Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1007/s11104-012-1181-z
Volltext Shareable Link
Titel (primär) Nitrogen uptake by grassland communities: contribution of N2 fixation, facilitation, complementarity, and species dominance
Autor Bessler, H.; Oelmann, Y.; Roscher, C.; Buchmann, N.; Scherer-Lorenzen, M.; Schulze, E.-D.; Temperton, V.M.; Wilcke, W.; Engels, C.
Quelle Plant and Soil
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
Department BZF
Band/Volume 358
Heft 1-2
Seite von 301
Seite bis 322
Sprache englisch
Keywords biodiversity;complementarity;facilitation;grassland;Jena experiment;legumes;nitrogen uptake;selection
Abstract

Aims  

This study aimed to measure the effect of plant diversity on N uptake in grasslands and to assess the mechanisms contributing to diversity effects.

Methods  

Annual N uptake into above- and belowground organs and soil nitrate pools were measured in the Jena experiment on a floodplain soil with mixtures of 2–16 species and 1–4 functional groups, and monocultures. In mixtures, the deviation of measured data from data expected from monoculture performance was calculated to assess the contribution of complementarity/facilitation and selection.

Results  

N uptake varied from <1 to 45 g N m−2 yr−1, and was higher in grasslands with than without legumes. On average, N uptake was higher in mixtures (21 ± 1 g N m−2 yr−1) than monocultures (13 ± 1 g N m−2 yr−1), and increased with species richness in mixtures. However, compared to N uptake expected from biomass proportions of species in mixtures, N uptake of mixtures was only slightly higher and a significant surplus N uptake was confined to mixtures containing legumes and non-legumes.

Conclusions  

In our study, high N uptake of species rich mixtures was mainly due to dominance of productive species and facilitation by legumes whereas complementarity among non-legumes was of minor relevance.

dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=12791
Bessler, H., Oelmann, Y., Roscher, C., Buchmann, N., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Schulze, E.-D., Temperton, V.M., Wilcke, W., Engels, C. (2012):
Nitrogen uptake by grassland communities: contribution of N2 fixation, facilitation, complementarity, and species dominance
Plant Soil 358 (1-2), 301 - 322 10.1007/s11104-012-1181-z