Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

Bioturbation caused by herbivorous fossorial mammals creates extensive bare patches through their burrowing activities. Understanding changes in plant-soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of these bare patches is crucial for elucidating the r...

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Main Authors: Yuan Yuan Duan, Xiao Dan Sun, Huan Yang, Jie Li, Tong Wu, Ni Wang, Zheng Gang Guo, Xiao Pan Pang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24014134
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author Yuan Yuan Duan
Xiao Dan Sun
Huan Yang
Jie Li
Tong Wu
Ni Wang
Zheng Gang Guo
Xiao Pan Pang
author_facet Yuan Yuan Duan
Xiao Dan Sun
Huan Yang
Jie Li
Tong Wu
Ni Wang
Zheng Gang Guo
Xiao Pan Pang
author_sort Yuan Yuan Duan
collection DOAJ
description Bioturbation caused by herbivorous fossorial mammals creates extensive bare patches through their burrowing activities. Understanding changes in plant-soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of these bare patches is crucial for elucidating the restoration mechanisms of disturbed grassland ecosystems. This study considered plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) as the focal species and categorized the bare patches into short-term and long-term bare patches using a spatial substitution strategy, with surrounding vegetated surfaces in disturbed alpine meadows as controls. Results showed that P concentration in plant roots was 32.58% higher in long-term bare patches compared to short-term bare patches. However, no significant changes were observed in C and N concentrations in either plant shoots or roots during vegetation recovery process. Soil N concentrations were 38.78% lower in short-term bare patches and 36.65% lower in long-term bare patches compared to vegetated surfaces. The C:N ratio in plant shoots was 18.26% lower in short-term bare patches than in vegetated surfaces, whereas the soil C:N ratio was 39.42% higher in long-term bare patches compared to vegetated surfaces. However, no changes were observed in the C:P and N:P ratio of both plant and soil during vegetation recovery process of bare patches. These findings indicate that P concentration in plant roots can serve as a reliable indicator of the vegetation recovery process of bare patches caused by plateau pikas. Furthermore, plants in short-term bare patches prioritize rapid growth through resource allocation, while in long-term bare patches, they enhance nutrient use efficiency to achieve greater stability and resilience. These insights into plant-soil nutrient dynamics provide a deeper understanding of ecosystem resilience and recovery processes in disturbed alpine meadows, offering a valuable foundation for more targeted grassland management strategies.
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publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Elsevier
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spelling doaj-art-02a3495d019c466080f8551cf172f08d2024-12-16T05:35:41ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2024-12-01169112956Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateauYuan Yuan Duan0Xiao Dan Sun1Huan Yang2Jie Li3Tong Wu4Ni Wang5Zheng Gang Guo6Xiao Pan Pang7State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaCorresponding authors.; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaCorresponding authors.; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaBioturbation caused by herbivorous fossorial mammals creates extensive bare patches through their burrowing activities. Understanding changes in plant-soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of these bare patches is crucial for elucidating the restoration mechanisms of disturbed grassland ecosystems. This study considered plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) as the focal species and categorized the bare patches into short-term and long-term bare patches using a spatial substitution strategy, with surrounding vegetated surfaces in disturbed alpine meadows as controls. Results showed that P concentration in plant roots was 32.58% higher in long-term bare patches compared to short-term bare patches. However, no significant changes were observed in C and N concentrations in either plant shoots or roots during vegetation recovery process. Soil N concentrations were 38.78% lower in short-term bare patches and 36.65% lower in long-term bare patches compared to vegetated surfaces. The C:N ratio in plant shoots was 18.26% lower in short-term bare patches than in vegetated surfaces, whereas the soil C:N ratio was 39.42% higher in long-term bare patches compared to vegetated surfaces. However, no changes were observed in the C:P and N:P ratio of both plant and soil during vegetation recovery process of bare patches. These findings indicate that P concentration in plant roots can serve as a reliable indicator of the vegetation recovery process of bare patches caused by plateau pikas. Furthermore, plants in short-term bare patches prioritize rapid growth through resource allocation, while in long-term bare patches, they enhance nutrient use efficiency to achieve greater stability and resilience. These insights into plant-soil nutrient dynamics provide a deeper understanding of ecosystem resilience and recovery processes in disturbed alpine meadows, offering a valuable foundation for more targeted grassland management strategies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24014134C-N-P stoichiometryPlant-soilPlateau pikaBare patchVegetation recovery
spellingShingle Yuan Yuan Duan
Xiao Dan Sun
Huan Yang
Jie Li
Tong Wu
Ni Wang
Zheng Gang Guo
Xiao Pan Pang
Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
Ecological Indicators
C-N-P stoichiometry
Plant-soil
Plateau pika
Bare patch
Vegetation recovery
title Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
title_full Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
title_fullStr Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
title_full_unstemmed Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
title_short Changes in plant-soil C-N-P stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
title_sort changes in plant soil c n p stoichiometry during the vegetation recovery of bare patches caused by plateau pika ochotona curzoniae on the qinghai tibet plateau
topic C-N-P stoichiometry
Plant-soil
Plateau pika
Bare patch
Vegetation recovery
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X24014134
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