Plant community responses to increased precipitation and belowground litter addition: Evidence from a 5-year semiarid grassland experiment.

ABSTRACT: Global climate change is predicted to stimulate primary production and consequently increases litter inputs. Changing precipitation regimes together with enhanced litter inputs may affect plant community composition and structure, with consequent influence on diversity and ecosystem functioning. Responses of plant community to increased precipitation and belowground litter addition were examined lasting 5 years in a semiarid temperate grassland of northeastern China. Increased precipitation enhanced community species richness and abundance of annuals by 16.8% and 44%, but litter addition suppressed them by 25% and 54.5% after 5 years, respectively. During the study period, perennial rhizome grasses and forbs had consistent negative relationship under ambient plots, whereas positive relatio

SUBMITTER: Chen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5938451 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature