Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control
Abstract Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition presents a global threat to ecosystem functions. In terrestrial ecosystems, N-deposition is predicted to increase plant productivity but reduce diversity by bolstering dominant plants that suppress subordinate species. However, herbivores are predicted...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61146-w |
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| author | Xiaofei Li Dean E. Pearson Yvette K. Ortega Lin Jiang Shaopeng Wang Qiang Gao Deli Wang Yann Hautier Zhiwei Zhong |
| author_facet | Xiaofei Li Dean E. Pearson Yvette K. Ortega Lin Jiang Shaopeng Wang Qiang Gao Deli Wang Yann Hautier Zhiwei Zhong |
| author_sort | Xiaofei Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition presents a global threat to ecosystem functions. In terrestrial ecosystems, N-deposition is predicted to increase plant productivity but reduce diversity by bolstering dominant plants that suppress subordinate species. However, herbivores are predicted to offset these effects by consuming excess biomass produced by N-deposition. Here, we use a multifactorial field experiment in a grassland ecosystem to investigate the effects of N-addition on top-down control by herbivores and plant diversity. We show that at ambient N, grasshoppers suppress total plant biomass and community dominance sufficiently to increase plant Shannon diversity, indicating top-down control. Without grasshoppers, N-addition increases total plant biomass by promoting the community dominant and suppressing some subordinates as predicted, but it does not affect plant Shannon diversity relative to ambient-N levels. However, with grasshoppers, N-addition eliminates herbivore controls while simultaneously increasing total plant biomass and community dominance, triggering a 21% plant Shannon diversity loss compared to ambient-N conditions. Mechanistically, we find that N-addition disrupts top-down control by reducing herbivore abundance via effects on (1) plant chemistry, which diminishes food quality, and (2) plant architecture, which elevates predatory spider abundance and lethality. Therefore, we show that N-deposition can toggle system controls from top-down to bottom-up, to the detriment of plant diversity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-14a1012cd8a04cf8a9ba9a6b457a8827 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-14a1012cd8a04cf8a9ba9a6b457a88272025-08-20T03:45:31ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-61146-wNitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer controlXiaofei Li0Dean E. Pearson1Yvette K. Ortega2Lin Jiang3Shaopeng Wang4Qiang Gao5Deli Wang6Yann Hautier7Zhiwei Zhong8College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural UniversityRocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest ServiceRocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest ServiceSchool of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyInstitute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking UniversityCollege of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Soil Resources in the Commodity Grain Bases in Jilin Province, Jilin Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal UniversityEcology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht UniversityKey Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal UniversityAbstract Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition presents a global threat to ecosystem functions. In terrestrial ecosystems, N-deposition is predicted to increase plant productivity but reduce diversity by bolstering dominant plants that suppress subordinate species. However, herbivores are predicted to offset these effects by consuming excess biomass produced by N-deposition. Here, we use a multifactorial field experiment in a grassland ecosystem to investigate the effects of N-addition on top-down control by herbivores and plant diversity. We show that at ambient N, grasshoppers suppress total plant biomass and community dominance sufficiently to increase plant Shannon diversity, indicating top-down control. Without grasshoppers, N-addition increases total plant biomass by promoting the community dominant and suppressing some subordinates as predicted, but it does not affect plant Shannon diversity relative to ambient-N levels. However, with grasshoppers, N-addition eliminates herbivore controls while simultaneously increasing total plant biomass and community dominance, triggering a 21% plant Shannon diversity loss compared to ambient-N conditions. Mechanistically, we find that N-addition disrupts top-down control by reducing herbivore abundance via effects on (1) plant chemistry, which diminishes food quality, and (2) plant architecture, which elevates predatory spider abundance and lethality. Therefore, we show that N-deposition can toggle system controls from top-down to bottom-up, to the detriment of plant diversity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61146-w |
| spellingShingle | Xiaofei Li Dean E. Pearson Yvette K. Ortega Lin Jiang Shaopeng Wang Qiang Gao Deli Wang Yann Hautier Zhiwei Zhong Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control Nature Communications |
| title | Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control |
| title_full | Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control |
| title_fullStr | Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control |
| title_short | Nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control |
| title_sort | nitrogen inputs suppress plant diversity by overriding consumer control |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61146-w |
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