Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen
Plant growth, a fundamental biological process that underpins terrestrial ecosystem function, is susceptible to nutrient availability. Despite extensive research on lowland ecosystems, the responses of alpine plant growth to nutrient addition remain poorly understood, particularly given the heighten...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Runfang Feng Shu Wang Jikui Ma Nannan Wang Xiaoli Wang Fei Ren Honglin Li Defei Liang Jing Hu Xilai Li Lanping Li |
| author_facet | Runfang Feng Shu Wang Jikui Ma Nannan Wang Xiaoli Wang Fei Ren Honglin Li Defei Liang Jing Hu Xilai Li Lanping Li |
| author_sort | Runfang Feng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant growth, a fundamental biological process that underpins terrestrial ecosystem function, is susceptible to nutrient availability. Despite extensive research on lowland ecosystems, the responses of alpine plant growth to nutrient addition remain poorly understood, particularly given the heightened sensitivity of alpine ecosystems to global change. To investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions on the growth rates of alpine plants and the underlying mechanisms of how these nutrient additions influence plant growth rates, we conducted an experiment in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, targeting 14 common plant species. Growth rates were measured using biomass and height, with plant height and soil physicochemical properties recorded biweekly during the growing season. We assessed the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on growth rates, their seasonal dynamics, and their relationships with soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that phosphorus addition and combined nitrogen-phosphorus additions significantly increased the relative growth rate based on height (RGR<sub>H</sub>). In contrast, nutrient additions had no significant effect on the relative growth rate based on biomass (RGR<sub>B</sub>). RGR<sub>H</sub> decreased from June and early July to August, exhibiting species-specific responses to nutrient additions. Additionally, RGR<sub>H</sub> was significantly influenced by the interaction of nitrogen and phosphorus additions, species, and seasonal dynamics (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Soil available N, available P, and moisture were significantly positively correlated with RGR<sub>H</sub> (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while soil temperature (ST), total nitrogen (TN), and soil organic carbon (SOC) exhibited significant negative correlations (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Nutrient additions altered the hierarchy, as well as the direct and indirect factors that influence RGR<sub>H</sub>, revealing the opposing regulatory effects of total and available nitrogen. These findings highlight the critical roles of nitrogen and phosphorus, suggesting phosphorus is a potential limiting factor for plant growth in this alpine region. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of how nitrogen and phosphorus additions affect alpine plant growth rates and clarifies the underlying mechanisms in these sensitive ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5d0c463ea6a6411093efbb506d97b8cc |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-5d0c463ea6a6411093efbb506d97b8cc2025-08-20T02:15:54ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-04-01147114310.3390/plants14071143Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available NitrogenRunfang Feng0Shu Wang1Jikui Ma2Nannan Wang3Xiaoli Wang4Fei Ren5Honglin Li6Defei Liang7Jing Hu8Xilai Li9Lanping Li10State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaCollege of Landscape Architecture and Life Science, Institute of Special Plants, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing 402160, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, ChinaPlant growth, a fundamental biological process that underpins terrestrial ecosystem function, is susceptible to nutrient availability. Despite extensive research on lowland ecosystems, the responses of alpine plant growth to nutrient addition remain poorly understood, particularly given the heightened sensitivity of alpine ecosystems to global change. To investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions on the growth rates of alpine plants and the underlying mechanisms of how these nutrient additions influence plant growth rates, we conducted an experiment in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, targeting 14 common plant species. Growth rates were measured using biomass and height, with plant height and soil physicochemical properties recorded biweekly during the growing season. We assessed the effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on growth rates, their seasonal dynamics, and their relationships with soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that phosphorus addition and combined nitrogen-phosphorus additions significantly increased the relative growth rate based on height (RGR<sub>H</sub>). In contrast, nutrient additions had no significant effect on the relative growth rate based on biomass (RGR<sub>B</sub>). RGR<sub>H</sub> decreased from June and early July to August, exhibiting species-specific responses to nutrient additions. Additionally, RGR<sub>H</sub> was significantly influenced by the interaction of nitrogen and phosphorus additions, species, and seasonal dynamics (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Soil available N, available P, and moisture were significantly positively correlated with RGR<sub>H</sub> (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while soil temperature (ST), total nitrogen (TN), and soil organic carbon (SOC) exhibited significant negative correlations (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Nutrient additions altered the hierarchy, as well as the direct and indirect factors that influence RGR<sub>H</sub>, revealing the opposing regulatory effects of total and available nitrogen. These findings highlight the critical roles of nitrogen and phosphorus, suggesting phosphorus is a potential limiting factor for plant growth in this alpine region. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of how nitrogen and phosphorus additions affect alpine plant growth rates and clarifies the underlying mechanisms in these sensitive ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/7/1143nitrogen and phosphorus additionrelative growth ratebiomassseasonal dynamicQinghai–Tibet plateaualpine plant |
| spellingShingle | Runfang Feng Shu Wang Jikui Ma Nannan Wang Xiaoli Wang Fei Ren Honglin Li Defei Liang Jing Hu Xilai Li Lanping Li Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen Plants nitrogen and phosphorus addition relative growth rate biomass seasonal dynamic Qinghai–Tibet plateau alpine plant |
| title | Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen |
| title_full | Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen |
| title_fullStr | Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen |
| title_short | Nutrient Additions Regulate Height Growth Rate but Not Biomass Growth Rate of Alpine Plants Through the Contrasting Effect of Total and Available Nitrogen |
| title_sort | nutrient additions regulate height growth rate but not biomass growth rate of alpine plants through the contrasting effect of total and available nitrogen |
| topic | nitrogen and phosphorus addition relative growth rate biomass seasonal dynamic Qinghai–Tibet plateau alpine plant |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/7/1143 |
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