Nitrogen:phosphorous supply ratio and allometry in five alpine plant species.

ABSTRACT: In terrestrial ecosystems, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has greatly increased N availability relative to other elements, particularly phosphorus (P). Alterations in the availability of N relative to P can affect plant growth rate and functional traits, as well as resource allocation to above- versus belowground biomass (M_A and M_B). Biomass allocation among individual plants is broadly size-dependent, and this can often be described as an allometric relationship between M_A and M_B, as represented by the equation MA=αMBβ, or log M_A = logα + βlog M_B. Here, we investigated whether the scaling exponent or regression slope may be affected by the N:P supply ratio. We hypothesized that

SUBMITTER: Luo X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5192882 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature