Effects of nitrogen addition and mowing on ecological stoichiometry of three dominant plant species in northwestern Liaoning Province

doi:10.11686/cyxb2025296

Abstract

Abstract:

To investigate the effects of nitrogen addition and mowing on the ecological stoichiometric characteristics of plants in degraded grasslands of northwest Liaoning， this study examined Leymus chinensis，Carex duriuscula， and Cleistogenes squarrosa through a two-factor experiment involving nitrogen application and stubble mowing height. The responses of carbon （C）， nitrogen （N）， and phosphorus （P） contents， as well as the C∶N and N∶P in the three plant species under different treatments were analyzed using three-way and two-way analysis of variance （ANOVA）， redundancy analysis （RDA）， and correlation matrices. The results showed that： 1） N addition significantly increased the nitrogen concentration in C. squarrosa and C. duriuscula， while it significantly decreased the carbon concentration and the C∶N in C. squarrosa. No significant effect was observed on L. chinensis. 2） Mowing at a 6 cm stubble height significantly increased the carbon concentration in C. squarrosa， whereas mowing at a 12 cm stubble height significantly reduced the phosphorus concentration in C. duriuscula. Mowing had no significant effect on L. chinensis. 3） Under the combined treatment of mowing at 6 cm stubble height with N addition， the N∶P of all three species exceeded 16， indicating the emergence of an interaction involving phosphorus limitation. 4） Short-term fencing revealed that the synergy between mowing at 6 cm stubble height and N addition significantly enhanced plant nitrogen concentration， reduced the C∶N， and induced a shift in nutrient limitation from nitrogen to phosphorus， thereby optimizing plant nutrient cycling. However， the long-term effects require further validation. In contrast， mowing at 3 or 12 cm stubble height exacerbated phosphorus limitation in C. duriuscula. 5） The asynchronous changes in nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations under the combined mowing （6 cm） and N addition treatment suggest a decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics across the different plant species. These findings provide a scientific basis for balancing nitrogen fertilization and mowing management in the restoration of degraded grasslands.

Key words: degraded grassland, nitrogen fertilizer, mowing, carbon-nitrogen ratio, phosphorus content

Jia-ming WANG, Fei WU, Yi-jie YANG, Lin-you LYU, Wuyunna, Yan-tao SONG. Effects of nitrogen addition and mowing on ecological stoichiometry of three dominant plant species in northwestern Liaoning Province[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2026, 35(7): 46-57.

Figures/Tables 8

References 43

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处理 Treatment	自由度 Degree of freedom	碳含量 Carbon content	氮含量 Nitrogen content	磷含量 Phosphorus content	碳氮比 C∶N	氮磷比 N∶P
物种Species	2	0.060	0.023	0.032	0.001	0.148
刈割Mowing	3	0.002	<0.001	0.005	<0.001	0.001
施氮Nitrogen addition	1	0.506	<0.001	0.878	<0.001	0.060
物种×刈割Species×mowing	6	0.152	<0.001	0.879	0.001	0.625
物种×施氮Species×nitrogen addition	2	0.729	<0.001	0.720	0.037	0.291
刈割×施氮Mowing×nitrogen addition	3	0.121	0.004	0.002	0.530	<0.001
物种×刈割×施氮Species×mowing×nitrogen addition	6	0.897	<0.001	0.915	0.022	0.435

处理 Treatment	自由度 Degree of freedom	碳含量 Carbon content	氮含量 Nitrogen content	磷含量 Phosphorus content	碳氮比 C∶N	氮磷比 N∶P
物种Species	2	0.060	0.023	0.032	0.001	0.148
刈割Mowing	3	0.002	<0.001	0.005	<0.001	0.001
施氮Nitrogen addition	1	0.506	<0.001	0.878	<0.001	0.060
物种×刈割Species×mowing	6	0.152	<0.001	0.879	0.001	0.625
物种×施氮Species×nitrogen addition	2	0.729	<0.001	0.720	0.037	0.291
刈割×施氮Mowing×nitrogen addition	3	0.121	0.004	0.002	0.530	<0.001
物种×刈割×施氮Species×mowing×nitrogen addition	6	0.897	<0.001	0.915	0.022	0.435

物种Species	指标Index	氮含量Nitrogen content	磷含量Phosphorus content	碳氮比C∶N	氮磷比N∶P
羊草 L. chinensis	碳含量Carbon content	0.200	-0.355	0.213	0.485*
	氮含量Nitrogen content		0.122	-0.902**	0.198
	磷含量Phosphorus content			-0.266	-0.873**
	碳氮比C∶N				0.023
寸草苔 C. duriuscula	碳含量Carbon content	-0.527**	-0.265	0.856**	0.169
	氮含量Nitrogen content		0.307	-0.886**	-0.112
	磷含量Phosphorus content			-0.329	-0.862**
	碳氮比C∶N				0.161
糙隐子草 C. squarrosa	碳含量Carbon content	-0.026	-0.301	0.501*	0.177
	氮含量Nitrogen content		0.026	-0.866**	0.306
	磷含量Phosphorus content			-0.166	-0.780**
	碳氮比C∶N				-0.200

物种Species	指标Index	氮含量Nitrogen content	磷含量Phosphorus content	碳氮比C∶N	氮磷比N∶P
羊草 L. chinensis	碳含量Carbon content	0.200	-0.355	0.213	0.485*
	氮含量Nitrogen content		0.122	-0.902**	0.198
	磷含量Phosphorus content			-0.266	-0.873**
	碳氮比C∶N				0.023
寸草苔 C. duriuscula	碳含量Carbon content	-0.527**	-0.265	0.856**	0.169
	氮含量Nitrogen content		0.307	-0.886**	-0.112
	磷含量Phosphorus content			-0.329	-0.862**
	碳氮比C∶N				0.161
糙隐子草 C. squarrosa	碳含量Carbon content	-0.026	-0.301	0.501*	0.177
	氮含量Nitrogen content		0.026	-0.866**	0.306
	磷含量Phosphorus content			-0.166	-0.780**
	碳氮比C∶N				-0.200