Nitrogen Critical Loads for an Alpine Meadow Ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau | |
Zong N.; Shi, P. L.; Song, M. H.; Zhang, X. Z.; Jiang, J.; Chai, X. | |
2016 | |
关键词 | Alpine meadow Nitrogen critical loads Nitrogen deposition Plant community composition Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Soil characteristics forest ecosystems nutrient availability tundra communities microbial biomass terrestrial ecosystems grassland ecosystems buffering capacity species-diversity soil respiration plant diversity |
英文摘要 | Increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has the potential to alter plant diversity and thus the function and stability of terrestrial ecosystems. N-limited alpine ecosystems are expected to be particularly susceptible to increasing N deposition. However, little is known about the critical loads and saturation thresholds of ecosystem responses to increasing N deposition on the Tibetan Plateau, despite its importance to ecosystem management. To evaluate the N critical loads and N saturation thresholds in an alpine ecosystem, in 2010, we treated an alpine meadow with five levels of N addition (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) and characterized plant and soil responses. The results showed that plant species richness and diversity index did not statistically vary with N addition treatments, but they both changed with years. N addition affected plant cover and aboveground productivity, especially for grasses, and soil chemical features. The N critical loads and saturation thresholds, in terms of plant cover and biomass change at the community level, were 8.8-12.7 and 50 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) (including the ambient N deposition rate), respectively. However, pronounced changes in soil inorganic N and net N mineralization occurred under the 20 and 40 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) treatments. Our results indicate that plant community cover and biomass are more sensitive than soil to increasing N inputs. The plant community composition in alpine ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau may change under increasing N deposition in the future. |
出处 | Environmental Management |
卷 | 57 |
期 | 3 |
页 | 531-542 |
收录类别 | SCI |
语种 | 英语 |
ISSN号 | 0364-152X |
内容类型 | SCI/SSCI论文 |
源URL | [http://ir.igsnrr.ac.cn/handle/311030/43978] |
专题 | 生态系统网络观测与模拟院重点实验室_生态网络实验室 |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | Zong N.,Shi, P. L.,Song, M. H.,et al. Nitrogen Critical Loads for an Alpine Meadow Ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau. 2016. |
个性服务 |
查看访问统计 |
相关权益政策 |
暂无数据 |
收藏/分享 |
除非特别说明,本系统中所有内容都受版权保护,并保留所有权利。
修改评论