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Temporal stability and maintenance mechanisms of alpine meadow communities under clipping and fertilization


ABSTRACT: Abstract Negative effects of long‐term overgrazing have been seriously, grasslands temporal stability is an important ecological concern we need to research. Here, we performed a 12‐year‐long (2007–2018) two‐factor controlled experiment on Kobresia humilis meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. The manipulations included three clipping levels (no clipping, NC; moderate clipping, MC; heavy clipping, HC) and two fertilization levels (no fertilization, NF; fertilization, F). Our results revealed that the two clipping manipulations significantly increased the temporal stability of alpine meadow communities, whose significant increase was more pronounced under the MC than HC treatment. Species asynchrony had a significant positive correlation with species abundance along with compound community gradient. Moreover, asynchrony effects, portfolio effects, and facilitation interactions were all present in the communities under the six types of experimental treatment combinations. Additionally, a selection effect was detected in the compound communities, demonstrating characteristics that are common to different mechanisms. There were no significant differences in the effects of these mechanisms on community temporal stability between the NC–NF and MC–NF interactive communities. The portfolio effects predominated when clipping intensity was moderate under both fertilization and nonfertilization conditions. By contrast, in the compound communities, the selection effect predominated. In summary, we conclude that in meadow communities that undergo clipping and fertilization disturbances, facilitation interactions and weak interactions make a greater contribution toward maintaining their temporal stability. Under six experimental conditions of clipping and fertilization levels, we found that fertilization, as well as heavy and especially moderate clipping intensity, significantly increased the temporal stability of K. humilis. Asynchrony effects, portfolio effects, and facilitation interactions were all present under the six experimental treatment conditions in this study. Clipping mainly increased community temporal stability via the asynchrony effect, whereas this increase under fertilization treatment was mainly owing to facilitation and weak interactions.

SUBMITTER: Wang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8601914 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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