Females and hermaphrodites of the gynodioecious Geranium maculatum respond similarly to soil nutrient availability

AbstractSexual dimorphism in plant growth and/or reproductive responses to the surrounding environment has been documented in some plant species. In gynodioecious plants, it is especially important to understand whether females and hermaphrodites differ in their response to environmental stressors, as the fitness of females relative to hermaphrodites determines the extent to which these separate sexes are maintained in natural populations. Soil nutrient availability is of particular importance given the different nutrient requirements of male and female sexual functions in plants. Here, we evaluated and compared the growth of females and hermaphrodites of Geranium maculatum in response to varying levels of nutrients. Using a greenhouse experiment, we manipulated the overall nutrient, nitrogen, and phosphorus levels in the soil and measured growth, allocation, and leaf quality responses in both females and hermaphrodites. We found that sexes responded similarly in their growth and allocation responses to nutrient availability, albeit evidence that female leaf chlorophyll content may have increased more than that of hermaphrodites across soil nitrogen levels. Our findings demonstrate that hermaphrodites differ from females in terms of their physiological response to varying nutrient levels, however these physiological differences did not translate into meaningful growth or reproduction differences.

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Nutrient fluxes in litterfall and decomposition in four forests along a gradient of soil fertility in southern Ohio

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x84-141 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 794-802 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Ralph E. J. Boerner

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Nutrient Mineralization ◽

Nutrient Levels ◽

Fertility Gradient

To determine how soil nutrient availability influences nutrient cycling, fluxes of nutrients through litterfall and decomposition were determined for four forest stands similar in all respects except soil nutrient availability and microclimate, within Neotoma Valley, a small watershed in southern Ohio, U.S.A. Litterfall varied from 10 to 60% among sites while nutrient concentrations and masses in new leaf litter varied as a function of extractable soil nutrient levels. Mass loss from litterbags was significantly higher in more fertile sites. Stepwise regression indicated that initial litter nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were strongly correlated with relative decomposition rate while lignin concentration and microclimate variables were only correlated weakly. Thus, both litterfall nutrient transfers and decomposition rates were under the control of soil nutrient levels. Nitrogen was immobilized in litter at all sites during the 1st year of decay; litter from more fertile sites mineralized nitrogen during the 2nd year, while that from less fertile sites continued to immobilize nitrogen. Phosphorus and calcium mineralization rates were strongly correlated with the availability of these elements in the soil. Magnesium and potassium were leached rapidly from litter; amounts mineralized were correlated with amounts in litterfall. Interrelations among soil fertility, litterfall, and nutrient mineralization, as well as litter redistribution, are discussed as processes important in the development and maintenance of the soil fertility gradient in this watershed.

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The role of trees in enhancing soil nutrient availability for native perennial grasses in open eucalypt woodlands of north-east Queensland

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar00012 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 377 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

J. Jackson ◽

A. J. Ash

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Leaf Quality ◽

Nutrient Levels ◽

Ground Biomass ◽

Canopy Soil ◽

Eucalypt Woodlands

To investigate the effects of eucalypt trees on pasture in open eucalypt woodlands of north-eastern Queensland, 2 common native pasture species, Chrysopogon fallaxand Heteropogon contortus, were grown in soil collected from under tree canopies and inter-canopy areas. These soils were collected from 2 localities that differed in soil fertility. The objective was to determine whether trees enhanced soil nutrient levels beneath their canopies and whether such changes affected pasture productivity and quality. It was hypothesised that tree effects would be greater when overall soil fertility was low. Shade and water stress treatments, which aimed to simulate field conditions, were also imposed to investigate their independent and interactive effects on plant growth. Chemical analyses showed that nutrient levels were higher in under-canopy soils, and plants grown in under-canopy soil produced 42% more biomass than plants in outside-canopy soil. This increase in biomass was significantly greater when the soil was from the low fertility site than from the high fertility site. Leaf quality, in terms of N and P concentration and dry matter digestibility (DMD), was generally higher in plants in under-canopy soil. Shading reduced plant root biomass but had no effects on above ground biomass or leaf quality. Water stress reduced above and below ground biomass and increased leaf quality. Shading and water stress effects were greater in plants in the more fertile soil types. Simulated ‘under-canopy’ plants (shaded, water-stressed plants in under-canopy soil) produced more biomass and had higher leaf N concentration and DMD than simulated ‘outside-canopy’ plants (unshaded, well-watered plants in outside-canopy soil). In a pastoral context, trees in tropical woodlands are generally considered in terms of their competitive effect on pasture productivity. This study has demonstrated that soil nutrient availability is enhanced under eucalypt canopies. The biomass results indicate that this effect is greater when overall soil fertility conditions are low. These enhanced soil nutrient conditions influence forage productivity and quality. Such positive benefits should be considered when management decisions are taken to remove or kill trees in eucalypt woodlands.

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Nutrient resorption tightens plant nitrogen and phosphorus coupling and decreases with sulfur deposition as mediated by interannual precipitation in a meadow

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1038511/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xue Feng ◽

Ruzhen Wang ◽

Tianpeng Li ◽

Jiangping Cai ◽

Heyong Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Acidification ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Nutrient Resorption ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Nutrient Mobilization ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Green Leaves ◽

S Deposition

Abstract Purpose Sulfur (S) deposition as a global change issue causes worldwide soil acidification, nutrient mobilization and marked changes in plant nutrition. Here, we investigated how S deposition would affect leaf nutrient resorption and how this effect varies with yearly fluctuations in precipitation. Methods In a semiarid meadow exposed to S addition, we measured nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and S concentrations in green and senescent leaves of a grass and a sedge and calculated nutrient resorption efficiencies (NuRE) across two years with contrasting precipitation (13% higher and 27% lower than long-term mean annual precipitation). Results Concentrations of N, P, and S in green and senescent leaves generally increased with S addition across the two years, with the exception of N and P concentrations in green leaves of the grass that showed no response or even decreased with S addition. The coupling relationships between N and P concentrations showed interannual variations and tightened by nutrient resorption, as evidenced by stronger N and P correlations in senescent leaves than in green leaves in the wet year. Leaf NuRE convergently decreased with S addition across the two years congruent with soil acidification and increased soil N, P and S availability, while NuRE was higher in the wet year due to lower soil nutrient availability herein. Conclusions This study provides new evidence on the role of nutrient resorption in tightening stoichiometric N:P relationships, and a three-dimensional feedback framework that plant nutrient resorption was favored by higher precipitation to sharpen its tradeoff with soil nutrient availability.

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Leaf nitrogen and phosphorus of temperate desert plants in response to climate and soil nutrient availability

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep06932 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Mingzhu He ◽

Feike A. Dijkstra ◽

Ke Zhang ◽

Xinrong Li ◽

Huijuan Tan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Availability ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Leaf Nitrogen ◽

Desert Plants ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

Temperate Desert ◽

Leaf Nitrogen And Phosphorus

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One Year Residual Effect of Sewage Sludge Biochar as a Soil Amendment for Maize in a Brazilian Oxisol

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042226 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2226

Author(s):

Joisman Fachini ◽

Thais Rodrigues Coser ◽

Alyson Silva de Araujo ◽

Ailton Teixeira do Vale ◽

Keiji Jindo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Grain Yield ◽

Nutrient Availability ◽

Pyrolysis Temperature ◽

Residual Effect ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Corn Yield ◽

Soil Nutrient Availability ◽

One Year

The thermochemical transformation of sewage sludge (SS) to biochar (SSB) allows exploring the advantages of SS and reduces possible environmental risks associated with its use. Recent studies have shown that SSB is nutrient-rich and may replace mineral fertilizers. However, there are still some questions to be answered about the residual effect of SSB on soil nutrient availability. In addition, most of the previous studies were conducted in pots or soil incubations. Therefore, the residual effect of SSB on soil properties in field conditions remains unclear. This study shows the results of nutrient availability and uptake as well as maize yield the third cropping of a three-year consecutive corn cropping system. The following treatments were compared: (1) control: without mineral fertilizer and biochar; (2) NPK: with mineral fertilizer; (3) SSB300: with biochar produced at 300 °C; (4) SSB300+NPK; (5) SSB500: with biochar produced at 500 °C; and (6) SSB500+NPK. The results show that SSB has one-year residual effects on soil nutrient availability and nutrient uptake by maize, especially phosphorus. Available soil P contents in plots that received SSB were around five times higher than the control and the NPK treatments. Pyrolysis temperature influenced the SSB residual effect on corn yield. One year after suspending the SSB application, SSB300 increased corn yield at the same level as the application of NPK. SSB300 stood out and promoted higher grain yield in the residual period (8524 kg ha−1) than SSB500 (6886 kg ha−1). Regardless of pyrolysis temperature, biochar boosted the mineral fertilizer effect resulting in higher grain yield than the exclusive application of NPK. Additional long-term studies should be focused on SSB as a slow-release phosphate fertilizer.

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