Soil and plant nitrogen pools as related to plant diversity in an experimental grassland

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Yvonne Oelmann
  • Wolfgang Wilcke
  • Vicky M. Temperton
  • Nina Buchmann
  • Christiane Roscher
  • Jens Schumacher
  • Ernst Detlef Schulze
  • Wolfgang W. Weisser

Increasing plant species richness decreases soil NO3- concentrations in experimental plant mixtures, but the role of particular plant functional groups has remained unclear. Most analyses have focused on particular times of the year or were restricted to NO3-. We tested whether plant species richness or particular plant functional groups affect the size of plant-available N pools in soil (KCl-extractable NO 3-, dissolved inorganic N and organic N [DON] and total dissolved N [TDN] in soil solution) and N concentrations and pools in aboveground biomass. Furthermore, we assessed seasonal variations in the effects of plant species richness and plant functional groups. The experimental grassland site had 86 plots with different combinations of numbers of species (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 60) and numbers of functional groups (1, 2, 3, and 4, being grasses, small nonlegume herbs, tall nonlegume herbs, and legumes). In the second year after establishment, increasing species richness reduced soil NO3- concentrations (ANOVA, 11% of sum of squares [SS]). The presence of legumes correlated positively with soil NO3 - concentrations (17% of SS). The presence of grasses significantly decreased soil NO3- concentrations (11% of SS). Seasonality had no influence on the relationships between NO3 - concentrations and species richness. Volume-weighted mean DON and TDN concentrations in soil solution correlated negatively with species richness. Nitrogen pools in plant mixture biomass correlated positively with species diversity (14% of SS), indicating that total N uptake increased with increasing diversity. We conclude mat both diversity (either in species or functional groups) and functional composition of grassland mixtures are significant controls of soil and plant N pools. Plant communities with more diverse mixtures are liable to use limiting resources such as N more effectively.

Original languageEnglish
JournalSoil Science Society of America Journal
Volume71
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)720-729
Number of pages10
ISSN0361-5995
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.05.2007
Externally publishedYes

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Religion als performative Praxis im Jugendalter
  2. Temporality
  3. How Does it Pay to Be Green?
  4. Evaluation der Implementation konzeptuell unterschiedlicher Maßnahmen zur Leseförderung in der Sekundarstufe I
  5. Management von Biodiversität in Schutzgebieten
  6. Betriebliches Umweltmanagement
  7. Renewable Energy - Opportunities for production and use of electrical power for farmers under conditions of the renewable energy act in germany
  8. Informationsfeld Zeitverwendung
  9. Nuda Veritas?
  10. Rausch als "ästhetischer Zustand"
  11. Why more West than East German firms export
  12. Inszenierungen – Present tense incarnate im Fremdsprachenunterricht
  13. Agrifood Tourism, Rural Resilience, and Recovery in a Postdisaster Context: Insights and Evidence From Kaikoura-hurunui, New Zealand
  14. Wie führen Schulleitungen?
  15. KDD - Kriminaldauerdienst
  16. Affekte, Urteile und die Teilnahmemotivation
  17. Assessing a financial incentive for reducing length of stay of psychiatric inpatients
  18. Illusion Fortschritt - Wissen und Vergessen in der Pädagogik
  19. Meanings of democracy
  20. Fluchtbewegung in Variationen
  21. „Sippschaft eines interimistischen Zeitalters“
  22. Kooperationspartner, Netzwerke, Stakeholder im Bereich der Elternarbeit
  23. Sustainable Development Funds
  24. The Eye of the Storm
  25. Different Subcultures in Residential Groups in Germany – Implications for Participation and the Victimization of Children and Young People
  26. New ideas for modern phytosociological monographs
  27. Surface modification methods for fatigue properties improvement of laser-beam-welded Ti-6Al-4V butt joints
  28. Faraday, Michael
  29. Ecological quality as a coffee quality enhancer. A review
  30. ICEB 2011: International conference on extrusion and benchmark
  31. Verlust, Abschied und Trost
  32. Transformationale Führung an Schulen in Hamburg
  33. Summer of love in London
  34. Werkzeugkonzepte und Methoden für das Strangpressen
  35. Sozialismus, Kommunismus
  36. Close to, but still out of, government
  37. کتاب ادبیات تطبیقی کودکان [Comparative Children's Literature]
  38. Ich sah Königin Silvia weinen
  39. The Concept of Personal Initiative
  40. Vorwort
  41. Eine Klasse ins Rollen bringen