Stoichiometric traits (N:P) of understory plants contribute to reductions in plant diversity following long‐term nitrogen addition in subtropical forest

Wu, Jianping; Shen, Fangfang; Thompson, Jill ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4370-2593; Liu, Wenfei; Duan, Honglang; Bardgett, Richard D.. 2021 Stoichiometric traits (N:P) of understory plants contribute to reductions in plant diversity following long‐term nitrogen addition in subtropical forest. Ecology and Evolution, 11 (9). 4243-4251. 10.1002/ece3.7319

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Abstract/Summary

Nitrogen enrichment is pervasive in forest ecosystems, but its influence on understory plant communities and their stoichiometric characteristics is poorly understood. We hypothesize that when forest is enriched with nitrogen (N), the stoichiometric characteristics of plant species explain changes in understory plant diversity. A 13-year field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of N addition on foliar carbon (C): N: phosphorus (P) stoichiometry, understory plant species richness, and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) in a subtropical Chinese fir forest. Four levels of N addition were applied: 0, 6, 12, and 24 g m−2 year−1. Individual plant species were categorized into resistant plants, intermediate resistant plants, and sensitive plants based on their response to nitrogen addition. Results showed that N addition significantly decreased the number of species, genera, and families of herbaceous plants. Foliar N:P ratios were greater in sensitive plants than resistant or intermediate resistant plants, while iWUE showed an opposite trend. However, no relationship was detected between soil available N and foliar N, and soil N:P and foliar N:P ratios. Our results indicated that long-term N addition decreased the diversity of understory plants in a subtropical forest. Through regulating water use efficiency with N addition, sensitive plants change their N:P stoichiometry and have a higher risk of mortality, while resistant plants maintain a stable N:P stoichiometry, which contributes to their survival. These findings suggest that plant N:P stoichiometry plays an important role in understory plant performance in response to environmental change of N.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1002/ece3.7319
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Biodiversity (Science Area 2017-)
ISSN:	2045-7758
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	ecological stoichiometry, nitrogen deposition, subtropical forest, understory plants, water use efficiency
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	12 Mar 2021 12:12 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529884

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