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Fu G, Wang J, Li S. Response of forage nutritional quality to climate change and human activities in alpine grasslands. Sci Total Environ 2022; 845:157552. [PMID: 35872197 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of climate change and human activities on forage nutritional quality will affect nutrient capacity, livestock development and wildlife conservation in alpine regions. However, the response of forage nutritional quality to climate change and human activities remains indistinguishable across the whole Tibet. Here, six forage variables (i.e., crude protein, CP; ether extract, EE; crude ash, Ash; acid detergent fiber, ADF; neutral detergent fiber, NDF; water-soluble carbohydrates, WSC) together represented forage nutritional quality. We estimated potential forage CP, EE, Ash, ADF, NDF and WSC contents using growing mean air temperature, total precipitation and total radiation based on random forest models. We also estimated actual forage CP, EE, Ash, ADF, NDF and WSC contents using growing mean air temperature, total precipitation and total radiation, and maximum normalized difference vegetation index based on random forest models. Climate change had nonlinear effects on potential forage CP, EE, Ash, ADF, NDF and WSC contents. Radiation change predominated the variations of potential forage nutritional quality. Human activities altered the sensitivities of forage nutritional quality to climate change. The effects of human activities on forage nutritional quality increased with increasing longitude and precipitation, and decreasing elevation and radiation. Consequently, we should pay attention to the radiation change besides climate warming and precipitation change, at least for forage nutritional quality in alpine grasslands. The effects of human activities on forage nutritional quality can vary with longitude, elevation, precipitation and radiation in alpine grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Fu
- Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Junhao Wang
- Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shaowei Li
- Lhasa Plateau Ecosystem Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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Zheng J, Cui M, Wang C, Wang J, Wang S, Sun Z, Ren F, Wan S, Han S. Elevated CO 2, warming, N addition, and increased precipitation affect different aspects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community. Sci Total Environ 2022; 806:150522. [PMID: 34571234 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The functional diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) affects the resistance and resilience of plant communities to environmental stress. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding how the complex interactions among elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2), nitrogen deposition (eN), precipitation (eP), and warming (eT) affect AMF communities. These global change factors (GCFs) do not occur in isolation, and their interactions likely affect AMF community structure and assembly processes. In this study, the interactive effects of these four GCFs on AMF communities were explored using an open-top chamber field experiment in a semiarid grassland. Elevated CO2, eN, eT, eP, and their interactions did not affect AMF biomass. The relative abundance of Paraglomus increased with N addition across treatment combinations, whereas that of Glomus decreased with N addition, especially combined with eT and eCO2. Precipitation, temperature (T), and N affected AMF phylogenetic α-diversity, and the three-way interaction among CO2, T, and N affected taxonomic and phylogenetic α-diversity. N addition significantly affected the composition of AMF communities. Both variable selection and dispersal limitation played major roles in shaping AMF communities, whereas homogeneous selection and homogenizing dispersal had little effect on AMF community assembly. The contribution of variable selection decreased under eCO2, eN and eT but not under eP. The contribution of dispersal limitation decreased under eCO2, eT, and eP but increased under eN. The assembly of AMF communities under the sixteen GCF combinations was strongly affected by dispersal limitation, variable selection and ecological drift. Elevated CO2, warming, N addition, and increased precipitation affected different aspects of AMF communities. The interactive effects of the four GCFs on AMF communities were limited. Overall, the results of this study suggest that AMF communities in semiarid grasslands can resist changes in global climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junqiang Zheng
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China.
| | - Mingming Cui
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China
| | - Cong Wang
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China
| | - Jian Wang
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China
| | - Shilin Wang
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China
| | - Zhongjie Sun
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China
| | - Feirong Ren
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China
| | - Shiqiang Wan
- College of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, Hebei, China
| | - Shijie Han
- International Joint Research Laboratory for Global Change Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng,475004, Henan, China; Yellow River Floodplain Ecosystems Research Station, Henan University, Xingyang, China.
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Bai Y, She W, Zhang Y, Qiao Y, Fu J, Qin S. N enrichment, increased precipitation, and the effect of shrubs collectively shape the plant community in a desert ecosystem in northern China. Sci Total Environ 2020; 716:135379. [PMID: 31839302 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 11/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the responses of biological communities to global climate change is pivotal to accurately forecasting future dynamics and developing effective strategies for the adaptive ecological management of desert ecosystems. Although direct demographic responses of plant species to climatic factors have been widely acknowledged, they are also regulated by interspecific interactions (i.e., the effects of shrubs on herbaceous plants). The magnitude and direction of regulation of such interspecific interactions remain unclear. To address this knowledge gap, a full factorial field experiment simulating three levels of N enrichment (ambient, 10 kg N ha-1 yr-1, and 60 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and three levels of precipitation (ambient, 20% increase, and 40% increase) were conducted in the Mu Us Desert, northern China. N enrichment and increased precipitation significantly increased herbaceous productivity by improving the soil water content and nutrient availability (e.g., soil DIN:SAP) when shrubs were not present. Taller species responded to N enrichment, whereas those with a greater specific leaf area responded to increased precipitation. When shrubs were present, they acted as a 'buffer islands' that moderated the responses of herbaceous species to N enrichment and increased precipitation by weakening the effect of the improved soil water status. The magnitude of the effect of shrubs on herbaceous biomass and richness was comparable to that of N enrichment and increased precipitation. Our results highlight the importance and complexity of both large-scale environmental changes and small-scale interspecific interactions in structuring plant communities in desert ecosystems. Moreover, abiotic environmental factors and biotic interactions should be integrated in efforts to predict the responses of plant communities to future global change in desert ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Bai
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Weiwei She
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yuqing Zhang
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration on Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
| | - Yangui Qiao
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jie Fu
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Shugao Qin
- Yanchi Research Station, School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Engineering Research Centre of Forestry Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
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Ma W, Li J, Gao Y, Xing F, Sun S, Zhang T, Zhu X, Chen C, Li Z. Responses of soil extracellular enzyme activities and microbial community properties to interaction between nitrogen addition and increased precipitation in a semi-arid grassland ecosystem. Sci Total Environ 2020; 703:134691. [PMID: 31731161 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Both atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and precipitation can strongly impact below-ground biogeochemical processes. Soil extracellular enzymes activities (EEAs) and microorganisms are considered as the key agents in ecosystem nutrient cycling. However, how the interaction between increasing N deposition and precipitation may affect soil EEAs and microbes remain poorly understood. In a 5-year field experiment in a meadow steppe in northern China, we tested the effects of N addition (N0, 0; N1, 5; N2, 10 g N m-2 yr-1) and increased precipitation (W0, ambient precipitation; W1, increase of 15% ambient precipitation; W2, increase of 30% ambient precipitation) on soil EEAs, microbial and chemical properties. Results showed that their interaction significantly affected all hydrolase activities, except for β-1,4-xylosidase (βX). Furthermore, increased precipitation and N addition interactively affected bacterial gene copies (P ≤ 0.05), and increased precipitation comparatively had a stronger effects. The results on the combination of N addition and increased precipitation showed that increased precipitation alleviated the positive effects of N addition on soil EEAs. This implies that the effects of either treatment alone on grassland biogeochemical processes may be alleviated by their simultaneous occurrence. Our results suggested that soil EEAs were mainly controlled by the content of N and phosphorus (P), and the ratio of C: N and C: P. Therefore, soil element content and stoichiometry could better explain the responses of EEAs to global changes. Moreover, soil microbial communities were mainly controlled by soil P content. Overall, our study highlights that the interaction between N deposition and precipitation may play a vital role in predicting the responses of soil enzyme activities to global changes in grassland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Ma
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Microbial Ecology, Ecology Building, Lund 22646, Sweden
| | - Ying Gao
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Fu Xing
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China.
| | - Shengnan Sun
- Institute of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Xingzun Zhu
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Zhuo Li
- Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China
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Chen Y, Zhang L, Shi X, Ban Y, Liu H, Zhang D. Life history responses of spring-and autumn-germinated ephemeral plants to increased nitrogen and precipitation in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Sci Total Environ 2019; 659:756-763. [PMID: 31096405 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 12/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen deposition and precipitation change are not only hot topics of current global change but also the main environmental factors affecting plant growth. Thus, the effects of nitrogen and precipitation on the life history of spring-(SG) and autumn-germinated (AG) ephemeral plants of Erodium oxyrhynchum were researched in the Gurbantunggut Desert, northern China, and the aim was to understand the response of plants from different germination seasons to global change. SG and AG plants with increased nitrogen and precipitation plus nitrogen treatments were measured to determine seedling survival, phenology, plant traits, biomass accumulation and allocation and dormancy characteristics of offspring (seeds). The results showed that increased nitrogen and precipitation plus nitrogen treatments significantly improved the survival of SG and AG plants during the seedling stage, and precipitation plus nitrogen treatments also improved the growth and seed production of SG and AG plants, but increased nitrogen significantly inhibited their growth and seed production. Therefore, precipitation plays an important role in regulating nitrogen uptake by plants in arid and semiarid ecosystems. With increased nitrogen, SG and AG plants allocated more biomass into root and reproductive organs but allocated significantly less biomass into the leaf, with almost no change in biomass allocation to the stem. With nitrogen plus precipitation treatments, biomass allocation in all organs of SG and AG plants showed almost no change. Clearly, changes in soil moisture also affected biomass allocation of SG and AG plants. For offspring dormancy, SG and AG plants produced more nondormancy seeds with increased nitrogen but produced more dormancy seeds under precipitation plus nitrogen treatments. Hence, in a harsh environment, SG and AG plants produced more nondormancy offspring with low reproduction in order to occupy the habitat rapidly in the following year or produced more dormancy offspring with high reproduction in a suitable environment intended for spreading germination risk in time and conserve the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi 830011, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lingwei Zhang
- College of Grassland and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Soil and Plant Ecological Processes, Urümqi 830052, China
| | - Xiang Shi
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
| | - Ying Ban
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi 830011, China
| | - Huiliang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi 830011, China; Yili Botanical Garden, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Xinyuan 835800, China.
| | - Daoyuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi 830011, China; Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan 838008, China
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Chen Y, Zhang L, Shi X, Liu H, Zhang D. Life history responses of two ephemeral plant species to increased precipitation and nitrogen in the Gurbantunggut Desert. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6158. [PMID: 30648013 PMCID: PMC6330950 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Precipitation change and nitrogen deposition are not only hot topics of current global change but also the main environmental factors affecting plant growth in desert ecosystems. Thus, we performed an experiment of increased precipitation, nitrogen, and precipitation plus nitrogen on the ephemeral annual species Nepeta micrantha and Eremopyrum distans in the Gurbantunggut Desert. We aimed to determine the life history responses of N. micrantha and E. distans to environment changes, and the germination percentage of the offspring (seeds) was also tested in the laboratory. The results showed that increased nitrogen and precipitation plus nitrogen increased the growth of both plant species, whereas increased precipitation inhibited the growth of N. micrantha but increased the growth of E. distans. This differential response of these two species to precipitation and nitrogen also affected the germination of their offspring. In response to increased nitrogen and precipitation plus nitrogen, the germination percentage of the offspring produced by two species decreased in conjunction with the plants exhibiting high reproduction, which may prevent overcrowding during the following year; however, the N. micrantha plants produced more nondormant offspring in conjunction with low reproduction under relatively greater amounts of precipitation, and N. micrantha offspring could occupy their habitat via rapid germination in suitable environments. Therefore, with increased precipitation and nitrogen deposition, these differences in offspring dormancy may affect their ecological niche in the community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Chen
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi, Xinjiang, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lingwei Zhang
- College of Grassland and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urümqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Xiang Shi
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Huiliang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi, Xinjiang, China.,Yili Botanical Garden, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Xinyuan, Xinjiang, China
| | - Daoyuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urümqi, Xinjiang, China.,Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, Xinjiang, China
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