Effects of 5-Year Nitrogen Addition on Species Composition and Diversity of an Alpine Steppe Plant Community on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: The N deposition rate is notably increased in China, especially in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). How plants respond to the projected N deposition on the alpine steppe is still in debate. In this study, to investigate the effects of N deposition on the plant community of the alpine steppe, we simulated N deposition at six different N addition rate levels (0, 8, 24, 40, 56, 72 kg N ha-1 y-1) from 2015 to 2019. Species composition and diversity were investigated as the assessment indices. The results showed that the importance value of grasses significantly increased with the increase of the N addition rate, while that of forbs significantly decreased. A high N addition rate (72 kg N ha-1 y-1) induced species composition change, making Leymus secalinus become the most dominant species wi

SUBMITTER: Zhang R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9002499 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature