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Resource co-limitation of community biomass but not structure of an alpine grassland
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  • Juntao Zhu,
  • Ning Zong,
  • Peili Shi,
  • Xian Yang,
  • yangjian zhang,
  • Lin Jiang
Juntao Zhu
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Ning Zong
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Peili Shi
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Xian Yang
Georgia Institute of Technology
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yangjian zhang
Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Lin Jiang
Georgia Institute of Technology
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Abstract

Anthropogenic environmental changes are influencing the structure and function of many ecological communities, but their underlying mechanisms are often poorly understood. We conducted a seven-year field experiment to explore the ecological consequences of nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) enrichment in a high-altitude Tibetan alpine grassland. The enrichment of both N and P, but not either alone, resulted in increased plant above- and below-ground biomass. By contrast, N, but not P, enrichment reduced species richness, and altered plant phylogenetic diversity and structure. The observed decline in species richness under N addition was driven by the loss of species characterized by high leaf nitrogen content, and associated with higher soil manganese level and greater belowground competition. Our study highlights resource co-limitation of community biomass but not structure of the study grassland, while also identifying soil metal toxicity and belowground competition as important mechanisms driving community changes after nutrient amendment.