Responses of community structure and diversity to nitrogen deposition and rainfall addition in contrasting steppes are ecosystem-dependent and dwarfed by year-to-year community dynamics.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Long-term studies to disentangle the multiple, simultaneous effects of global change on community dynamics are a high research priority to forecast future distribution of diversity. Seldom are such multiple effects of global change studied across different ecosystems.

Methods

Here we manipulated nitrogen deposition and rainfall at levels realistic for future environmental scenarios in three contrasting steppe types in Mongolia and followed community dynamics for 7 years.

Key results

Redundancy analyses showed that community composition varied significantly among years. Rainfall and nitrogen manipulations did have some significant effects, but these effects were dependent on the type of response and varied between ecosystems. Community compositions

SUBMITTER: Yang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6798833 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature