TY  - JOUR
AU  - Urbina, I.
AU  - Grau, O.
AU  - Sardans, J.
AU  - Ninot, J.M.
AU  - Peñuelas, J.
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Encroachment of shrubs into subalpine grasslands in the Pyrenees changes the plant-soil stoichiometry spectrum
T2  - Plant Soil
JO  - Plant and Soil
SP  - 37
EP  - 53
VL  - 448
IS  - 1-2
PB  - Springer
KW  - Nutrient stocks
KW  - Plant strategy
KW  - Plant-soil stoichiometry
KW  - Shrub encroachment
KW  - Subalpine grassland succession
KW  - aboveground biomass
KW  - biogeochemical cycle
KW  - carbon sequestration
KW  - ectomycorrhiza
KW  - fungus
KW  - grass
KW  - nitrogen
KW  - nutrient uptake
KW  - shrub
KW  - soil-vegetation interaction
KW  - stoichiometry
KW  - subalpine environment
KW  - succession
KW  - Europe
KW  - Pyrenees
KW  - Fungi
N2  - Aims: Shrub encroachment has been reported over a large proportion of the subalpine grasslands across Europe and is expected to have an important impact on the biogeochemical cycle of these ecosystems. We investigated the stoichiometric changes in the plant-soil system along the succession (e.g. increase in encroachment from unencroached grassland to mature shrubland) at two contrasting sites in the Pyrenees. Methods: We analyzed the chemical composition (C, N,15N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Fe) in the soil and in the aboveground plant compartments (leaves, leaf-litter and stems) of the main herbaceous species and shrubs at three contrasting stages of the succession: unencroached grassland, young shrubland and mature shrubland. Results: The plant-soil stoichiometry spectrum differed between the successional stages. Shrub encroachment generally increased the concentration of C and Ca and the C:N ratio and often reduced to concentrations of N, P and K in the leaves and leaf-litter, while several soil nutrient concentrations (N, P, K Ca and Mg) decreased. The stocks of C, N, P, Ca, and Mg in the total aboveground biomass increased with encroachment. Conclusions: Shrub encroachment favored the dominance of long-lived species with low concentrations of N and P in the plant-soil compartments, high C:nutrient ratios in the aboveground biomass and increase the uptake of N through ericoid or ectomycorrhizal fungi. We highlight the role of shrubs in the sequestration of C and nutrients through the allocation to the aboveground biomass. The changes in plant-soil elemental composition and stocks suggest a slowdown of the biogeochemical cycles in the subalpine mountain areas where shrub encroachment occurred. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
SN  - 0032079x (Issn)
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04420-3
N1  - exported from refbase (http://php.ecofog.gf/refbase/show.php?record=983), last updated on Mon, 08 Feb 2021 15:39:02 -0300
ID  - Urbina_etal2020
ER  -