Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China
The capacity to develop resilience to global change, such as nitrogen deposition, is an important topic for the management of key ecological functional zones. In this study, nitrogen enrichment (10 g N m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>, NE) and control plots (0 g N m<sup>−...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/1915 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849319766067511296 |
|---|---|
| author | Litao Lin Huiyi Yu Xuekai Sun Guiyan Ai Jie Bai |
| author_facet | Litao Lin Huiyi Yu Xuekai Sun Guiyan Ai Jie Bai |
| author_sort | Litao Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The capacity to develop resilience to global change, such as nitrogen deposition, is an important topic for the management of key ecological functional zones. In this study, nitrogen enrichment (10 g N m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>, NE) and control plots (0 g N m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>, CL), each with eight replications, were randomly established in the Horqin Sandy Land to investigate how grassland carbon sequestration functions and herdsmen’s livelihoods respond to nitrogen deposition. In addition, three grazing scenarios (non-grazing, light grazing, and moderate grazing) were simulated to determine whether human activities affect the relationships (trade-off vs. synergistic) among forage supply, carbon sequestration, and windbreak and sand-fixing services under nitrogen deposition. The results showed that NE exhibited a significant increase in aboveground carbon storage (99.40 g C m<sup>−2</sup>, 117.34%) and the shoot carbon/root carbon ratio (1.90) when compared to the CL (0.95) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). NE significantly decreased soil carbon storage ability, particularly in the 10–30 cm soil layer (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The reduction in soil carbon storage was offset by increases in plant carbon storage, resulting in a neutral effect of the NE treatment on the total grassland carbon storage (<i>p</i> > 0.05). The synergistic effects of NE on grassland forage supply and windbreak and sand-fixing functions were observed under a light grazing scenario, which balanced ecological safety and livelihood more effectively than the non-grazing and moderate grazing scenarios. These findings indicate that the structure of grassland carbon storage is influenced by nitrogen deposition and that light grazing would enhance ecosystem services and promote sustainable grassland development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d69f80cf47d4a30bbbd45ab38c563bb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d69f80cf47d4a30bbbd45ab38c563bb2025-08-20T03:50:20ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-06-011413191510.3390/plants14131915Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in ChinaLitao Lin0Huiyi Yu1Xuekai Sun2Guiyan Ai3Jie Bai4Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, ChinaChinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Silviculture, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, ChinaCollege of Environmental Science, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, ChinaThe capacity to develop resilience to global change, such as nitrogen deposition, is an important topic for the management of key ecological functional zones. In this study, nitrogen enrichment (10 g N m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>, NE) and control plots (0 g N m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>, CL), each with eight replications, were randomly established in the Horqin Sandy Land to investigate how grassland carbon sequestration functions and herdsmen’s livelihoods respond to nitrogen deposition. In addition, three grazing scenarios (non-grazing, light grazing, and moderate grazing) were simulated to determine whether human activities affect the relationships (trade-off vs. synergistic) among forage supply, carbon sequestration, and windbreak and sand-fixing services under nitrogen deposition. The results showed that NE exhibited a significant increase in aboveground carbon storage (99.40 g C m<sup>−2</sup>, 117.34%) and the shoot carbon/root carbon ratio (1.90) when compared to the CL (0.95) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). NE significantly decreased soil carbon storage ability, particularly in the 10–30 cm soil layer (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The reduction in soil carbon storage was offset by increases in plant carbon storage, resulting in a neutral effect of the NE treatment on the total grassland carbon storage (<i>p</i> > 0.05). The synergistic effects of NE on grassland forage supply and windbreak and sand-fixing functions were observed under a light grazing scenario, which balanced ecological safety and livelihood more effectively than the non-grazing and moderate grazing scenarios. These findings indicate that the structure of grassland carbon storage is influenced by nitrogen deposition and that light grazing would enhance ecosystem services and promote sustainable grassland development.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/1915nitrogen enrichmentcarbon sequestrationsemi-arid grasslandcarbon allocation |
| spellingShingle | Litao Lin Huiyi Yu Xuekai Sun Guiyan Ai Jie Bai Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China Plants nitrogen enrichment carbon sequestration semi-arid grassland carbon allocation |
| title | Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China |
| title_full | Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China |
| title_fullStr | Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China |
| title_short | Short-Term Nitrogen Enrichment Reshapes Carbon Allocation and Enhances Synergistic Ecosystem Services in Semi-Arid Sandy Grasslands in China |
| title_sort | short term nitrogen enrichment reshapes carbon allocation and enhances synergistic ecosystem services in semi arid sandy grasslands in china |
| topic | nitrogen enrichment carbon sequestration semi-arid grassland carbon allocation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/1915 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT litaolin shorttermnitrogenenrichmentreshapescarbonallocationandenhancessynergisticecosystemservicesinsemiaridsandygrasslandsinchina AT huiyiyu shorttermnitrogenenrichmentreshapescarbonallocationandenhancessynergisticecosystemservicesinsemiaridsandygrasslandsinchina AT xuekaisun shorttermnitrogenenrichmentreshapescarbonallocationandenhancessynergisticecosystemservicesinsemiaridsandygrasslandsinchina AT guiyanai shorttermnitrogenenrichmentreshapescarbonallocationandenhancessynergisticecosystemservicesinsemiaridsandygrasslandsinchina AT jiebai shorttermnitrogenenrichmentreshapescarbonallocationandenhancessynergisticecosystemservicesinsemiaridsandygrasslandsinchina |