Journal
PLANT AND SOIL
Volume 383, Issue 1-2, Pages 415-426Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11104-014-2216-4
Keywords
Alpine meadow; Climate change; Cushion plant; Cmineralization; Litter decomposition; N mineralization; Nutrient cycling; Tibetan Plateau
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Funding
- National Key Projects for Basic Research of China [2010CB951704, 2010CB833501]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [30700080, 31070391]
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We evaluated the effects of temperature and addition of leaf litter of Androsace tapete MaximWe-a dominant cushion plant species of alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau-on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization, microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN). A laboratory incubation experiment with and without cushion plant litter addition was conducted for 112 days at three temperature regimes (-1, 5 and 11 A degrees C). C and net N mineralization were simultaneously measured during the incubation period. C and N mineralization were affected by interactions between litter addition and temperature. Litter addition increased C mineralization and MBN but shifted N mineralization to immobilization at higher temperature. The positive relationship between net N mineralization and MBC and MBN was shifted to a negative one through cushion plant litter addition. Cushion plant litter also changed the relationship between C mineralization and net N mineralization from insignificantly positive to significantly negative. These findings indicate that low temperature in winter could be important for alpine plants because low temperature can increase net N mineralization and supply plants with available N for their growth in the early growing season. During the growing season, climate warming-either directly through a temperature effect or indirectly through triggering increased cushion plant litter production-might lead to stronger competition for N between alpine plants and microorganisms.
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