Intraspecific trait variability mediates the effect of nitrogen addition and warming on aboveground productivity

Author:

Zhang Li12ORCID,Cappelli Seraina Lisa3ORCID,Huang Mengjiao1,Liu Xiang4ORCID,Xiao Yao4ORCID,Cardou Françoise5ORCID,Rong Yizhong6ORCID,Zhou Shurong7ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, Shanghai Inst. of Eco-Chongming (SIEC), and School of Life Sciences, Fudan Univ. Shanghai PR China

2. Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Bamboo Research Inst., Nanjing Forestry Univ. Nanjing PR China

3. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zürich Zürich

4. State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou Univ. Lanzhou PR China

5. Biological Sciences Dept, Univ. of Toronto Scarborough Toronto ON Canada

6. School of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural Univ. Hefei PR China

7. Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Hainan Univ. Haikou PR China

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that intraspecific trait variability is an important source of total trait variation. However, the contribution of intraspecific variability to ecosystem functions in the face of global change remains unknown. We quantified the relative contribution of intra‐ and inter‐specific functional changes on productivity in 48 plots subjected to eight years of nitrogen addition and warming in a Tibetan alpine meadow. The change of the mean (community weighted mean) and the variation (Rao's quadratic entropy) in trait values in response to nitrogen addition and warming were separated into the changes driven by interspecific and intraspecific trait variations using a variance partitioning method. We found that productivity showed a hump‐shaped response to nitrogen addition, with the highest productivity at intermediate levels of nitrogen addition. This hump‐shaped response was mediated by the changes in plant functional structure. A community having higher interspecific variation in plant height and individuals producing bigger leaf area can increase productivity via niche complementary and dominance effects, respectively. Warming reduced productivity directly and marginally decreased individuals' leaf area which suppressed productivity indirectly. Our research suggests a non‐negligible role of plant intraspecific trait variability in maintaining ecosystem functions, especially in the face of global change.

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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