Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence
1. In the prolonged absence of catastrophic disturbance, ecosystem retrogression occurs, which is characterized by declining soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability, increasing plant and soil N to P ratios, and reduced plant biomass and productivity. It is, however, largely unknown as to h...
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sg-ntu-dr.10356-1490702023-02-28T16:41:14Z Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Kardol, Paul Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte Fanin, Nicolas Asian School of the Environment Science Boreal Forest Chronosequence 1. In the prolonged absence of catastrophic disturbance, ecosystem retrogression occurs, which is characterized by declining soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability, increasing plant and soil N to P ratios, and reduced plant biomass and productivity. It is, however, largely unknown as to how the effects of plant communities on soil nutrients change during retrogression or might contribute to declining nutrient availability as retrogression proceeds. 2. We studied a well-characterized system of 30 lake islands in northern Sweden that collectively represent a 5000-year post-fire retrogressive chronosequence. For each island, we established an experiment that involved full factorial removal of three plant functional groups (tree roots, dwarf shrubs and mosses), and of three species of dwarf shrub (Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea and Empetrum hermaphroditum). After 19 years, we took various measures of soil N and P availability, and measured foliar N and P for each dwarf shrub species, for each plot in the experiment. 3. Although plant removal effects (and particularly removal of tree roots, shrubs, and Vaccinium species) on belowground N and P measures sometimes changed during retrogression, this seldom happened in a way that explains the decline in nutrient availability and increase in N to P ratios that characterizes ecosystem retrogression. The only exceptions were that the positive effects of tree roots on soil mineral N and P, and of V. myrtillus on soil mineral P, declined during retrogression. 4. Plant removal effects on community-level measures of shrub N and P varied greatly across the chronosequence, but these effects again did not align with the changes in soil nutrient availability or N to P ratios that characterize ecosystem retrogression. 5. Synthesis. Our results suggest that retrogression, and associated changes in nutrient availability and soil N to P ratios, is driven mainly by longer-term pedogenic processes as opposed to shorter-term effects of plant communities on soil N and P availability. More generally, they illustrate the value of long-term and large-scale experimental manipulations of plant communities for showing how effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem properties vary across contrasting ecosystems. Accepted version This work was supported by grants to D.A.W. from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) and a Wallenberg Scholars award. 2021-05-20T13:07:27Z 2021-05-20T13:07:27Z 2020 Journal Article Wardle, D. A., Gundale, M. J., Kardol, P., Nilsson, M. & Fanin, N. (2020). Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence. Journal of Ecology, 108(2), 561-573. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13283 1365-2745 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/149070 10.1111/1365-2745.13283 2 108 561 573 en Journal of Ecology © 2019 The Authors (Journal of Ecology) © British Ecological Society. All rights reserved. This paper was published in Journal of Ecology and is made available with permission of The Authors (Journal of Ecology) © British Ecological Society. application/pdf |
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Science Boreal Forest Chronosequence Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Kardol, Paul Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte Fanin, Nicolas Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
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1. In the prolonged absence of catastrophic disturbance, ecosystem retrogression occurs, which is characterized by declining soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability, increasing plant and soil N to P ratios, and reduced plant biomass and productivity. It is, however, largely unknown as to how the effects of plant communities on soil nutrients change during retrogression or might contribute to declining nutrient availability as retrogression proceeds.
2. We studied a well-characterized system of 30 lake islands in northern Sweden that collectively represent a 5000-year post-fire retrogressive chronosequence. For each island, we established an experiment that involved full factorial removal of three plant functional groups (tree roots, dwarf shrubs and mosses), and of three species of dwarf shrub (Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea and Empetrum hermaphroditum). After 19 years, we took various measures of soil N and P availability, and measured foliar N and P for each dwarf shrub species, for each plot in the experiment.
3. Although plant removal effects (and particularly removal of tree roots, shrubs, and Vaccinium species) on belowground N and P measures sometimes changed during retrogression, this seldom happened in a way that explains the decline in nutrient availability and increase in N to P ratios that characterizes ecosystem retrogression. The only exceptions were that the positive effects of tree roots on soil mineral N and P, and of V. myrtillus on soil mineral P, declined during retrogression.
4. Plant removal effects on community-level measures of shrub N and P varied greatly across the chronosequence, but these effects again did not align with the changes in soil nutrient availability or N to P ratios that characterize ecosystem retrogression.
5. Synthesis. Our results suggest that retrogression, and associated changes in nutrient availability and soil N to P ratios, is driven mainly by longer-term pedogenic processes as opposed to shorter-term effects of plant communities on soil N and P availability. More generally, they illustrate the value of long-term and large-scale experimental manipulations of plant communities for showing how effects of biodiversity loss on ecosystem properties vary across contrasting ecosystems. |
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Asian School of the Environment |
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Asian School of the Environment Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Kardol, Paul Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte Fanin, Nicolas |
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Article |
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Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Kardol, Paul Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte Fanin, Nicolas |
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Wardle, David A. |
title |
Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
title_short |
Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
title_full |
Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
title_fullStr |
Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
title_sort |
impact of plant functional group and species removals on soil and plant nitrogen and phosphorus across a retrogressive chronosequence |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10356/149070 |
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1759856135740850176 |