Effects of nutrient addition on plant diversity and aboveground biomass of saline-alkali grassland in Horqin

doi:10.11686/cyxb2025233

Abstract

Abstract:

This study aimed to elucidate the effect of nutrient addition on plant diversity and aboveground biomass in saline-alkali grassland， and to explore the relationship between these two factors. The overall goal of this research was to provide a theoretical foundation and data support for the restoration， reconstruction， and utilization of saline-alkali grassland ecosystems. A field study was conducted in saline-alkali grassland in Horqin. The experiment had a randomized block design， and consisted of a control （no fertilization， CK） and six treatments： nitrogen fertilizer+microbial agent （NG）， nitrogen fertilizer+bio-organic fertilizer A （NN）， nitrogen fertilizer+bio-organic fertilizer B （NO）， compound fertilizer+microbial agent （NPG）， compound fertilizer+bio-organic fertilizer A （NPN）， and compound fertilizer+bio-organic fertilizer B （NPO）. Fertilizer was applied in early June and early August of 2023 and 2024， and a vegetation survey was conducted in mid-August of 2024. The effects of adding different types of nutrients on plant diversity and aboveground biomass in saline-alkali grassland were analyzed. The main results were as follows： 1） All of the nutrient addition treatments reduced plant diversity to some degree. Compared with CK， the compound fertilizer treatments （NPG， NPN， and NPO） resulted in significant decreases in the Shannon-Wiener index by 13.55%-25.65%， the Pielou index by 6.45%-14.68%， the Margalef index by 14.19%-30.24%， and Simpson index by 3.69%-14.19%. Compared with CK， the nitrogen treatments （NG， NN， NO） resulted in significant decreases in the Shannon-Wiener index by 3.32%-29.17%， the Pielou index by 4.99%-9.54%， the Margalef index by 19.35%-32.18%， and Simpson index by 4.20%-11.64%. 2） Nutrient addition treatments significantly increased the aboveground biomass of the community and the biomass of Poaceae in the saline-alkali grassland in Horqin. The combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus had a stronger promoting effect， particularly the combination of compound fertilizer with bio-organic fertilizer B， which increased the aboveground biomass and Poaceae biomass by 74.76% and 123.64%， respectively， compared with CK （P<0.05）. The biomass of two functional groups （legumes and forbs） decreased after nutrient addition， but the changes were not statistically significant. 3） After nutrient addition， both the Shannon-Wiener index and the Pielou index showed a significant negative linear correlation with aboveground biomass， whereas the Margalef index and Simpson index exhibited non-significant negative correlations with aboveground biomass. Exogenous nutrient addition significantly increased the aboveground biomass of the plant community in saline-alkali grassland in Horqin， primarily driven by the increase in grass family biomass. However， it reduced plant diversity to varying degrees， resulting in a negative linear relationship between species diversity and aboveground biomass.

Key words: Horqin saline-alkali grassland, plant diversity, aboveground biomass, nitrogen, phosphorus, organic fertilizer

Ying-ying NIE, Li-jun XU, Xiu-yuan XU, Wei XUE, Xin-jia WU, Bo YUAN, Zhao ZHANG, Hong-zhi ZHANG, Qiong ZHOU, Yu-lin LI. Effects of nutrient addition on plant diversity and aboveground biomass of saline-alkali grassland in Horqin[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2026, 35(5): 61-71.

Figures/Tables 6

References 41

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处理 Treatment	无机肥施用量Inorganic fertilizer application rate （kg·hm^-2）	有效活菌数 Viable bacterial count	微肥/有机肥用量Micronutrient fertilizer/organic fertilizer application rate （kg·hm^-2）
CK	0	0	0
NG	200	有效活菌数>50.0亿·g^-1。Viable bacterial count>5.0×10⁹ CFU·g^-1.	15
NN	200	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活菌数>0.20亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10? CFU·g^-1， viable bacterial count： >2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1.	675
NO	200	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活性菌数>5亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1， total viable bacterial count： >5.0×10⁸ CFU·g^-1.	675
NPG	360	有效活菌数>50.0亿·g^-1。Viable bacterial count>5.0×10⁹ CFU·g^-1.	15
NPN	360	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活菌数>0.20亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1， viable bacterial count： >2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1.	675
NPO	360	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活性菌数>5亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1， total viable bacterial count： >5.0×10⁸ CFU·g^-1.	675

处理 Treatment	无机肥施用量Inorganic fertilizer application rate （kg·hm^-2）	有效活菌数 Viable bacterial count	微肥/有机肥用量Micronutrient fertilizer/organic fertilizer application rate （kg·hm^-2）
CK	0	0	0
NG	200	有效活菌数>50.0亿·g^-1。Viable bacterial count>5.0×10⁹ CFU·g^-1.	15
NN	200	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活菌数>0.20亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10? CFU·g^-1， viable bacterial count： >2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1.	675
NO	200	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活性菌数>5亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1， total viable bacterial count： >5.0×10⁸ CFU·g^-1.	675
NPG	360	有效活菌数>50.0亿·g^-1。Viable bacterial count>5.0×10⁹ CFU·g^-1.	15
NPN	360	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活菌数>0.20亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1， viable bacterial count： >2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1.	675
NPO	360	枯草芽孢杆菌0.2亿·g^-1，有效活性菌数>5亿·g^-1。Bacillus subtilis： 2.0×10⁷ CFU·g^-1， total viable bacterial count： >5.0×10⁸ CFU·g^-1.	675