Plant Functional Traits Modulate Effects of Drought on C:N:P Stoichiometry of Plant, Litter, and Soil Microbe in an Arid Grassland
The carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry of plant-soil systems is crucial to drive nutrient cycling in arid ecosystems. Although precipitation changes are increasingly affecting nutrient cycling with important feedbacks to ecosystem function, however, a mechanistic understanding...
| Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Versión aceptada para publicación |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repository: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/387163 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/387163 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85207246071 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Functional traits Grassland Microbial stoichiometry Plant stoichiometry Precipitation change Soil stoichiometry |
| Summary: | The carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry of plant-soil systems is crucial to drive nutrient cycling in arid ecosystems. Although precipitation changes are increasingly affecting nutrient cycling with important feedbacks to ecosystem function, however, a mechanistic understanding of how the stoichiometry in plant-soil systems responds to precipitation changes in arid grasslands is still lacking. We conducted a 7-year field experiment with manipulative precipitation (ambient, ± 20%, ± 40% and ± 60%) to examine the effect of increased precipitation and drought on the stoichiometry of plant, litter, soil and soil microbe in an arid grassland in northern China. We also quantify the roles of plant composition, diversity and functional traits, soil properties and soil microbial diversity in determining the stoichiometry in plant-soil systems. Increased precipitation or drought did not affect soil stoichiometry. Increased precipitation increased litter C but drought decreased plant and litter C:N. Further, drought increased plant and litter N and microbial C content, as well as plant C:P and N:P, litter N:P and microbial C:N and C:P. Drought effects on C:P and N:P in plant and litter and on microbial C:N were mediated by leaf N content, while the effects on plant C:P and N:P were mediated by leaf C content. Additionally, plant height regulated the drought effects on microbial C:P. C:N:P stoichiometry in plant, litter and soil microbe is more sensitive to drought than increased precipitation and plant functional traits are critical for predicting nutrient cycling in arid grasslands under future drought scenarios. |
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