Impacts of drought and nitrogen addition on Calluna heathlands differ with plant life-history stage

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschung

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Impacts of drought and nitrogen addition on Calluna heathlands differ with plant life-history stage. / Meyer-Grünefeldt, Maren; Calvo, Leonor; Marcos, Elena et al.
in: Journal of Ecology, Jahrgang 103, Nr. 5, 09.2015, S. 1141-1152.

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschung

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Meyer-Grünefeldt M, Calvo L, Marcos E, Von Oheimb G, Härdtle W. Impacts of drought and nitrogen addition on Calluna heathlands differ with plant life-history stage. Journal of Ecology. 2015 Sep;103(5):1141-1152. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12446

Bibtex

@article{35adf4b3428a429890941a3006caa1f7,
title = "Impacts of drought and nitrogen addition on Calluna heathlands differ with plant life-history stage",
abstract = "Climate change and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) affect the biodiversity patterns and functions of ecosystems world-wide. While many single-factor studies have quantified ecosystem responses to single global change drivers, less is known about the interaction effects of these drivers on ecosystem functions. Here, we present the results of a three-year field and a two-year glasshouse experiment, in which we assessed responses of Calluna vulgaris heathlands to the single and combined effects of drought events (D) and N fertilization (D: 25% precipitation reduction in the field experiment and 20-50% soil water content reduction in the glasshouse experiment; N fertilization: 35 kg N ha-1 year-1). We examined the effects of D and N treatments on growth responses of the dominant dwarf shrub Calluna vulgaris (in terms of biomass production and allocation, tissue δ13C signatures and C:N ratios) in relation to two plant life-history stages and different 'ecotypes' (sub-Atlantic vs. subcontinental heathlands). Plant responses varied strongly with life-history stage, and the interaction of N and D showed lower effects than would be expected based on additive responses to single factors. While D treatments had no effects on Calluna in the building phase (ca. ten-year-old plants), seedlings (particularly one-year-old plants) were highly susceptible to drought. Differences in response patterns were attributable to the high shoot-root ratios typical of young Calluna plants. These ratios decreased with progressing life history as a result of increasing below-ground biomass investments. Below-ground biomass production and shoot-root ratios differed between plants from the different heathland sites. Tissue δ13C signatures decreased and C:N ratios increased with plant age as a result of decreasing evaporative demands (per unit root biomass). N fertilization increases the shoot-root ratios and thereby the drought susceptibility of Calluna plants. Synthesis. Our findings suggest that plant responses to global change are difficult to anticipate by means of single-factor studies or by focusing on a single life-history stage. This highlights the need for global change research to include multiple factors and life-history stages when assessing an ecosystem's susceptibility to shifts in environmental conditions.",
keywords = "Calluna vulgaris, Biomass allocation, Climate change, Drought, Nitrogen deposition, Plant-climate interactions, δ<sup>13</sup>C, Environmental planning",
author = "Maren Meyer-Gr{\"u}nefeldt and Leonor Calvo and Elena Marcos and {Von Oheimb}, Goddert and Werner H{\"a}rdtle",
year = "2015",
month = sep,
doi = "10.1111/1365-2745.12446",
language = "English",
volume = "103",
pages = "1141--1152",
journal = "Journal of Ecology",
issn = "0022-0477",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.",
number = "5",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Impacts of drought and nitrogen addition on Calluna heathlands differ with plant life-history stage

AU - Meyer-Grünefeldt, Maren

AU - Calvo, Leonor

AU - Marcos, Elena

AU - Von Oheimb, Goddert

AU - Härdtle, Werner

PY - 2015/9

Y1 - 2015/9

N2 - Climate change and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) affect the biodiversity patterns and functions of ecosystems world-wide. While many single-factor studies have quantified ecosystem responses to single global change drivers, less is known about the interaction effects of these drivers on ecosystem functions. Here, we present the results of a three-year field and a two-year glasshouse experiment, in which we assessed responses of Calluna vulgaris heathlands to the single and combined effects of drought events (D) and N fertilization (D: 25% precipitation reduction in the field experiment and 20-50% soil water content reduction in the glasshouse experiment; N fertilization: 35 kg N ha-1 year-1). We examined the effects of D and N treatments on growth responses of the dominant dwarf shrub Calluna vulgaris (in terms of biomass production and allocation, tissue δ13C signatures and C:N ratios) in relation to two plant life-history stages and different 'ecotypes' (sub-Atlantic vs. subcontinental heathlands). Plant responses varied strongly with life-history stage, and the interaction of N and D showed lower effects than would be expected based on additive responses to single factors. While D treatments had no effects on Calluna in the building phase (ca. ten-year-old plants), seedlings (particularly one-year-old plants) were highly susceptible to drought. Differences in response patterns were attributable to the high shoot-root ratios typical of young Calluna plants. These ratios decreased with progressing life history as a result of increasing below-ground biomass investments. Below-ground biomass production and shoot-root ratios differed between plants from the different heathland sites. Tissue δ13C signatures decreased and C:N ratios increased with plant age as a result of decreasing evaporative demands (per unit root biomass). N fertilization increases the shoot-root ratios and thereby the drought susceptibility of Calluna plants. Synthesis. Our findings suggest that plant responses to global change are difficult to anticipate by means of single-factor studies or by focusing on a single life-history stage. This highlights the need for global change research to include multiple factors and life-history stages when assessing an ecosystem's susceptibility to shifts in environmental conditions.

AB - Climate change and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) affect the biodiversity patterns and functions of ecosystems world-wide. While many single-factor studies have quantified ecosystem responses to single global change drivers, less is known about the interaction effects of these drivers on ecosystem functions. Here, we present the results of a three-year field and a two-year glasshouse experiment, in which we assessed responses of Calluna vulgaris heathlands to the single and combined effects of drought events (D) and N fertilization (D: 25% precipitation reduction in the field experiment and 20-50% soil water content reduction in the glasshouse experiment; N fertilization: 35 kg N ha-1 year-1). We examined the effects of D and N treatments on growth responses of the dominant dwarf shrub Calluna vulgaris (in terms of biomass production and allocation, tissue δ13C signatures and C:N ratios) in relation to two plant life-history stages and different 'ecotypes' (sub-Atlantic vs. subcontinental heathlands). Plant responses varied strongly with life-history stage, and the interaction of N and D showed lower effects than would be expected based on additive responses to single factors. While D treatments had no effects on Calluna in the building phase (ca. ten-year-old plants), seedlings (particularly one-year-old plants) were highly susceptible to drought. Differences in response patterns were attributable to the high shoot-root ratios typical of young Calluna plants. These ratios decreased with progressing life history as a result of increasing below-ground biomass investments. Below-ground biomass production and shoot-root ratios differed between plants from the different heathland sites. Tissue δ13C signatures decreased and C:N ratios increased with plant age as a result of decreasing evaporative demands (per unit root biomass). N fertilization increases the shoot-root ratios and thereby the drought susceptibility of Calluna plants. Synthesis. Our findings suggest that plant responses to global change are difficult to anticipate by means of single-factor studies or by focusing on a single life-history stage. This highlights the need for global change research to include multiple factors and life-history stages when assessing an ecosystem's susceptibility to shifts in environmental conditions.

KW - Calluna vulgaris

KW - Biomass allocation

KW - Climate change

KW - Drought

KW - Nitrogen deposition

KW - Plant-climate interactions

KW - δ<sup>13</sup>C

KW - Environmental planning

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84939569155&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/1365-2745.12446

DO - 10.1111/1365-2745.12446

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:84939569155

VL - 103

SP - 1141

EP - 1152

JO - Journal of Ecology

JF - Journal of Ecology

SN - 0022-0477

IS - 5

ER -

DOI