Stoichiometric ratios support plant adaption to grazing moderated by soil nutrients and root enzymes

PeerJ

article

Wenjing Ma¹  Jin Li²  Saheed Olaide Jimoh¹  Yujuan Zhang¹  Fenghui Guo¹  Yong Ding¹  Xiliang Li¹  Xiangyang Hou¹ 

[1] Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences;College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University;Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration of Ministry of Agriculture

关键词: Nutrient;    Stoichiometry;    Leymus chinensis;    Artemisia frigida;    Enzyme;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7047

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundVegetation succession is one of the major driving processes of grassland degradation. Stoichiometry significantly contributes to vegetation dynamics. However, a knowledge gap exists in how soil nutrients and root enzymes influence the stoichiometric ratio to affect vegetation dynamics.MethodsTo address these questions, we selected a dominant species (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.) and a degraded-dominant species (Artemisia frigida Willd.) under different management regimes (enclosure and grazing) on the Inner Mongolia steppe. We measured (i) plant nutrient concentrations, (ii) root enzymes and (iii) soil nutrients to investigate how the selected plant species responded to grazing.ResultsThe results show that: (i) N and P concentrations and the C:N:P ratio in different organs are significantly affected by grazing, and there is variation in the plant species’ response. Grazing significantly increased N and P in the leaves and stems of L. chinensis and the stems and roots of A. frigida. (ii) Grazing significantly increased the activities of glutamine synthase but decreased the activities of acid phosphatase in L. chinensis. The nitrate reductase and acid phosphatase activities significantly increased in A. frigida under grazing conditions. (iii) Grazing decreased the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available nitrogen, but increased the available phosphorus in the soil.ConclusionWe conclude that A. frigida is better adapted to grazing than L. chinensis, possibly because of its relatively increased stem and root growth, which enhance population expansion following grazing. Conversely, L. chinensis showed increased leaf and stem growth, but suffered nutrient and biomass loss as a result of excessive foraging by livestock, which severely affected its ability to colonize. Root enzymes coupled with soil nutrients can regulate plant nutrients and stoichiometric ratios as an adaptive response to grazing. Thus, we demonstrated that stoichiometric ratios allow species to better withstand grazing disturbances. This study provides a new understanding of the mechanisms involved in grazing-resistance within a plant-soil system.

【 授权许可】

CC BY