Aboveground net primary productivity was not limited by phosphorus in a temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia
Author:
Guo Yumeng12,
Zhou Meng1,
Sheng Jun12,
Yuan Yujia12,
Yuan Guangyuan12,
Zhang Wen-Hao12ORCID,
Bai Wenming1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100093 , China
2. College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
Abstract
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for plant growth, however, whether the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of typical steppe was limited by P remains obscure. To detect the effects of P addition on primary productivity and aboveground biomass of different plant functional groups both under ambient and N addition conditions, ANPP and aboveground biomass of grasses and forbs were measured from 2016 to 2020 on a 16-year N and P addition experiment platform in a temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia. The soil available N and P concentrations were also determined to test the relationship between ANPP and the availability of soil nutrients. We found that P addition under ambient condition had no significant effect on ANPP and the aboveground biomass of grasses and forbs. However, under N addition, P addition significantly increased ANPP and the aboveground biomass of forbs. Furthermore, soil available N and P concentrations were increased significantly by N and P addition, respectively. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between ANPP and soil available P concentration, while ANPP was positively correlated with soil available N concentration. These results suggest that P is not the key factor limiting the primary productivity of the temperate typical steppe in Inner Mongolia. However, under N addition, P addition can promote ANPP and alter the community composition. These findings provide valuable information for the management of the temperate typical steppe.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
Special Research Assistant Grant Program
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Plant Science,Ecology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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