Abstract
Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations generally alter element stoichiometry in plants. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the elevated CO2 impact on plant nitrogen : phosphorus (N:P) ratios and the underlying mechanism has not been conducted. We synthesized the results from 112 previously published studies using meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of elevated CO2 on the N:P ratio of terrestrial plants and to explore the underlying mechanism based on plant growth and soil P dynamics. Our results show that terrestrial plants grown under elevated CO2 had lower N:P ratios in both above- and belowground biomass across different ecosystem types. The response ratio for plant N:P was negatively correlated with the response ratio for plant growth in croplands and grasslands, and showed a stronger relationship for P than for N. In addition, the CO2-induced down-regulation of plant N:P was accompanied by 19.3% and 4.2% increases in soil phosphatase activity and labile P, respectively, and a 10.1% decrease in total soil P. Our results show that down-regulation of plant N:P under elevated CO2 corresponds with accelerated soil P cycling. These findings should be useful for better understanding of terrestrial plant stoichiometry in response to elevated CO2 and of the underlying mechanisms affecting nutrient dynamics under climate change.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3354-3362 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Ecology |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2015 |
Keywords
- Climate change
- Element stoichiometry
- Elevated CO
- Growth rate hypothesis
- Metaanalysis
- Nutrient dynamics
- Progressive nitrogen limitation
- Terrestrial ecosystems
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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Dive into the research topics of 'Down-regulation of tissue N:P ratios in terrestrial plants by elevated CO2'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Datasets
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Supplement 1. Data used in meta-analyses for plant N and P concentration or pool, N:P ratio, and plant growth under elevated CO2.
Deng, Q. (Creator), Hui, D. (Contributor), Luo, Y. (Contributor), Elser, J. (Creator), Wang, Y. (Creator), Loladze, I. (Creator), Zhang, Q. (Contributor) & Dennis, S. (Creator), figshare Academic Research System, 2016
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.3563649.v1, https://wiley.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supplement_1_Data_used_in_meta-analyses_for_plant_N_and_P_concentration_or_pool_N_P_ratio_and_plant_growth_under_elevated_CO2_/3563649/1
Dataset
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Supplement 2. Data used in meta-analyses for soil phosphatase, labile P, and total P under elevated CO2.
Deng, Q. (Creator), Hui, D. (Contributor), Luo, Y. (Contributor), Elser, J. (Creator), Wang, Y. (Creator), Loladze, I. (Creator), Zhang, Q. (Contributor) & Dennis, S. (Creator), Figshare, 2016
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.3563646, https://wiley.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supplement_2_Data_used_in_meta-analyses_for_soil_phosphatase_labile_P_and_total_P_under_elevated_CO2_/3563646
Dataset
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Appendix B. List of publications used in meta-analyses for soil phosphatase, labile P, and total P under elevated CO2.
Deng, Q. (Creator), Hui, D. (Contributor), Luo, Y. (Contributor), Elser, J. (Creator), Wang, Y. (Creator), Loladze, I. (Creator), Zhang, Q. (Contributor) & Dennis, S. (Creator), Figshare, 2016
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.3563661, https://wiley.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Appendix_B_List_of_publications_used_in_meta-analyses_for_soil_phosphatase_labile_P_and_total_P_under_elevated_CO2_/3563661
Dataset