Contrasting effects of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on soil respiration in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: High soil organic carbon content, extensive root biomass, and low nutrient availability make alpine grasslands an important ecosystem for assessing the influence of nutrient enrichment on soil respiration (SR). We conducted a four-year (2009-2012) field experiment in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to examine the individual and combined effects of nitrogen (N, 100 kg ha^-1year^-1) and phosphorus (P, 50 kg ha^-1year^-1) addition on SR. We found that both N and P addition did not affect the overall growing-season SR but effects varied by year: with N addition SR increased in the first year but decreased during the last two years. However, while P addition did not affect SR during the first two years, SR increased during the last two

SUBMITTER: Ren F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5056390 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature