Trait–Abundance Relationships of Annual Ephemerals in Response to Nitrogen Addition in Gurbantunggut Desert

Understanding the effect of nitrogen addition on species trait–abundance relationships is one of the central focuses of community ecology and can offer us insights into the mechanisms of community assembly under atmospheric nitrogen deposition. However, few studies have focused on desert ecosystems. In this study, we measured the abundance and ecological stoichiometric traits, leaf carbon content (LCC), nitrogen content (LNC), and phosphorus content (LPC) for all annual ephemerals in all plots subjected to nitrogen addition in early spring in Gurbantunggut Desert, northern Xinjiang, China. We found a significant relationship between traits (LNC, N:P, and C:N) and abundance, indicating that ecological stoichiometry is a good proxy for explaining and predicting species abundance. We further found that significant trait–abundance relationships still existed under different nitrogen addition levels. The result suggests that trait-based niche-assembly theory plays an important role in determining species abundance under atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

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Effects of Long-Term Nitrogen Addition and Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition on Carbon Accumulation in Picea sitchensis Plantations

Ecosystems ◽

10.1007/s10021-013-9685-9 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. 1310-1324 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tiziana Gentilesca ◽

Massimo Vieno ◽

Michael P. Perks ◽

Marco Borghetti ◽

Maurizio Mencuccini

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Nitrogen Addition ◽

Picea Sitchensis ◽

Carbon Accumulation ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen

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Life history responses of two ephemeral plant species to increased precipitation and nitrogen in the Gurbantunggut Desert

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6158 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e6158 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yanfeng Chen ◽

Lingwei Zhang ◽

Xiang Shi ◽

Huiliang Liu ◽

Daoyuan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Plant Species ◽

Ecological Niche ◽

Germination Percentage ◽

Gurbantunggut Desert ◽

Desert Ecosystems ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Ephemeral Plant ◽

Gurbantünggüt Desert

Precipitation change and nitrogen deposition are not only hot topics of current global change but also the main environmental factors affecting plant growth in desert ecosystems. Thus, we performed an experiment of increased precipitation, nitrogen, and precipitation plus nitrogen on the ephemeral annual species Nepeta micrantha and Eremopyrum distans in the Gurbantunggut Desert. We aimed to determine the life history responses of N. micrantha and E. distans to environment changes, and the germination percentage of the offspring (seeds) was also tested in the laboratory. The results showed that increased nitrogen and precipitation plus nitrogen increased the growth of both plant species, whereas increased precipitation inhibited the growth of N. micrantha but increased the growth of E. distans. This differential response of these two species to precipitation and nitrogen also affected the germination of their offspring. In response to increased nitrogen and precipitation plus nitrogen, the germination percentage of the offspring produced by two species decreased in conjunction with the plants exhibiting high reproduction, which may prevent overcrowding during the following year; however, the N. micrantha plants produced more nondormant offspring in conjunction with low reproduction under relatively greater amounts of precipitation, and N. micrantha offspring could occupy their habitat via rapid germination in suitable environments. Therefore, with increased precipitation and nitrogen deposition, these differences in offspring dormancy may affect their ecological niche in the community.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Increasing N abundance in the northwestern Pacific Ocean due to atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.13340014.14707136 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

James Elser

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Northwestern Pacific ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen ◽

Northwestern Pacific Ocean

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Atmospheric nitrogen deposition and its environmental implications at a headwater catchment of Taihu Lake Basin, China

Atmospheric Research ◽

10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105566 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 256 ◽

pp. 105566

Author(s):

Jianwei Geng ◽

Hengpeng Li ◽

Dongqiang Chen ◽

Xiaofei Nei ◽

Yaqin Diao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Taihu Lake ◽

Lake Basin ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen ◽

Environmental Implications ◽

Taihu Lake Basin ◽

Headwater Catchment

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Selecting Biomonitors of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition: Guidelines for Practitioners and Decision Makers

Nitrogen ◽

10.3390/nitrogen2030021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 308-320

Author(s):

D. Nayeli Martínez ◽

Edison A. Díaz-Álvarez ◽

Erick de la Barrera

Keyword(s):

Environmental Pollution ◽

Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition ◽

Atmospheric Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Emissions ◽

Vascular Epiphytes ◽

Ecophysiological Response

Environmental pollution is a major threat to public health and is the cause of important economic losses worldwide. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the most significant components of environmental pollution, which, in addition to being a health risk, is one of the leading drivers of global biodiversity loss. However, monitoring pollution is not possible in many regions of the world because the instrumentation, deployment, operation, and maintenance of automated systems is onerous. An affordable alternative is the use of biomonitors, naturally occurring or transplanted organisms that respond to environmental pollution with a consistent and measurable ecophysiological response. This policy brief advocates for the use of biomonitors of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Descriptions of the biological and monitoring particularities of commonly utilized biomonitor lichens, bryophytes, vascular epiphytes, herbs, and woody plants, are followed by a discussion of the principal ecophysiological parameters that have been shown to respond to the different nitrogen emissions and their rate of deposition.

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