Divergent responses of nitrogen availability to aridity in drylands
Divergent responses of nitrogen availability to aridity in drylands
复制标题
DOI:
10.1007/s11104-022-05673-1
复制
发表时间:
2022-09
期刊:
影响因子:
4.9
通讯作者:
Jing Wang;X. Wen
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Jing Wang;X. Wen
PurposeDrylands are generally drought-stressed and have low soil fertility. While negative effects of drought on vegetation productivity are undisputed, it is unclear whether water limits productivity alone or in combination with low nitrogen (N) availability (N supply relative to plant N demand).MethodsOne aridity transect was established in each – the Loess Plateau (LP), Inner Mongolia Plateau (MP), and Tibetan Plateau (TP). Concentrations and δ15N of soil and leaf at the species level were measured, and ecosystem N processes were simulated using DeNitrification-DeComposition model.ResultsModel simulations of total N supply and its components (N deposition, biological N2fixation, and gross N mineralization) and modelled gross primary productivity (plant N demand) decreased with increasing aridity. δ15Nsoiland community-weighted δ15Nleafof non-N2-fixing species increased with aridity, however, difference in δ15N between soil and leaf (δ15NSoil-leaf) exhibited an increasing trend with aridity in MP and TP. δ15NSoil-leafat LP was variable but did not change significantly with aridity. These results implied that N availability increased with aridity in MP and TP but remained low due to high plant N demand in LP. We found that δ15NSoil-leafis a better indicator of N availability than δ15Nsoiland δ15Nleaf. Vegetation productivity was negatively correlated with water availability, but not with N availability along aridity gradients, indicating that vegetation productivity in these ecosystems was constrained by water rather than N availability.ConclusionWhether vegetation productivity is limited by N availability in drylands depends on how much water is available for plant growth.