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Responses of plant biomass, photosynthesis and lipid peroxidation to warming and precipitation change in two dominant species (Stipa grandis and Leymus chinensis) from North China Grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Influential factors of global change affect plant carbon uptake and biomass simultaneously. Although the effects from warming and precipitation change have been extensive studied separately, the responses of plant biomass, photosynthesis, and lipid peroxidation to the interaction of these factors are still not fully understood. In this study, we examined the physiological responses of two dominant plant species from grasslands of northern China with different functional traits to combinations of five simulated warming patterns and five simulated precipitation patterns in environment-controlled chambers. Our results showed that the biomass, net CO 2 assimilation rate (P n), maximal efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry (F v/F m), and chlorophyll content (Chl) of Stipa grandis and Leymus chinensis were enhanced by moderate warming and plus precipitation, but they declined drastically with high temperature and drought. High temperature and drought also led to significant malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, which had a negative correlation with leaf biomass. The lower level of lipid peroxidation in leaves of S. grandis suggests that this species is better protected from oxidative damage under heat stress, drought stress and their interactive conditions than L. chinensis. Using the subordinate function values method, we found S. grandis to be more sensitive to climate change than L. chinensis and the gross biomass and root biomass of S. grandis and the leaf biomass of L. chinensis were most sensitive to climate change. Furthermore, the P n of both S. grandis and L. chinensis had a significant linear relationship with F v/F m and Chl, indicating that carbon assimilation may be caused by nonstomatal limitations.

SUBMITTER: Song X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4760990 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:In theory, changes in the amount of rainfall can change plant biomass allocation and subsequently influence coupled plant-soil microbial processes. However, testing patterns of combined responses of plants and soils remains a knowledge gap for terrestrial ecosystems. We carried out a comprehensive review of the available literature and conducted a meta-analysis to explore combined plant and soil microbial responses in grasslands exposed to experimental precipitation changes. We measured the effects of experimental precipitation changes on plant biomass, biomass allocation, and soil microbial biomass and tested for trade-offs between plant and soil responses to altered precipitation. We found that aboveground and belowground plant biomass responded asynchronically to precipitation changes, thereby leading to shifts in plant biomass allocation. Belowground plant biomass did not change under precipitation changes, but aboveground plant biomass decreased in precipitation reduction and increased in precipitation addition. There was a trade-off between responses of aboveground plant biomass and belowground plant biomass to precipitation reduction, but correlation wasn't found for precipitation addition. Microbial biomass carbon (C) did not change under the treatments of precipitation reduction. Increased root allocation may buffer drought stress for soil microbes through root exudations and neutralize microbial responses to precipitation reduction. However, precipitation addition increased microbial biomass C, potentially reflecting the removal of water limitation for soil microbial growth. We found that there were positive correlations between responses of aboveground plant biomass and microbial biomass C to precipitation addition, indicating that increased shoot growth probably promoted microbial responses via litter inputs. In sum, our study suggested that aboveground, belowground plant biomass and soil microbial biomass can respond asynchronically to precipitation changes, and emphasizes that testing the plant-soil system as a whole is necessary for forecasting the effects of precipitation changes on grassland systems.

Dataset Information

Responses of plant biomass, photosynthesis and lipid peroxidation to warming and precipitation change in two dominant species (Stipa grandis and Leymus chinensis) from North China Grasslands.

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