Top canopy nitrogen allocation linked to increased grassland carbon uptake in stands of varying species richness.

ABSTRACT: Models predict that vertical gradients of foliar nitrogen (N) allocation, increasing from bottom to top of plant canopies, emerge as a plastic response to optimise N utilisation for carbon assimilation. While this mechanism has been well documented in monocultures, its relevance for mixed stands of varying species richness remains poorly understood. We used 21 naturally assembled grassland communities to analyse the gradients of N in the canopy using N allocation coefficients (K _N ) estimated from the distribution of N per foliar surface area (K_N-F) and ground surface area (K_N-G). We tested whether: 1) increasing plant species richness leads to more pronounced N gradients as indicated by higher K _N -values, 2) K _N is a good predictor o

SUBMITTER: Milcu A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5559525 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature