Abstract
Abstract. Water availability has profound effects on plant growth and productivity in temperate and semiarid grasslands. However, it remains unclear how variation of inter-annual precipitation by extreme rainfall events will alter the aboveground and belowground responses of plants, and how these responses may be contingent on N availability. In this study, we examined the interactive effects of inter-annual precipitation variation and N addition on aboveground and live fine root biomass of a semiarid grassland in northern China for two consecutive years (2007 and 2008). Inter-annual variation in precipitation resulting mainly from the occurrence of extreme rainfall events in 2008 significantly affected above- and belowground plant biomass responses to water addition. In addition, variation of inter-annual precipitation by this extreme rainfall event suppressed plant responses to nitrogen addition and reduced the interaction effects between water and nitrogen addition. These effects of inter-annual precipitation fluctuation could be attributed to the negative influence of the extreme rainfall event on soil N and water availability, ultimately reducing plant rainfall use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency. In conclusion, our results suggest ecosystem responses to water and N enrichment could be altered by inter-annual variation of precipitation regime caused by the naturally occurring extreme rainfall events.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Interannual precipitation variation significantly affected plant biomass responses to water addition.
- Taxon
- plante0
- Treatment
- water additione0
- Outcome
- above- and belowground plant biomass responsese0
- Comparator
- Inter-annual variation in precipitatione0
- Setting
- 2008e0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“Inter-annual variation in precipitation resulting mainly from the occurrence of extreme rainfall events in 2008 significantly affected above- and belowground plant biomass responses to water addition”
t0“Extreme rainfall events”
Claim · model-written summary
Extreme rainfall variation suppressed plant responses to nitrogen addition.
Verbatim
e0“variation of inter-annual precipitation by this extreme rainfall event suppressed plant responses to nitrogen addition”
t0“Extreme rainfall events”
Claim · model-written summary
Extreme rainfall variation reduced the interaction effects of water and nitrogen addition.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“variation of inter-annual precipitation by this extreme rainfall event suppressed plant responses to nitrogen addition and reduced the interaction effects between water and nitrogen addition”
t0“Extreme rainfall events”
Claim · model-written summary
Extreme rainfall negatively affected soil nitrogen and water availability.
Not reportedTaxon
Verbatim
e0“negative influence of the extreme rainfall event on soil N and water availability”
t0“Extreme rainfall events”
Claim · model-written summary
The rainfall event ultimately reduced plant rainfall use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency.
Verbatim
e0“ultimately reducing plant rainfall use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency”
t0“Extreme rainfall events”