Contribution of Soil and Litter Nutrient Characteristics to Plant Nutrients in a Natural Secondary Mixed Forest in the Qinling Mountains, China

Abstract Soil and litter play important roles in ecosystem nutrient stroage and cycling, which both affect plant growth and ecosystem productivity. However, the potential contributions of soil and litter nutrient characteristics to the nutrient characteristics of different plant functional groups (PFGs) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations of different organs of three PFGs (trees, shrubs and herbs), litter and soil in nine natural secondary mixed forests in the Qinling Mountains. The results showed that leaves had the highest N and P concentrations and N:P ratios at the organ level, whereas the C:N and C:P values were lowest in leaves. At the PFG level, the N and P concentrations of the same organs in herbaceous plants were significantly higher than those in woody species, while the N:P ratio was significantly lower in herb leaves than in tree and shrub leaves. Tree organs had significantly higher C concentrations and C:N and C:P ratios than shrub and herb organs. The leaf N:P ratios of all PFGs were less than 14, suggested that plant growth was limited by N in the study region. The nutrient contents and stoichiometric ratios in plant organs had different degrees of linkages with those in litter and soil. Soil nutrient characteristics were the main factors affecting the nutrient characteristics of the different PFGs, and litter nutrient characteristics also had important contributions to the nutrient characteristics of PFGs, showing the following order: herbs > trees > shrubs. Our results indicate that the functional difference in plant organs resulted in diverse nutrient concentrations; and varied nutrient connections exist among different ecosystem components. Furthermore, nutrient characteristics of litter and soil can together affect the nutrient characteristics of PFGs.

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The linkages of plant, litter and soil C:N:P stoichiometry and nutrient stock in different secondary mixed forest types in the Qinling Mountains, China

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9274 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9274

Author(s):

Yue Pang ◽

Jing Tian ◽

Xuan Zhao ◽

Zhi Chao ◽

Yuchao Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Forest ◽

Plant Litter ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Qinling Mountains ◽

Forest Types ◽

Mixed Forests ◽

C:N:P Stoichiometry ◽

Plant Organs ◽

Nutrient Stock ◽

Stoichiometric Ratios

Background Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometric ratios are important indicators of ecosystem function and productivity. However, few studies have assessed the nutrient relationship between plant, litter and soil, and the nutrient stock in different secondary mixed forest types. Methods We investigated the C, N and P concentrations and stoichiometric ratios in trees, understory plants, litter and soil layers in three different secondary mixed forest types (broadleaf mixed forests (BM), broadleaf-conifer mixed forests (BCM) and coniferous mixed forests (CM)) in the Qinling Mountains. Results The results showed that significant differences in C:N:P stoichiometry were detected in multiple organs in the vegetation layers in the different forest types. Trees, shrubs and herbs all allocated more N and P in leaves and had a higher N:P ratio in leaves than in other organs. The C concentrations, C:N ratios and C:P ratios of all tree organs showed a decreasing order: BM < BCM < CM, while the N and P concentrations showed an increasing order: BM > BCM > CM. For litter and soil, BM had generally higher N and P concentrations than those of BCM and CM. The highest N and P stock was in tree branches-not in the stem, which had the highest biomass (except for P in CM). Compared with other forest types, CM stored more nutrients in the labile litter layer, while BM stored more nutrients in the stable soil layer. The net ecosystem nutrient element stock in BM was generally higher than that in BCM and CM. The C, N and P concentrations and stoichiometry in the plant organs, litter and soil were significantly correlated. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that nutrient concentrations in plant organs, litter and soil are tightly linked in secondary mixed forests.

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Effects of animal manure upon growth of Cerrado plants

Revista Ibero-Americana de Ciências Ambientais ◽

10.6008/cbpc2179-6858.2020.004.0007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 81-88

Author(s):

Lucas Ferreira ◽

Mairê Butzer Viñales ◽

Lucas Lopes e Silva ◽

Luciola Santos Lannes

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Functional Groups ◽

Organic Matter Content ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Animal Manure ◽

Matter Content ◽

Plant Functional Groups ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Invasive Grass ◽

Invasive Grasses

Through excretion, animals return to the soil part of the nutrients they ingest. This input can be an alternative to artificial inorganic fertilization aiming at increasing soil nutrient concentrations in degraded areas that are prone to restoration. In nutrient-poor soils, the addition of animal manure can promote increases in soil fertility, but studies assessing its effects upon plant communities are meager. This study aims at checking whether the addition of manure originated from livestock promotes plant growth increase and enzyme activity in Cerrado native plants of different functional groups as a way to subsidize processes of environmental recuperation in degraded areas using organic fertilization of an easily available source, as animal manure. The experiment was conducted in a screenhouse through a completely randomized design with four manure and six species treatments with three replicates. Manure treatments used were control, cattle, sheep and goat manure. The plant species selected belonged to main Cerrado herbaceous functional groups – two naturalized grasses, two alien invasive grasses, a legume herb and a Malvaceae herb. Phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations, and N:P ratios varied according to the type of manure. Soil organic matter content, phosphorus and potassium concentrations increased upon manure addition. Different manure types promoted various effects in height, biomass and acid phosphatase activity amongst the plants. Goat and cattle manure positively influenced Urochloa decumbens, an exotic invasive grass living in the Cerrado, whereas sheep manure addition promoted increase of non-invasive grasses. These results show that animal manure can promote better nutrient conditions for plants living in degraded areas, but the selection of the manure type for application in restoration projects aiming at aiding plant growth in Cerrado degraded areas will depend on the purpose of the project because different dung types benefit different plant functional groups.

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Controls of point and diffuse sources lowered riverine nutrient concentrations asynchronously, thereby warping molar N:P ratios

Environmental Research Letters ◽

10.1088/1748-9326/ab98b6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. 104009

Author(s):

Katja Westphal ◽

Andreas Musolff ◽

Daniel Graeber ◽

Dietrich Borchardt

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Diffuse Sources ◽

N:P Ratios ◽

Point And Diffuse Sources

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Effects of nutrient addition on polyphenol and nutrient concentrations in leaves of woody species of a savanna woodland in Central Brazil

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467419000257 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 288-296

Author(s):

Tamiel Khan Baiocchi Jacobson ◽

Mercedes Maria da Cunha Bustamante

Keyword(s):

Environmental Changes ◽

Leaf Age ◽

Woody Species ◽

Total Phenol ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Savanna Woodland ◽

Central Brazil ◽

Tannin Concentration ◽

Vegetation Models

AbstractWe investigated whether changes in nutrient availability affected N, P, S and polyphenol concentrations in different leaf-development stages of three brevideciduous and three evergreen dominant woody species in a nutrient-limited savanna woodland in Central Brazil. Treatments included eight years of annual fertilization with 100 kg ha−1 of N, P, N plus P and control, each replicated in four randomized 15 × 15-m plots. All species increased S concentrations (minimum 28%) in young and mature leaves in fertilized plots. Dalbergia miscolobium decreased total phenol concentrations with P (−34.3%, −23.7%) and NP fertilization (−28.2%, −17.1%). Blepharocalyx salicifolius increased total phenol (27.6%, 18.8%) and tannin (46.3%; 43.5%) in P fertilized and increased total phenol (33.9%) and tannin (27.8%, 43.5%) in NP fertilized plots. Total phenol concentration decreased with leaf age in Ouratea hexasperma, Styrax ferrugineus and Blepharocalyx salicifolius, which also decreased tannin concentration with leaf age. For all treatments, brevideciduous species had higher N, P, total phenols and tannin concentrations and lower S concentration than evergreens. These differences between phenological groups suggest that tropical ecosystems responses to environmental changes are more complex than anticipated by global vegetation models, with consequences for predictions in ecosystem functions and resilience.

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Ecological variations of woody species along an altitudinal gradient in the Qinling Mountains of Central China: area-based versus mass-based expression of leaf traits

Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1007/s11676-019-01060-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Yongfu Chai ◽

Hailin Shang ◽

Xiaofei Zhang ◽

Ruichang Zhang ◽

Xiao Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Woody Species ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Central China ◽

Qinling Mountains

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Fertiliser use efficiency by containerised nursery plants. 3. Effect of heavy leaching and damaged fertiliser prills on plant growth, nutrient uptake, and nutrient loss

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/a98084 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 217 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

D. O. Huett ◽

S. C. Morris

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Nutrient Uptake ◽

Shoot Growth ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Nutrient Content ◽

Nutrient Leaching ◽

Nutrient Loss ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Leaching Loss ◽

Nutrient Amendment

Nutrient leaching loss, plant growth, and nutrient uptake of 4-week (transplanting to sale) ground-cover species were investigated under a range of leaching conditions and with different sources of a controlled- release fertiliser (CRF), Osmocote NPK (3–4 month) (Osm). Osm was applied pre-planting at a rate equivalent to 800 g N/m3 to pots containing sand, and composted pinebark and hardwood sawdust medium that had received nutrient amendment during formulation. Two experiments were conducted in a glasshouse over summer–autumn where irrigation treatments produced defined leachate volumes. In Expt 1, leachate volumes of <5, 50, and 200 mL every 2 days each received an additional single heavy leaching event of 400 mL after 1, 2, or 3 weeks. In Expt 2, the 3 leachate volumes were each fertilised with new Osm (a newly purchased Osm) or old Osm (a 2-year-old source), where both of these sources contained 0.5–1.5% visibly damaged prills; and damaged Osm, where damaged prills were used exclusively. In both experiments, increasing leachate volume increased (P < 0.001) leaching of N (nitrate + ammonium), P, K, Ca, and Mg. In Expt 1, leaching was highest (P < 0.01) when the heavy leaching event occurred after 2 or 3 weeks for N and after 2 weeks for P. When damaged Osm was used, N, P, and K loss was 3–15 times higher (P < 0.001) than from new and old Osm (98.5–99.5% undamaged). The highest leaching loss of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg occurred in the first week after potting up, with damaged prills at highest leaching volume. Increasing leachate volume (in the presence of a heavy leaching event) reduced (P < 0.001) electrical conductivity (EC) of potting medium after 4 weeks from 1.02 to 0.54 dS/m. Damaged prills reduced (P < 0.001) EC at the high leachate volume in relation to new Osm (2.38 v. 0.29 dS/m). Treatments that increased (P < 0.05) nutrient leaching generally reduced (P < 0.05) nutrient concentrations in shoots and depressed the growth of some plant species. Shoot growth of 2 of 5 species was reduced (P < 0.001) at the highest leachate volume with an additional heavy leaching event in Week 1 or 2, and root growth of all but the slowest growing species declined with increasing leachate volume. Damaged prills reduced (P < 0.001) shoot growth of 2 of the 5 ground-cover species. This study demonstrated that excessive leaching and the use of damaged prills for containerised nursery plants fertilised with CRF results in high nutrient loss, low residual nutrient content, reduced nutrient uptake in shoots, and reduced shoot growth of some species.

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The effect of season, stage of plant growth and leaf position on nutrient concentration in banana leaves on a krasnozem in New South Wales

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1071/ea9740112 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 14 (66) ◽

pp. 112 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

DW Turner ◽

B Barkus

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Nutrient Concentration ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Leaf Position ◽

Leaf Analysis ◽

South Wales ◽

Banana Leaves ◽

Cu And Zn

At Alstonville, New South Wales, leaf position had a greater effect than season on the nutrient concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mn, Cu, and Zn in the laminae of Williams bananas growing on a krasnozem soil and sampled over a 4-year period. However, season was more important for Mg. The effect of stage of plant growth was significant but much smaller than the other influences. When sampling for leaf analysis, leaf position and plant age can be standardised, but a major problem in this investigation was unpredictable, significant changes in nutrient composition from one sampling date to another. If these results are true for other soils. the data do not allow critical levels to be applied.

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