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- Title
Three Tibetan grassland plant species tend to partition niches with limited plasticity in nitrogen use.
- Authors
Zhang, Li; Pang, Rui; Xu, Xingliang; Song, Minghua; Li, Yikang; Zhou, Huakun; Cui, Xiaoyong; Wang, Yanfen; Ouyang, Hua
- Abstract
Aims: Niche complementarity theory explains how species coexist by using different resources. Two pathways to partition resource have been demonstrated: classical niche differentiation and plasticity in resource use. We aimed to determine N-uptake patterns in three Tibetan Plateau grassland species, and to examine how N-partitioning is driven by neighbor interactions. Methods: We conducted a transplantation experiment using ten plant communities, each comprising a different combination of Kobresia humilis, Stipa aliena, and Saussurea superba. Soil was sprayed uniformly with a mixture of (NH4)2SO4, KNO3, and glycine (C2H5NO2) (1:1:1 by mass of N, each containing one form of 15N) after growing for 45 days. Results: Across three species, the N-uptake pattern was NO3− > NH4+ > glycine (NO3−: 58.47%; NH4+: 26.91%; glycine: 14.62%). Neighbor presence had species-specific effects on 15N recovery. Kobresia humilis took up more 15N-NO3− when it was in competition with other species, whereas Stipa aliena and Saussurea superba took up more 15N-NH4+ and 15N-glycine, respectively. Conclusions: Plasticity in N resource utilization of the three species was limited. The species competed for N resources proportionally to the availability of these sources, and tended to partition niches. These findings provide important insights into how plant species grow together in alpine grasslands.
- Subjects
PLANT species; GRASSLAND plants; GRASSLAND soils; COMPETITION (Biology); PLANT communities; SAUSSUREA
- Publication
Plant & Soil, 2019, Vol 441, Issue 1/2, p601
- ISSN
0032-079X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11104-019-04148-0