干旱区研究

Arid Zone Research >

2025 , Vol. 42 >Issue 7: 1279 - 1290

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13866/j.azr.2025.07.11

Plant Ecology

Legacy effects of long-term nitrogen on plant community structure and function in the Tianshan grassland

  • TAO Xinran ,
  • LI Haining ,
  • GONG Yanming ,
  • LIU Yanyan ,
  • LIU Xuejun ,
  • LI Kaihui
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  • 1. Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3. Bayinbuluk Alpine Grassland Observation and Research Station of Xinjiang, Bayinbuluk 841314, Xinjiang, China
    4. College of Grassland Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, Xinjiang, China
    5. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

Received date: 2024-11-26

  Revised date: 2025-04-25

  Online published: 2025-07-07

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Abstract

Against the backdrop of a gradual decline in global atmospheric nitrogen deposition, the legacy effects of long-term nitrogen addition on alpine grassland ecosystems remain unclear. This study investigated such legacy effects on plant communities in alpine grasslands through a 16-year controlled experiment conducted in the Bayinbuluke alpine grassland of the central Tianshan Mountains. The results revealed that: (1) Four years after the end of fertilization and regarding the functional traits of the dominant species, high nitrogen treatment (N15) significantly increased the plant height (+20%), leaf area (+16%), and specific leaf area (+5%) of Leymus tianschanicus but reduced the plant height (-23%) and specific leaf area (-1.5%) of Festuca kryloviana. Moreover, the legacy effects on F. kryloviana gradually weakened over the recovery time. (2) At the community level, long-term nitrogen addition exhibited positive legacy effects on rhizomatous grasses but adverse legacy effects on brunch grasses, significantly enhancing the cover and aboveground net primary productivity of the community. However, these legacy effects exhibited a diminishing trend over time. Under the N15 treatment, the increase in community cover declined from 32% to 18%, while the ANPP decreased from 64% to 44%. (3) Regarding soil chemical properties, adding nitrogen had significant positive legacy effects on the total soil nitrogen content but no significant legacy effects on the total soil phosphorus or organic carbon content. The negative legacy effect on soil pH gradually weakened, with the inhibitory effect under N15 treatment decreasing from -3.4% in 2023 to -1.4% in 2024. Soil total phosphorus and organic carbon content exhibited low correlations with vegetation characteristics, and the four soil factors collectively explained only a small proportion of the vegetation variation. This study demonstrates that, against the background of reduced or ceased atmospheric nitrogen deposition, historical nitrogen deposition continues to exert persistent legacy effects on grassland ecosystems, with some of these effects gradually diminishing over the recovery time.

Key words： nitrogen deposition; legacy effect; response ratio; functional group composition; leaf functional traits

Cite this article

TAO Xinran , LI Haining , GONG Yanming , LIU Yanyan , LIU Xuejun , LI Kaihui . Legacy effects of long-term nitrogen on plant community structure and function in the Tianshan grassland[J]. Arid Zone Research, 2025 , 42(7) : 1279 -1290 . DOI: 10.13866/j.azr.2025.07.11

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