as biomass effects.     

Increasing native, but not exotic, biodiversity increases aboveground productivity in ungrazed and intensely grazed grasslands

Species-rich native grasslands are frequently converted to species-poor exotic grasslands or pastures; however, the consequences of these changes for ecosystem functioning remain unclear. Cattle grazing (ungrazed or intensely grazed once), plant species origin (native or exotic), and species richness (4-species mixture or monoculture) treatments were fully crossed and randomly assigned to plots of grassland plants. We tested whether (1) native and exotic plots exhibited different responses to grazing for six ecosystem functions (i.e., aboveground productivity, light interception, fine root biomass, tracer nitrogen uptake, biomass consumption, and aboveground biomass recovery), and (2) biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships depended on grazing or species origin. We found that native and exotic species exhibited different responses to grazing for three of the ecosystem functions we considered. Intense grazing decreased fine root biomass by 53% in exotic plots, but had no effect on fine root biomass in native plots. The proportion of standing biomass consumed by cattle was 16% less in exotic than in native grazed plots. Aboveground biomass recovery was 30% less in native than in exotic plots. Intense grazing decreased aboveground productivity by 25%, light interception by 14%, and tracer nitrogen uptake by 54%, and these effects were similar in native and exotic plots. Increasing species richness from one to four species increased aboveground productivity by 42%, and light interception by 44%, in both ungrazed and intensely grazed native plots. In contrast, increasing species richness did not influence biomass production or resource uptake in ungrazed or intensely grazed exotic plots. These results suggest that converting native grasslands to exotic grasslands or pastures changes ecosystem structure and processes, and the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.     

Plant species richness, elevated CO2, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition alter soil microbial community composition and function

We determined soil microbial community composition and function in a field experiment in which plant communities of increasing species richness were exposed to factorial elevated CO₂ and nitrogen (N) deposition treatments. Because elevated CO₂ and N deposition increased plant productivity to a greater extent in more diverse plant assemblages, it is plausible that heterotrophic microbial communities would experience greater substrate availability, potentially increasing microbial activity, and accelerating soil carbon (C) and N cycling. We, therefore, hypothesized that the response of microbial communities to elevated CO₂ and N deposition is contingent on the species richness of plant communities. Microbial community composition was determined by phospholipid fatty acid analysis, and function was measured using the activity of key extracellular enzymes involved in litter decomposition. Higher plant species richness, as a main effect, fostered greater microbial biomass, cellulolytic and chitinolytic capacity, as well as the abundance of saprophytic and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Moreover, the effect of plant species richness on microbial communities was significantly modified by elevated CO₂ and N deposition. For instance, microbial biomass and fungal abundance increased with greater species richness, but only under combinations of elevated CO₂ and ambient N, or ambient CO₂ and N deposition. Cellobiohydrolase activity increased with higher plant species richness, and this trend was amplified by elevated CO₂. In most cases, the effect of plant species richness remained significant even after accounting for the influence of plant biomass. Taken together, our results demonstrate that plant species richness can directly regulate microbial activity and community composition, and that plant species richness is a significant determinant of microbial response to elevated CO₂ and N deposition. The strong positive effect of plant species richness on cellulolytic capacity and microbial biomass indicate that the rates of soil C cycling may decline with decreasing plant species richness.     

The effect of management on productivity,litter accumulation and seedling recruitment in a Carpathian mountain grassland

The management regime may have a significant impact on the productivity and dynamics of grasslands, but the causal relationships influencing grassland conservation value are still not completely understood. Changes of selected community characteristics, such as standing crop, proportion of forbs in the standing crop, litter amount, litter decomposition and seedling recruitment, were investigated in a 4 year manipulative experiment in a mountain grassland in Slovakia. The aim of the research was to compare changes in newly abandoned sites and sites where restoration measures were applied after 20 years of abandonment. The sites were located in areas containing two vegetation types of the Arrhenatherion alliance (wet Poo-Trisetetum and dry Anthoxantho–Agrostietum) with different moisture regimes. The expected increase of the standing crop after abandonment was rather slow, and more pronounced towards the end of the experiment, and in the wet meadow type (~30% increase). The restoration mowing promoted forb proportions in the biomass, but it did not decrease the standing biomass in the restored grasslands. Strong litter accumulation after abandonment was observed in subsequent years after abandonment, when the amount of litter increased about 100% in abandoned plots. Decrease in litter was also significant after the start of restoration mowing (a decrease from 258 to 159 g m⁻² in wet type and from 287 to 147 g m⁻² in dry type was noted). Accumulated litter was negatively correlated to seedling recruitment (r = −0.63 at the end of the experiment). The litterbag experiment showed that the wet type has a higher rate of decomposition, with 20% more biomass decomposed during the litter-bag experiment. The experiment confirmed a negative role of litter accumulation on seedling recruitment, with the number of seedlings per m² decreasing from 413 to 321 individuals in the abandoned wet-type site. This may lead to a decrease in species richness. Mowing along with raking of mowed biomass may be a useful tool to restore degraded mountain grasslands and to remove accumulated litter from the stands.     

Large-scale manipulation of plant litter and fertilizer in a managed successional temperate grassland

Plant litter may play an important role in herbaceous plant communities by limiting primary production and influencing plant species richness. However, it is not known how the effect of litter interacts with fertilization. We tested for the role of litter and fertilization in a large-scale experiment to investigate effects on diversity and biomass of plant species, growth forms, native vs. non-native groups, and abiotic ecosystem components (e.g., soil moisture, PAR). We manipulated plant litter (removed vs. left in situ) and nutrient availability (NPK-fertilized vs. unfertilized) for 4 years in 314-m² plots, replicated six times, in an old-field grassland. While many of our species-level results supported previously published studies and theory, our plant group results generally did not. Specifically, grass species richness and forb biomass was not affected by either fertilization or plant litter. Moreover, plant litter removal significantly increased non-native plant species richness. Relative to native plant species, all of our experimental manipulations significantly increased both the biomass and the species richness of non-native plant species. Thus, this grassland system was sensitive to management treatments through the facilitation of non-native plant species. We coupled biotic and abiotic components within a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) analysis to investigate treatment effects, which revealed that specific treatments altered ecosystem development. These results suggest that fertilization and plant litter may have larger impacts on plant communities and on ecosystem properties than previously understood, underscoring the need for larger-scale and longer-term experiments.     

Bryophyte biomass and species richness on the Park Grass Experiment,Rothamsted, UK

The relationships between bryophyte biomass and species richness and soil pH, nutrient applications and vascular plant biomass and species richness were analyzed for the Park Grass Experiment (Rothamsted, UK). The study examined the abundance of bryophytes in relation to long-term fertilizer and lime application and to fertilizer treatments recently being ceased on some plots. The probability of bryophytes being present on a plot increased with increasing soil pH, and on plots at soil pH 3.3–4.5, the lowest values in this experiment, there were virtually no mosses present. Total bryophyte biomass decreased with increasing vascular plant biomass and vascular plant richness. Both bryophyte biomass and species richness showed a curvilinear response to soil pH. Bryophyte biomass was markedly increased on plots where nitrogen (N) fertilization had recently been ceased. The abundance of the common bryophyte species showed individualistic responses to treatments. N had a negative effect on the abundance of Brachythecium rutabulum. Increasing soil pH, and the application of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer together, had a positive effect on Eurhynchium praelongum. This species was also negatively affected by N, but tolerated larger amounts of it (100–150 kg ha^–1 N) than B. rutabulum. An ephemeral moss, Bryum subapiculatum, had a unimodal response to soil pH but showed no response to N, P, K or other explanatory variables.     

Plant community and tissue chemistry responses to fertilizer and litter nutrient manipulations in a temperate grassland

Human-mediated nutrient amendments have widespread effects on plant communities. One of the major consequences has been the loss of species diversity under increased nutrient inputs. The loss of species can be functional group dependent with certain functional groups being more prone to decline than others. We present results from the sixth year of a long-term fertilization and litter manipulation study in an old-field grassland. We measured plant tissue chemistry (C:N ratio) to understand the role of plant physiological responses in the increase or decline of functional groups under nutrient manipulations. Fertilized plots had significantly more total aboveground biomass and live biomass than unfertilized plots, which was largely due to greater productivity by exotic C₃ grasses. We found that both fertilization and litter treatments affected plant species richness. Species richness was lower on plots that were fertilized or had litter intact; species losses were primarily from forbs and non-Poaceae graminoids. C₃ grasses and forbs had lower C:N ratios under fertilization with forbs having marginally greater %N responses to fertilization than grasses. Tissue chemistry in the C₃ grasses also varied depending on tissue type with reproductive tillers having higher C:N ratios than vegetative tillers. Although forbs had greater tissue chemistry responses to fertilization, they did not have a similar positive response in productivity and the number of forb species is decreasing on our experimental plots. Overall, differential nutrient uptake and use among functional groups influenced biomass production and species interactions, favoring exotic C₃ grasses and leading to their dominance. These data suggest functional groups may differ in their responses to anthropogenic nutrient amendments, ultimately influencing plant community composition.     

The role of litter in an old-field community: impact of litter quantity in different seasons on plant species richness and abundance

Summary We studied the effect of removing and adding plant litter in different seasons on biomass, density, and species richness in a Solidago dominated old-field community in New Jersey, USA. We removed all the naturally accumulated plant litter in November (658 g/m²) and in May (856 g/m²) and doubled the amount of litter in November and May in replicated plots (1 m²). An equal number of plots were left as controls. Litter removal and addition had little impact on total plant biomass or individual species biomass in the growing season following the manipulations. Litter removal, however, significantly increased plant densities but this varied depending upon the season of litter removal, species, and life history type. Specifically, the fall litter removal had a much greater impact than the spring litter removal suggesting that litter has its greatest impact after plant senescence in the fall and prior to major periods of early plant growth in spring. Annual species showed the greatest response, especially early in the growing season. Both spring and fall litter removal significantly increased species richness throughout the study. Litter additions in both spring and fall reduced both plant densities and species richness in June, but these differences disappeared near the end of the growing season in September. We concluded than in productive communities where litter accumulation may be substantial, litter may promote low species richness and plant density. This explanation does not invoke resource competition for the decline in species richness. Finally, we hypothesize that there may be broad thresholds of litter accumulation in different community types that may act to either increase or decrease plant yield and diversity.     

Inorganic soil nitrogen under grassland plant communities of different species composition and diversity

We measured aboveground plant biomass and soil inorganic nitrogen pools in a biodiversity experiment in northern Sweden, with plant species richness ranging from 1 to 12 species. In general, biomass increased and nitrate pools decreased with increasing species richness. Transgressive overyielding of mixed plant communities compared to the most productive of the corresponding monocultures occurred in communities with and without legumes. N₂-fixing legumes had a fertilizing function, while non-legumes had a N retaining function. Plant communities with only legumes had a positive correlation between biomass and soil nitrate content, whereas in plant communities without legumes they were negatively correlated. Both nitrate and ammonium soil pools in mixed non-legume communities were approximately equal to the lowest observed in the corresponding monocultures. In mixed legume/non-legume communities, no correlation was found for soil nitrate with either biomass or legume biomass as percentage of total biomass. The idea of complementarity among species in nitrogen acquisition was supported in both pure non-legume and mixed non-legume/legume communities. In the latter, however, facilitation through increased nitrogen availability and retention, was probably dominating. Our results suggest that diversity effects on biomass and soil N pools through resource use complementarity depend on the functional traits of species, especially N₂ fixation or high productivity.     

Effects of productivity on species–area curves in herbaceous vegetation: evidence from experimental and observational data

The effects of productivity on the parameters of the species–area curve were investigated in this paper using two data sets on terrestrial plant communities: (1) one including 48 plots in 12 experimental sites on ploughed, formerly cultivated fields in the Siena region, Italy, and (2) one including 40 plots in hay meadows in the Bremen region, Germany. In both regions, species presence of vascular plants was recorded in nested plots ranging in size from 0.004 to 256 m² and 0.001 to 1000 m², respectively. Productivity was estimated as dry standing biomass. In the Siena data set, species richness showed a humped‐back relation to biomass in the plot sizes up to 1 m². For the larger plot sizes, no significant correlations were found. In the Bremen data set, positive relation between species number and biomass was observed at the smallest spatial scale (0.001 m²), whereas the relation disappeared or tended to be negative for the larger plot sizes. In general, the slopes z of the log species–log area curves (SAC) were negatively related to biomass in both data sets, while the intercept c increased with biomass in the Siena data set and was unrelated to biomass in the Bremen data set. The relationship between c and z was negative in the Siena data set and positive in the Bremen data set. The above results differed somewhat depending on which plot sizes were considered for the calculation of the SAC. Literature data confirmed that there are no clear patterns in the inter‐correlations between productivity, small scale and large scale species richness. Sites differing in productivity and in the slopes and intercepts of SAC may thus give rise to different species richness–productivity relationships. There can be one possible relation between species richness and biomass at one spatial scale (e.g. humped‐back) and another type of relation, even opposite, at another spatial scale. This suggests that the properties of species–area curves do not respond in a uniform way to the changes in productivity, but depend on the type of habitat or plant community and its particular properties. The parameter of the SAC can then hardly be used as scale‐independent parameter to investigate the effects of ecological factors, such as productivity, on species richness. The lack of clear patterns in the relations between small scale and large scale species richness implies that the predictions of the species‐pool hypothesis may fail when applied to plot sizes as dealt with in this study.     

Water and fertilizer have opposite effects on plant species richness in a mesic early successional habitat

Herbaceous plant species richness typically declines with increasing productivity, but differences in the resources underlying these gradients are often ignored. This study adds to the small number of studies examining the effects of water and mineral nutrients on biomass and richness in oldfield communities. We established 60 4 m² plots in a goldenrod-dominated oldfield to test the differential effects of water and mineral nutrients on community properties. Species richness declined with added nutrients, but increased with added water. Aboveground biomass increased only when both nutrients and water were added. Leaf area index increased with added nutrients alone, although the increase was greater when water was also added. Understory light levels decreased with added nutrients, but not with added water; however, the per-gram effect of biomass on understory light levels did not vary significantly among nutrient and water treatments. Our results suggest that water tends to enhance productivity, but does not cause the common decline in species richness that typically accompanies nitrogen additions. Rather, water increased richness through positivie effects on either germination and establishment, or increased survival. These results are consistent with either increased light limitation or increased water limitation causing loss of species from nitrogen-rich habitats.     

Effects of experimental season of prescribed fire and nutrient addition on structure and function of previously grazed grassland

Aims Understanding the drivers of grassland structure and function following livestock removal will inform grassland restoration and management. Here, we investigated the effects of fire and nutrient addition on structure and function in a subtropical semi-native grassland recently released from grazing in south-central Florida. We examined responses of soil nutrients, plant tissue nutrients, biomass of live, standing dead and litter, and plant species composition to experimental annual prescribed fire applied during different seasons (wet season vs. dry season), and nutrient additions (N, P and N + P) over 9 years.Methods Experimental plots were set up in a randomized block split-plot design, with season of prescribed fire as the main treatment and nutrient addition as the subplot treatment. Species cover data were collected annually from 2002 to 2011 and plant tissue and plant biomass data were collected in 2002–2006 and 2011. Soil nutrients were analyzed in 2004, 2006 and 2011.Important findings Soil total phosphorus (P) levels increased substantially with P addition but were not influenced by prescribed fire. Addition of P and N led to increased P and N concentrations in live plant tissues, but prescribed fire reduced N in live tissue. Levels of tissue N were higher in all plots at the beginning of the experiment, an effect that was likely due to grazing activity prior to removal of livestock. Plant tissue N steadily declined over time in all plots, with annually burned plots declining faster than unburned plots. Prescribed fire was an important driver of standing dead and litter biomass and was important for maintaining grass biomass and percent cover. Nutrient addition was also important: the addition of both N and P was associated with greater live biomass and woody forbs. Removal of grazing, lack of prescribed fire, and addition of N + P led to a reduction of grass biomass and a large increase in biomass of a woody forb. Annual prescribed fire promoted N loss from the system by reducing standing dead and litter, but maintained desirable biomass of grasses.     

The effects of long-term nitrogen loading on grassland insect communities

Just as long-term nitrogen loading of grasslands decreases plant species richness and increases plant biomass, we have found that nitrogen loading decreases insect species richness and increases insect abundances. We sampled 54 plots that had been maintained at various rates of nitrogen addition for 14 years. Total insect species richness and effective insect diversity, as well as herbivore and predator species richness, were significantly, negatively related to the rate of nitrogen addition. However, there was variation in trophic responses to nitrogen. Detritivore species richness increased as nitrogen addition increased, and parasitoids showed no response. Insect abundances, measured as the number of insects and insect biovolume (an estimate of biomass), were significantly, positively related to the rate of nitrogen addition, as were the abundances of herbivores and detritivores. Parasitoid abundance was negatively related to the rate of nitrogen addition. Changes in the insect community were correlated with changes in the plant community. As rates of nitrogen addition increased, plant species richness decreased, plant productivity and plant tissue nitrogen increased, and plant composition shifted from C₄ to C₃ grass species. Along this gradient, total insect species richness and effective insect diversity were most strongly, positively correlated with plant species richness. Insect biovolume was negatively correlated with plant species richness. Responses of individual herbivores varied along the nitrogen gradient, but numbers of 13 of the 18 most abundant herbivores were positively correlated with their host plant biomass. Although insect communities did not respond as strongly as plant communities, insect species richness, abundance, and composition were impacted by nitrogen addition. This study demonstrates that long-term nitrogen loading affects the entire food chain, simplifying both plant and insect communities. Received: 18 May 1999 / Accepted: 5 January 2000     

人为干扰对鼎湖山马尾松林土壤细根和有机质的影响

通过处理 (根据当地习惯收割凋落物和林下层 )和保护 (无任何人为干扰 )样地的比较试验 ,1990～ 1995年期间研究了人为干扰对鼎湖山生物圈保护区马尾松 (Pinus massoniana)林土壤细根和有机质的影响。在此 5 a的研究期间 ,由于人为干扰活动而直接从处理样地取走的林下层和凋落物总量为 2 1.7t/ hm2。在保护样地 ,林下层生物量从 2 .2 t/ hm2增加至 11.10 t/ hm2 ,地表凋落物 (包括枯死的林下层 )量则从 3.0 t/ hm2 增加至 13.3t/ hm2 。收割林下层和凋落物这种人为干扰活动对林地土壤细根生物量的影响不明显 ,但却显著降低土壤轻腐殖质 (Soil lightorganic matter)量。在细根分解过程中 ,其分解速率在处理样地(试验结束时细根残存量占起始量的 4 0 .8% )显著高于在保护样地 (试验结束时细根残存量占起始量的 4 4 .3% ) ;与 Ca、Mg和K元素不同 ,N和 P两种元素的释放速率在处理样地显著高于保护样地 ,表明这种人为干扰活动不仅直接取走所收割的林下层和凋落物中的养分 ,而且还可能增加林地有效养分的流失潜力     

Seed limitation interacts with biotic and abiotic factors to constrain novel species' impact on community biomass and richness

Seed limitation can narrow down the number of coexisting plant species, limit plant community productivity, and also constrain community responses to changing environmental and biotic conditions. In a 10-year full-factorial experiment of seed addition, fertilisation, warming and herbivore exclusion, we tested how seed addition alters community richness and biomass, and how its effects depend on seed origin and biotic and abiotic context. We found that seed addition increased species richness in all treatments, and increased plant community biomass depending on nutrient addition and warming. Novel species, originally absent from the communities, increased biomass the most, especially in fertilised plots and in the absence of herbivores, while adding seeds of local species did not affect biomass. Our results show that seed limitation constrains both community richness and biomass, and highlight the importance of considering trophic interactions and soil nutrients when assessing novel species immigrations and their effects on community biomass.     

The impact of elevated CO2, increased nitrogen availability and biodiversity on plant tissue quality and decomposition

Elevated CO₂, increased nitrogen (N) deposition and increasing species richness can increase net primary productivity (NPP). However, unless there are comparable changes in decomposition, increases in productivity will most likely be unsustainable. Without comparable increases in decomposition nutrients would accumulate in dead organic matter leading to nutrient limitations that could eventually prohibit additional increases in productivity. To address this issue, we measured aboveground plant and litter quality and belowground root quality, as well as decomposition of aboveground litter for one and 2‐year periods using in situ litterbags in response to a three‐way factorial manipulation of CO₂ (ambient vs. 560 ppm), N deposition (ambient vs. the addition of 4 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹) and plant species richness (one, four, nine and 16 species) in experimental grassland plots. Litter chemistry responded to the CO₂, N and plant diversity treatments, but decomposition was much less responsive. Elevated CO₂ induced decreases in % N and % lignin in plant tissues. N addition led to increases in % N and decreases in % lignin. Increasing plant diversity led to decreases in % N and % lignin and an increase in % cellulose. In contrast to the litter chemistry changes, elevated CO₂ had a much lower impact on decomposition and resulted in only a 2.5% decrease in carbon (C) loss. Detectable responses were not observed either to N addition or to species richness. These results suggest that global change factors such as biodiversity loss, elevated CO₂ and N deposition lead to significant changes in tissue quality; however, the response of decomposition is modest. Thus, the observed increases in productivity at higher diversity levels and with elevated CO₂ and N fertilization are not matched by an increase in decomposition rates. This lack of coupled responses between production and decomposition is likely to result in an accumulation of nutrients in the litter pool which will dampen the response of NPP to these factors over time.