Leaf Photosynthetic and Functional Traits of Grassland Dominant Species in Response to Nutrient Addition on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Abstract

Leaf photosynthetic and functional traits of dominant species are important for understanding grassland community dynamics under imbalanced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) inputs. Here, the effects of N (N0, N50, and N100, corresponding to 0, 50, and 100 kg ha−1 yr−1, respectively) or/and P additions (P0, P40, and P80, corresponding to 0, 40, and 80 kg ha–1 yr–1) on photosynthetic characteristics and leaf economic traits of three dominant species (two grasses: Bothriochloa ischaemum and Stipa bungeana; a leguminous subshrub: Lespedeza davurica) were investigated in a semiarid grassland community on the Loess Plateau of China. Results showed that, after a three-year N addition, all three species had higher specific leaf area (SLA), leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD value), maximum net photosynthetic rate (PNmax), and leaf instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE), while also having a lower leaf dry matter content (LDMC). The two grasses, B. ischaemum and S. bungeana, showed greater increases in PNmax and SLA than the subshrub L. davurica. P addition alone had no noticeable effect on the PNmax of the two grasses while it significantly increased the PNmax of L. davurica. There was an evident synergetic effect of the addition of N and P combined on photosynthetic traits and most leaf economic traits in the three species. All species had relatively high PNmax and SLA under the addition of N50 combined with P40. Overall, this study suggests that N and P addition shifted leaf economic traits towards a greater light harvesting ability and, thus, elevated photosynthesis in the three dominant species of a semiarid grassland community, and this was achieved by species–specific responses in leaf functional traits. These results may provide insights into grassland restoration and the assessment of community development in the context of atmospheric N deposition and intensive agricultural fertilization.