Dataset Information

Variations in foliar carbon:nitrogen and nitrogen:phosphorus ratios under global change: a meta-analysis of experimental field studies.

ABSTRACT: Foliar-level stoichiometry plays an important role in ecosystem elemental cycling. Shifts in foliar ratios of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) and nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) in response to global change can therefore have a large impact upon ecosystem function. We conducted a meta-analysis with 2,236 paired observations from 123 published studies to investigate the responses of foliar C:N and N:P ratios to experimental global change treatments, i.e. warming, increased precipitation, drought, N addition and elevated carbon dioxide concentration (eCO₂), in field conditions. Foliar C:N and N:P ratios were neither affected by warming nor by increased precipitation. Foliar C:N ratio increased with drought and eCO₂, and decreased with N addition. Foliar N:P ratios declined with eCO₂, and increased under drought and N addition. Our results suggested the responses of the C:N ratio to global change were mainly related to shifts in foliar [N], whereas changes in the N:P ratio were related to the responses of both [N] and [P]. Moreover, the response magnitude of foliar N:P ratio decreased with treatment duration under increased precipitation, N addition and eCO₂. Our findings are important for our understanding of plant nutrient dynamic and modeling of nutrient biogeochemistry under global change.

SUBMITTER: Xu S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7376191 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Variations in foliar carbon:nitrogen and nitrogen:phosphorus ratios under global change: a meta-analysis of experimental field studies.

Xu Shan S Sardans Jordi J Zhang Jinlong J Peñuelas Josep J

Scientific reports 20200722 1

Foliar-level stoichiometry plays an important role in ecosystem elemental cycling. Shifts in foliar ratios of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) and nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) in response to global change can therefore have a large impact upon ecosystem function. We conducted a meta-analysis with 2,236 paired observations from 123 published studies to investigate the responses of foliar C:N and N:P ratios to experimental global change treatments, i.e. warming, increased precipitation, drought, N additio ...[more]

PMID: 32699217

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Project description:Maintaining stability of ecosystem functions in the face of global change calls for a better understanding regulatory factors of functionally specialized microbial groups and their population response to disturbance. In this study, we explored this issue by collecting soils from 54 managed ecosystems in China and conducting a microcosm experiment to link disturbance, elemental stoichiometry, and genetic resistance. Soil carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry imparted a greater effect on the abundance of microbial groups associated with main C, N, and P biogeochemical processes in comparison with mean annual temperature and precipitation. Nitrogen cycling genes, including bacterial amoA-b, nirS, narG, and norB, exhibited the highest genetic resistance to N deposition. The amoA-a and nosZ genes exhibited the highest resistance to warming and drying-wetting cycles, respectively. Soil total C, N, and P contents and their ratios had a strong direct effect on the genetic resistance of microbial groups, which was dependent on mean annual temperature and precipitation. Specifically, soil C/P ratio was the main predictor of N cycling genetic resistance to N deposition. Soil total C and N contents and their ratios were the main predictors of P cycling genetic resistance to N deposition, warming, and drying-wetting. Overall, our work highlights the importance of soil stoichiometric balance for maintaining the ability of ecosystem functions to withstand global change.IMPORTANCE To be effective in predicting future stability of soil functions in the context of various external disturbances, it is necessary to follow the effects of global change on functionally specialized microbes related to C and nutrient cycling. Our study represents an exploratory effort to couple the stoichiometric drivers to microbial populations related with main C, N, and P cycling and their resistances to global change. The abundance of microbial groups involved in cellulose, starch, and xylan degradation, nitrification, N fixation, denitrification, organic P mineralization, and inorganic P dissolution showed a high stoichiometry dependency. Resistance of these microbial populations to global change could be predicted by soil C:N:P stoichiometry. Our work highlights that stoichiometric balance in soil C and nutrients is instrumental in maintaining the stability and adaptability of ecosystem functions under global change.

Dataset Information

Variations in foliar carbon:nitrogen and nitrogen:phosphorus ratios under global change: a meta-analysis of experimental field studies.

Publications

Variations in foliar carbon:nitrogen and nitrogen:phosphorus ratios under global change: a meta-analysis of experimental field studies.

Similar Datasets

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