Effects of time after rejuvenation pruning and stand age on leaf functional traits of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and stoichiometric characteristics of rhizosphere soil

doi:10.11686/cyxb2018741

Abstract

Abstract: Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry are critical indicators of biogeochemical coupling in terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, nutrient stoichiometry has been used as an indicator of community succession and vegetation restoration in recent years. The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of time elapsed after pruning and shrub age on leaf functional traits and on the chemical characteristics of C, N, and P in leaves of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus. Variance and correlation analyses were used to detect the adaptive strategies of shrubs during restoration and growth after a pruning treatment. This information is helpful to solve technical conservation problems and for the development of germplasm resources in theory and in practice. The results provide basic data for the prediction and evaluation of the natural population of A. mongolicus in this ecosystem. The results showed that: 1) The leaf area of A. mongolicus increased significantly after a rejuvenation pruning treatment (P<0.05). Specific leaf area, leaf N content, and leaf P content were significantly increased by 1 year after rejuvenation pruning (P<0.05). They declined during subsequent years after pruning and with shrub age. Leaf dry matter content showed the opposite trend to that of specific leaf area. The C content of leaves did not differ significantly (P>0.05) with age or among different years after the pruning treatment. The leaf N content was significantly positively correlated with leaf P content and specific leaf area. Leaf dry matter content was significantly negatively correlated with specific leaf area, and significantly negatively correlated with leaf P content and specific leaf area. 2) The responses of C, N, and P contents and stoichiometric ratio to shrub age and the number of years after the pruning treatment were not exactly the same between leaves and soil. The number of years after the pruning treatment and shrub age significantly affected soil C content under the shrubs (P<0.05), but not the P content in soil (P>0.05). Only shrub age significantly affected the N content in soil. With prolonged time after the pruning treatment and increasing shrub age, the soil C and N contents increased, but the soil P content showed a downward trend. 3) For the leaf C, N, and P and stoichiometric ratio, P and C:P were most sensitive to the number of years after the pruning treatment and the age of A. mongolicus, implying that these indices can reflect the regeneration, growth, and the dynamic changes in this population. The average N:P of the leaves at 1, 3, and 8 years after the pruning treatment were 14.79, 15.77, and 17.81, respectively. The average N:P ratios of the leaves of the young, middle-aged, and mature shrubs were 15.32, 18.23, and 21.76, respectively. These results suggest that with increasing time after the pruning treatment and with increasing plant age, the growth of A. mongolicus gradually shifted from being restricted by N and P to being more restricted by P.

Key words: Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, stubble rejuvenation, leaf functional traits, stoichiometric characteristics, compensatory growth mechanism

DONG Xue, HAO Yu-guang, XIN Zhi-ming, LI Xin-le, DUAN Rui-bing, LIU Fang, ZHAO Ying-ming, HUANG Ya-ru. Effects of time after rejuvenation pruning and stand age on leaf functional traits of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus and stoichiometric characteristics of rhizosphere soil[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2019, 28(10): 122-133.

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