Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1028-1039 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.056

Photosynthesis and nutrient-use efficiency in response to N and P addition in three dominant grassland species on the semiarid Loess Plateau

Z.F. CHEN1, P.F. XIONG1,2, J.J. ZHOU1, S.B. LAI1, C.X. JIAN1, Z. WANG1,3, B.C. XU1,3
1 State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, 712100 Yangling, Shaanxi, China
2 School of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036 Hefei, Anhui, China
3 Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, 712100 Yangling, Shaanxi, China

Understanding the ecophysiological and nutrient-use strategies of dominant species is important for clarifying plant growth and an ecological process in their community under unbalanced N and P inputs. This study investigated effects of N and P addition [main plot: 0, 25, 50, and 100 kg(N) ha-1 year-1; subplot: 0, 20, 40, and 80 kg(P) ha-1 year-1] on leaf N and P contents (LNCa and LPCa), photosynthetic capacity (PNmax) and photosynthetic N- and P-use efficiencies (PNUE and PPUE) in three species (Stipa bungeana, Bothriochloa ischaemum, and Lespedeza davurica) in a semiarid grassland in China. At the assessing time, N addition alone significantly increased LNCa and LNCa/LPCa ratio of Stipa bungeana (C3 grass) only, while PNmax increased significantly in all three species. Under N addition, P addition caused significantly lower LNCa, but higher PNUE and PNmax in Bothriochloa ischaemum (C4 grass) and Stipa bungeana. The LNCa, PNmax, and PNUE of Lespedeza davurica (C3 legume) increased significantly after P addition regardless of N application. The LNCa/LPCa for optimum PNUE changed with species. The PNmax and PNUE of Bothriochloa ischaemum and Stipa bungeana had a peak when LNCa/LPCa attained ~ 11 and ~ 20. Lespedeza davurica tended to retain greater PNmax and PNUE at lower LNCa/LPCa. Our results indicated that the C3 grass was more sensitive to N and P addition than the C4 grass and the C3 legume in terms of leaf N and P contents and PNmax. Such interspecific variations of nutrient use in response to N and/or P addition are favorable for maintaining the diversity and the stability of the grassland community.

Additional key words: ecological adaptation; function groups; leaf traits; nutrient addition.

Received: April 16, 2020; Revised: July 1, 2020; Accepted: July 17, 2020; Prepublished online: August 4, 2020; Published: September 4, 2020  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
CHEN, Z.F., XIONG, P.F., ZHOU, J.J., LAI, S.B., JIAN, C.X., WANG, Z., & XU, B.C. (2020). Photosynthesis and nutrient-use efficiency in response to N and P addition in three dominant grassland species on the semiarid Loess Plateau. Photosynthetica, 58(4), 1028-1039. doi: 10.32615/ps.2020.056
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Alkaraki G.N., McMichael B., Zak J.C.: Field response of wheat to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and drought stress. - Mycorrhiza 14: 263-269, 2004. Go to original source...
    2. Augusto L., Delerue F., Gallet-Budynek A., Achat D.L.: Global assessment of limitation to symbiotic nitrogen fixation by phosphorus availability in terrestrial ecosystems using a meta-analysis approach. - Global Biogeochem. Cy. 27: 804-815, 2013. Go to original source...
    3. Bubier J.L., Smith R., Juutinen S. et al.: Effects of nutrient addition on leaf chemistry, morphology, and photosynthetic capacity of three bog shrubs. - Oecologia 167: 355-368, 2011. Go to original source...
    4. Chaudhary M.I., Adu-Gyamfi J.J., Saneoka H. et al.: The effect of phosphorus deficiency on nutrient uptake, nitrogen fixation and photosynthetic rate in mashbean, mungbean and soybean. - Acta Physiol. Plant. 30: 537-544, 2008. Go to original source...
    5. Chen S.P., Bai Y.F., Zhang L.X., Han X.G.: Comparing physiological responses of two dominant grass species to nitrogen addition in Xilin River Basin of China. - Environ. Exp. Bot. 53: 65-75, 2005. Go to original source...
    6. Chen Z.F., Xiong P.F., Zhou J.J. et al.: Grassland productivity and diversity changes in responses to N and P addition depend primarily on tall clonal and annual species in semiarid Loess Plateau. - Ecol. Eng. 145: 105727, 2020. Go to original source...
    7. Cui Y.X., Fang L.C., Guo X.B. et al.: Natural grassland as the optimal pattern of vegetation restoration in arid and semi-arid regions: evidence from nutrient limitation of soil microbes. - Sci. Total Environ. 648: 388-397, 2019. Go to original source...
    8. dos Santos M.G., Ribeiro R.V., de Oliveira R.F., Pimentel C.: Gas exchange and yield response to foliar phosphorus application in Phaseolus vulgaris L. under drought. - Braz. J. Plant Physiol. 16: 171-179, 2004.
    9. Evans J.R., Poorter H.: Photosynthetic acclimation of plants to growth irradiance: the relative importance of specific leaf area and nitrogen partitioning in maximizing carbon gain. - Plant Cell Environ. 24: 755-767, 2001. Go to original source...
    10. FAO ISRIC: ISRIC Report 1988/01: Revised Legend of the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World. Pp. 110. FAO, Rome 1988.
    11. Feng Y.L., Fu G.L., Zheng Y.L.: Specific leaf area relates to the differences in leaf construction cost, photosynthesis, nitrogen allocation, and use efficiencies between invasive and noninvasive alien congeners. - Planta 228: 383-390, 2008. Go to original source...
    12. Gang C.C., Zhao W., Zhao T. et al.: The impacts of land conversion and management measures on the grassland net primary productivity over the Loess Plateau, Northern China. - Sci. Total Environ. 645: 827-836, 2018. Go to original source...
    13. Ghannoum O., Evans J.R., Chow W.S. et al.: Faster Rubisco is the key to superior nitrogen-use efficiency in NADP-malic enzyme relative to NAD-malic enzyme C4 grasses. - Plant Physiol. 137: 638-650, 2005. Go to original source...
    14. Hikosaka K.: Interspecific difference in the photosynthesis-nitrogen relationship: patterns, physiological causes, and ecological importance. - J. Plant Res. 117: 481-494, 2004. Go to original source...
    15. Kattge J., Knorr W., Raddatz T., Wirth C.: Quantifying photosynthetic capacity and its relationship to leaf nitrogen content for global-scale terrestrial biosphere models. - Glob. Change Biol. 15: 976-991, 2009. Go to original source...
    16. Li Y., Niu S.L., Yu G.R.: Aggravated phosphorus limitation on biomass production under increasing nitrogen loading: a meta-analysis. - Glob. Change Biol. 22: 934-943, 2016. Go to original source...
    17. Liang T., Tong Y., Xu W. et al.: Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Loess area of China. - Atmos. Pollut. Res. 7: 447-453, 2016. Go to original source...
    18. Liu C.G., Wang Y.J., Pan K.W. et al.: Effects of phosphorus application on photosynthetic carbon and nitrogen meta-bolism, water use efficiency and growth of dwarf bamboo (Fargesia rufa) subjected to water deficit. - Plant Physiol. Bioch. 96: 20-28, 2015. Go to original source...
    19. Ma J.Y., Sun W., Koteyeva N.K. et al.: Influence of light and nitrogen on the photosynthetic efficiency in the C4 plant Miscanthus × giganteus. - Photosynth. Res. 131: 1-13, 2017. Go to original source...
    20. Mao Q.G., Lu X.K., Mo H. et al.: Effects of simulated N deposition on foliar nutrient status, N metabolism and photosynthetic capacity of three dominant understory plant species in a mature tropical forest. - Sci. Total Environ. 610-611: 555-562, 2018. Go to original source...
    21. Messinger S.M., Buckley T.N., Mott K.A.: Evidence for involvement of photosynthetic processes in the stomatal response to CO2. - Plant Physiol. 140: 771-778, 2006. Go to original source...
    22. Naeem M., Khan M.M.A., Moinuddin et al.: Phosphorus ameliorates crop productivity, photosynthetic efficiency, nitrogen-fixation, activities of the enzymes and content of nutraceuticals of Lablab purpureus L. - Sci. Hortic.-Amsterdam 126: 205-214, 2010. Go to original source...
    23. Niu F., Duan D., Chen J. et al.: Eco-physiological responses of dominant species to watering in a natural grassland community on the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. - Front. Plant Sci. 7: 663, 2016. Go to original source...
    24. Peñuelas J., Poulter B., Sardans J. et al.: Human-induced nitrogen-phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe. - Nat. Commun. 4: 2934, 2013. Go to original source...
    25. Rawnsley R.P., Smith A.P., Christie K.M. et al.: Current and future direction of nitrogen fertilizer use in Australian grazing systems. - Crop Pasture Sci. 70: 1034-1043, 2019. Go to original source...
    26. Regus J.U., Wendlandt C.E., Bantay R.M. et al.: Nitrogen deposition decreases the benefits of symbiosis in a native legume. - Plant Soil 414: 159-170, 2017. Go to original source...
    27. Reich P.B., Oleksyn J., Wright I.J.: Leaf phosphorus influences the photosynthesis-nitrogen relation: a cross-biome analysis of 314 species. - Oecologia 160: 207-212, 2009. Go to original source...
    28. Reynolds H.L., Hartley A.E., Vogelsang K.M. et al.: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi do not enhance nitrogen acquisition and growth of old-field perennials under low nitrogen supply in glasshouse culture. - New Phytol. 167: 869-880, 2005. Go to original source...
    29. Sage R.F., Pearcy R.W.: The nitrogen use efficiency of C3 and C4 plants: I. Leaf nitrogen, growth, and biomass partitioning in Chenopodium album (L.) and Amaranthus retroflexus (L.). - Plant Physiol. 84: 954-958, 1987. Go to original source...
    30. Sandral G.A., Price A., Hildebrand S.M. et al.: Field benchmarking of the critical external phosphorus requirements of pasture legumes for southern Australia. - Crop Pasture Sci. 70: 1080-1096, 2019. Go to original source...
    31. Shangguan Z.P., Shao M.A., Dyckmans J.: Nitrogen nutrition and water stress effects on leaf photosynthetic gas exchange and water use efficiency in winter wheat. - Environ. Exp. Bot. 44: 141-149, 2000. Go to original source...
    32. ter Braak C.J.F., Smilauer P.: Canoco Reference Manual and User's Guide: Software for Ordination, Version 5.0. Pp. 496. Microcomputer Power, Ithaca 2012.
    33. Xiong D., Liu X., Liu L. et al.: Rapid responses of mesophyll conductance to changes of CO2 concentration, temperature and irradiance are affected by N supplements in rice. - Plant Cell Environ. 38: 2541-2550, 2015. Go to original source...
    34. Xiong P., Shu J., Zhang H. et al.: Small rainfall pulses affected leaf photosynthesis rather than biomass production of dominant species in semiarid grassland community on Loess Plateau of China. - Funct. Plant Biol. 44: 1229-1242, 2017. Go to original source...
    35. Xu B.C., Gao Z.J., Wang J. et al.: N:P ratio of the grass Bothriochloa ischaemum mixed with the legume Lespedeza davurica under varying water and fertilizer supplies. - Plant Soil 400: 67-79, 2016. Go to original source...
    36. Xu B.C., Xu W.Z., Wang Z. et al.: Accumulation of N and P in the legume Lespedeza davurica in controlled mixtures with the grass Bothriochloa ischaemum under varying water and fertilization conditions. - Front. Plant Sci. 9: 165, 2018. Go to original source...
    37. Xu W.Z., Deng X.P., Xu B.C.: Effects of water stress and fertilization on leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic light-response curves of Bothriochloa ischaemum L. - Photosynthetica 51: 603-612, 2013. Go to original source...
    38. Xu Z.W., Ren H.Y., Li M.H. et al.: Environmental changes drive the temporal stability of semi-arid natural grasslands through altering species asynchrony. - J. Ecol. 103: 1308-1316, 2015. Go to original source...
    39. Ye Z.P.: A new model for relationship between irradiance and the rate of photosynthesis in Oryza sativa. - Photosynthetica 45: 637-640, 2007. Go to original source...
    40. Yu Q., Zhang Y.Q., Liu Y.F., Shi P.L.: Simulation of the stomatal conductance of winter wheat in response to light, temperature and CO2 changes. - Ann. Bot.-London 93: 435-441, 2004. Go to original source...
    41. Zhao W., Zhang R., Huang C.Q. et al.: Effect of different vegetation cover on the vertical distribution of soil organic and inorganic carbon in the Zhifanggou Watershed on the Loess Plateau. - Catena 139: 191-198, 2016. Go to original source...

    Return to the content