Elevation Alone Alters Leaf N and Leaf C to N Ratio of Picea crassifolia Kom. in China’s Qilian Mountains

Leaf stoichiometry of plants can respond to variation in environments such as elevation ranging from low to high and success in establishing itself in a given montane ecosystem. An evaluation of the leaf stoichiometry of Qinghai Spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) growing at different elevations (2400 m, 2600 m, 2800 m, 3000 m, and 3200 m) in eastern China’s Qilian Mountains, showed that leaf carbon (LC) and leaf phosphorus (LP) were similar among elevations, with ranges of 502.76–518.02 g·kg−1, and 1.00–1.43 g·kg−1, respectively. Leaf nitrogen (LN) varied with changes of elevation, with a maxima of 12.82 g·kg−1 at 2600 m and a minima of 10.74 g·kg−1 at 2800 m. The LC:LN under 2400 m and 2600 m was lower than that under other elevations, while LC:LP and LN:LP were not different among these elevations. Except for LN and LC:LN, P. crassifolia’s other leaf stoichiometries remained relatively stable across elevations, partly supporting the homeostasis hypothesis. Variations in leaf stoichiometry across elevations were mainly linked to mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, soil pH, and the soil organic C to soil total N ratio. P. crassifolia growth within the study area was more susceptible to P limitation.

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Precipitation Controls on Soil Biogeochemical and Microbial Community Composition in Rainfed Agricultural Systems in Tropical Drylands

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132111848 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 11848

Author(s):

Thalita F. Abbruzzini ◽

Morena Avitia ◽

Karen Carrasco-Espinosa ◽

Víctor Peña ◽

Alberto Barrón-Sandoval ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Diversity ◽

Mean Annual Precipitation ◽

Central Mexico ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Rainfed Agriculture ◽

Soil Microbial Diversity ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Total N ◽

Organic C ◽

P Limitation

The current and expected expansion of agriculture in the drylands of Mexico, together with the decrease in precipitation occurring in the country, likely affect ecosystem processes and will bring great challenges for the suitability of rainfed agriculture for smallholder farmers. Here, we assessed metrics of the soil C, N, and P cycles, as well as soil microbial diversity, under rainfed maize and common bean cropping in arid and semiarid regions of central Mexico. The soil enzymatic vector angles of cultivated plots in both regions were above 45°, suggesting P limitation for microbial growth and crop productivity. Although changes were not observed in the intensity of this P-limitation with aridity, we found a negative effect of drought increase on the concentration of soil organic C and total N, with consequences for the C, N, and P balance in soils. Increasing aridity leads to the homogenization of microbial diversity. Considering a scenario in which decreases in mean annual precipitation would uncouple the biogeochemical cycles and homogenize soil biodiversity, the ecological implications could be an increase in the vulnerability of agricultural ecosystems to drought, with negative consequences for the suitability of rainfed agriculture in the drylands of central Mexico.

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Leaf Stoichiometry of Potentilla Fruticosa Across Elevations Ranging from 2400 m to 3800 m in China’s Qilian Mountains (Northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-409649/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wei Liu ◽

yanyan Qin ◽

Zhang Xiaofang ◽

Jan F. Adamowski ◽

Asim Biswas

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Leaf Nitrogen ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Organic C ◽

Potentilla Fruticosa ◽

Sparse Vegetation ◽

P Loss ◽

Leaf Stoichiometry ◽

High Precipitation

Abstract Background: Plant species have developed their individual leaf stoichiometries to adapt to changes in the environment. Changes in plant leaf stoichiometry with elevation are largely undocumented, but could provide information critical to protecting or enhancing a species’ growth and development and manage the ecosystem housing it. We investigate the leaf stoichiometry of Potentilla fruticosa L. along with different elevations in China’s Qilian mountains (Northeast Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau). This study aims to reveal how elevations effect of the leaf stoichiometry of Potentilla fruticosa L. along with various soil properties in China’s Qilian mountains .Results: In our study, we selected seven elevations 2,400 m, 2,600 m, 2,800 m, 3,000 m, 3,200 m, 3,500 m, and 3,800 m elevation. We sampled leaves at top and middle of P. fruticosa from each of seven elevations. Maximum and minimum leaf carbon (C) concentrations ([C]leaf) of 523.59 g kg-1 and 402.56 g kg-1 were measured at 2,600 m and 3,500 m, respectively. Showing a generally increasing trend with elevation, leaf nitrogen (N) concentration ([N]leaf) peaked at 3,500 m (27.33 g kg-1). Leaf phosphorus (P) concentration ([P]leaf) varied slightly over elevations of 2,400 m to 3,200 m, then dropped to a minimum (0.60 g kg-1) at 3800 m. While [C]leaf:[N]leaf, [C]leaf:[P]leaf and [N]leaf:[P]leaf varied little between 2,400 m and 3,000 m, at higher elevations they fluctuated somewhat, the latter two showing a decrease at 3,200 m followed by an increase at higher elevations. The soil organic C, pH, and soil total P were the main factors influencing P. fruticosa leaf stoichiometry. The limiting nutrients were P. Conclusions: We highlight the dependency of leaf stoichiometry on slope aspect and elevation. As P. fruticosa is a major alpine shrub in this region and plays an important role in maintaining ecological functions and services on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, measures should be adopted to improve P. fruticosa growth by preventing P loss, especially at higher elevations where significant P losses occur due to high precipitation and sparse vegetation.

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A study of the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) in Qilian Mountains

Acta Ecologica Sinica ◽

10.1016/j.chnaes.2009.09.004 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 278-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Zhonglin Xu ◽

Chuanyan Zhao ◽

Zhaodong Feng

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Potential Distribution ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Picea Crassifolia ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

The Impact ◽

Qinghai Spruce

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Regional and Local Moisture Gradients Drive the Resistance to and Recovery from Drought of Picea crassifolia Kom. in the Qilian Mountains, Northwest China

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10090817 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 817 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lingnan Zhang ◽

Hui Li ◽

Yilin Ran ◽

Keyi Wang ◽

Xiaomin Zeng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radial Growth ◽

Northwest China ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Mean Annual Temperature ◽

Western Region ◽

Drought Event ◽

Eastern Region ◽

Picea Crassifolia ◽

The Western Region ◽

The Qilian Mountains

Increasing evidence suggests that extreme droughts cause more frequent tree growth reduction. To understand the consequences of these droughts better, this study used tree-ring cores from nine sites to investigate how moisture and altitudinal gradients affect the radial growth of Picea crassifolia Kom., a common species in the Qilian Mountains in northwest China. The total annual precipitation and mean annual temperature in the eastern region were higher than those in the western region of the Qilian Mountains. The trees in the eastern region showed stronger resistance to drought than those in the west, as they had a smaller difference in radial growth between drought disturbance and pre-drought disturbance. At the same time, the trees in the east showed weaker ability to recover from drought, as they had a subtle difference in radial growth between post-drought disturbance and drought disturbance. Furthermore, the trees in the east also showed weaker relative resilience to drought, as they had a small difference in radial growth between post-drought and drought disturbance weighted by growth in pre-drought disturbance. For trees below 3000 m a.s.l., trees with high resistance capacity usually had low recovery capacity and low relative resilience capacity. Trees at higher altitudes also showed stronger resistance to drought and weaker ability to recover from drought after a drought event than those at lower altitudes in the middle of the Qilian Mountains. Trees at lower altitudes in the middle of the Qilian Mountains had more difficulties recovering from more severe and longer drought events. In the context of global warming, trees in the western region and at lower altitudes should be given special attention and protection in forest management to enhance their resistance to extreme droughts.

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