Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands
Producers, consumers, decomposers and their relationships are all important biological components of a healthy ecosystem. Grasshoppers (including locusts) have been extensively studied as a group of members of grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of different degrees of locust disturbance on p...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005134 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850255887168438272 |
|---|---|
| author | Yuan Liang Guangming Zhang Chen Chen Narui Li Quansheng Chen Caifeng Yan Hao Wang Hongqing Wang |
| author_facet | Yuan Liang Guangming Zhang Chen Chen Narui Li Quansheng Chen Caifeng Yan Hao Wang Hongqing Wang |
| author_sort | Yuan Liang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Producers, consumers, decomposers and their relationships are all important biological components of a healthy ecosystem. Grasshoppers (including locusts) have been extensively studied as a group of members of grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of different degrees of locust disturbance on plant niches remain unclear. We carried out a field experiment by manipulating locust (Oedaleus asiaticus) grazing at different densities in the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station in northern China, to investigate the outcome of locust plague on plant C:N:P stoichiometric niche. Based on the Copula function with improved modelling methods to simulate the stoichiometric niche projection map of different plants, we found that Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis, after being disturbed by locusts, had a relatively larger niche space and niche overlap among the seven plant species, indicating that they remained the dominant species in the area. Achnatherum sibiricum, Cleistogenes squarrosa, and Koeleria cristata showed little change in their C:N:P stoichiometric niche in response to locust plague, while the mechanisms involving stoichiometric niche variation were not the same in these plants; food importance to locust and physiology (e.g., photosynthesis pathway type) may account for this. Our results suggest that a heavy degree of locust plague might benefit the expansion of chemical niche space (species' niche in chemical resource utilization) in some plants in Inner Mongolian grasslands, but does not necessarily increase their physical niche (species' niche under abiotic environmental conditions like temperature and humidity). To our knowledge, the present work is the first to study C:N:P stoichiometric niche variation in response to locust disturbance and may have significance in theoretical studies and provide guidance for the protection of biodiversity and grassland ecosystem management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77a1dad59b0c437bb31c1ba5a037c3c8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-77a1dad59b0c437bb31c1ba5a037c3c82025-08-20T01:56:46ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942024-12-0156e0330910.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03309Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslandsYuan Liang0Guangming Zhang1Chen Chen2Narui Li3Quansheng Chen4Caifeng Yan5Hao Wang6Hongqing Wang7College of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaShanxi Provincial Department-Municipal Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Quality Enhancement and Utilization of Shangdang Chinese Medicinal Materials,Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, ChinaCollege of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaCollege of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, ChinaShanxi Provincial Department-Municipal Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Quality Enhancement and Utilization of Shangdang Chinese Medicinal Materials,Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, ChinaShanxi Provincial Department-Municipal Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Quality Enhancement and Utilization of Shangdang Chinese Medicinal Materials,Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, ChinaShanxi Provincial Department-Municipal Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Quality Enhancement and Utilization of Shangdang Chinese Medicinal Materials,Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, ChinaCollege of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Correspondence to: No.35, East Tsinghua Road, Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, ChinaProducers, consumers, decomposers and their relationships are all important biological components of a healthy ecosystem. Grasshoppers (including locusts) have been extensively studied as a group of members of grassland ecosystems. However, the effects of different degrees of locust disturbance on plant niches remain unclear. We carried out a field experiment by manipulating locust (Oedaleus asiaticus) grazing at different densities in the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station in northern China, to investigate the outcome of locust plague on plant C:N:P stoichiometric niche. Based on the Copula function with improved modelling methods to simulate the stoichiometric niche projection map of different plants, we found that Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis, after being disturbed by locusts, had a relatively larger niche space and niche overlap among the seven plant species, indicating that they remained the dominant species in the area. Achnatherum sibiricum, Cleistogenes squarrosa, and Koeleria cristata showed little change in their C:N:P stoichiometric niche in response to locust plague, while the mechanisms involving stoichiometric niche variation were not the same in these plants; food importance to locust and physiology (e.g., photosynthesis pathway type) may account for this. Our results suggest that a heavy degree of locust plague might benefit the expansion of chemical niche space (species' niche in chemical resource utilization) in some plants in Inner Mongolian grasslands, but does not necessarily increase their physical niche (species' niche under abiotic environmental conditions like temperature and humidity). To our knowledge, the present work is the first to study C:N:P stoichiometric niche variation in response to locust disturbance and may have significance in theoretical studies and provide guidance for the protection of biodiversity and grassland ecosystem management.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005134Copula functionNiche spaceEco-stoichiometric nicheInterspecific competitionLocust densityInner Mongolia steppe |
| spellingShingle | Yuan Liang Guangming Zhang Chen Chen Narui Li Quansheng Chen Caifeng Yan Hao Wang Hongqing Wang Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands Global Ecology and Conservation Copula function Niche space Eco-stoichiometric niche Interspecific competition Locust density Inner Mongolia steppe |
| title | Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands |
| title_full | Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands |
| title_fullStr | Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands |
| title_short | Responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in Inner Mongolia grasslands |
| title_sort | responses of plant stoichiometric niche to locust disturbance with different densities in inner mongolia grasslands |
| topic | Copula function Niche space Eco-stoichiometric niche Interspecific competition Locust density Inner Mongolia steppe |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424005134 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yuanliang responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT guangmingzhang responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT chenchen responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT naruili responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT quanshengchen responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT caifengyan responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT haowang responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands AT hongqingwang responsesofplantstoichiometricnichetolocustdisturbancewithdifferentdensitiesininnermongoliagrasslands |