Journal of Plant Ecology ›› 2025, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (5): 1-35.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf083
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Li-Li Zheng1, Ming-Hua Song2, Jiao Meng3, Yu Guo2, Jia-Xing Zu4, Wei Xue1, Li-Min Zhang1, Peter Alpert5,6, Fei-Hai Yu1,7,*
1Institute of Wetland Ecology & Clone Ecology/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, China, 2Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modelling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, 3School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China, 4Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China, 5Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA, 6University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA, 7School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000, China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: feihaiyu@126.com
摘要: 土壤养分异质性在自然界中广泛存在,但其对自然植物群落地上生产力的影响机制仍缺乏系统研究。考虑到全球变暖可能会通过加速土壤矿化而增强养分的空间异质性,该问题在青藏高原高寒草甸生态系统中尤为关键。基于此,本研究在青海省海北典型高寒草甸生态系统开展了一项为期3年的野外控制实验(2016–2018年),设置了88个2 m × 2 m的草地样方,通过添加氮、磷和钾构建了5个同质处理和6个异质处理组合,系统评估了斑块尺度(50 cm × 50 cm vs. 100 cm × 100 cm)、斑块对比度(斑块间养分水平的差异)和斑块类型数量(不同养分水平)对植物群落功能的影响。每年按照禾本科、莎草科、豆科和杂类草4个功能群收获并测定地上生物量。结果表明,在同质处理中,较高养分供应显著提升了禾本科生物量(超过300 g m–2),同时豆科生物量降至约25 g m–2;异质性处理中,高养分斑块平均提升禾本科生物量约25%,降低了豆科生物量约60%,这种效应在大尺度、高对比度斑块组合中更为显著。由于禾本科在总地上生物量中占比达47%–61%,其响应模式主导了群落整体变化趋势。值得强调的是,尽管土壤养分异质性未显著改变群落地上总生物量,其却通过促进高养分斑块禾本的优势生长,以及低养分斑块豆科的保留,为物种共存提供了微生境缓冲区。这一发现表明,在高寒草甸生态系统中,较大尺度的低养分斑块可能在一定程度上中和养分富集带来的功能群偏利效应,为理解全球变化背景下草地多样性维持机制提供了新视角和实验证据。