Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra
Fertilizer experiments aid understanding of the role of nutrient limitation in tundra ecosystems, and of the effects that global change may exert on them through enhancing nutrient availability. However, little is known about whether fertilizer additions influence tundra ecosystem properties directl...
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crwiley:10.1890/12-0948.1 2024-09-09T19:59:47+00:00 Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Jäderlund, Anders Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/12-0948.1 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1890%2F12-0948.1 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1890/12-0948.1 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ecology volume 94, issue 4, page 904-919 ISSN 0012-9658 1939-9170 journal-article 2013 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1890/12-0948.1 2024-06-18T04:12:28Z Fertilizer experiments aid understanding of the role of nutrient limitation in tundra ecosystems, and of the effects that global change may exert on them through enhancing nutrient availability. However, little is known about whether fertilizer additions influence tundra ecosystem properties directly, or indirectly through altering plant community composition. To separate these direct and indirect effects, we used an ongoing fertilization experiment in subalpine tundra in northern Sweden initiated in 1989. Here, the slow‐growing dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum (hereafter Empetrum ) dominates, but fertilization causes its replacement by the fast‐growing grass Deschampsia flexuosa (hereafter Deschampsia ). Therefore, in 1999, we set up three subplots in every plot of the fertilizer experiment subjected to different treatments, i.e., regular removal of Empetrum or of Deschampsia , or no removal. An interactive effect between fertilizer and removal treatments means that fertilization indirectly influences ecological properties through its effects on the dominant species whereas no interactive effect means that fertilization effects are more likely direct. We measured plant community properties four times between 1999 and 2010, and belowground properties in 2010. Fertilization exerted large effects on nearly all variables aboveground (i.e., vascular plant community properties, bryophyte and lichen cover) and belowground (i.e., measures of nutrient availability, mass of humus and major elements per area, microbial community properties). Meanwhile, loss of either Deschampsia or Empetrum reduced total vascular plant cover, with greatest effects in those fertilization treatments where they otherwise had the most mass. Deschampsia removal affected several other plant community properties, but mostly independently of fertilizer treatment; Empetrum removal had little effect on any other plant community variable. Belowground, both removal treatments reduced humus mass per area but had no effect on any other variable. Our ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Northern Sweden Tundra Wiley Online Library Ecology 94 4 904 919 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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English |
description |
Fertilizer experiments aid understanding of the role of nutrient limitation in tundra ecosystems, and of the effects that global change may exert on them through enhancing nutrient availability. However, little is known about whether fertilizer additions influence tundra ecosystem properties directly, or indirectly through altering plant community composition. To separate these direct and indirect effects, we used an ongoing fertilization experiment in subalpine tundra in northern Sweden initiated in 1989. Here, the slow‐growing dwarf shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum (hereafter Empetrum ) dominates, but fertilization causes its replacement by the fast‐growing grass Deschampsia flexuosa (hereafter Deschampsia ). Therefore, in 1999, we set up three subplots in every plot of the fertilizer experiment subjected to different treatments, i.e., regular removal of Empetrum or of Deschampsia , or no removal. An interactive effect between fertilizer and removal treatments means that fertilization indirectly influences ecological properties through its effects on the dominant species whereas no interactive effect means that fertilization effects are more likely direct. We measured plant community properties four times between 1999 and 2010, and belowground properties in 2010. Fertilization exerted large effects on nearly all variables aboveground (i.e., vascular plant community properties, bryophyte and lichen cover) and belowground (i.e., measures of nutrient availability, mass of humus and major elements per area, microbial community properties). Meanwhile, loss of either Deschampsia or Empetrum reduced total vascular plant cover, with greatest effects in those fertilization treatments where they otherwise had the most mass. Deschampsia removal affected several other plant community properties, but mostly independently of fertilizer treatment; Empetrum removal had little effect on any other plant community variable. Belowground, both removal treatments reduced humus mass per area but had no effect on any other variable. Our ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Jäderlund, Anders Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte |
spellingShingle |
Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Jäderlund, Anders Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
author_facet |
Wardle, David A. Gundale, Michael J. Jäderlund, Anders Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte |
author_sort |
Wardle, David A. |
title |
Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
title_short |
Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
title_full |
Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
title_fullStr |
Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
title_full_unstemmed |
Decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
title_sort |
decoupled long‐term effects of nutrient enrichment on aboveground and belowground properties in subalpine tundra |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/12-0948.1 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1890%2F12-0948.1 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1890/12-0948.1 |
genre |
Northern Sweden Tundra |
genre_facet |
Northern Sweden Tundra |
op_source |
Ecology volume 94, issue 4, page 904-919 ISSN 0012-9658 1939-9170 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1890/12-0948.1 |
container_title |
Ecology |
container_volume |
94 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
904 |
op_container_end_page |
919 |
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1809930854888112128 |