Legumes Functional Group Promotes Soil Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Storage by Increasing Plant Diversity

• Published in: Land degradation & development Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 1336 - 1344
• Main Authors: Wu, Gao‐Lin, Liu, Yu, Tian, Fu‐Ping, Shi, Zhi‐Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2017
• Subjects: arid lands; Aridity; belowground biomass; Biodiversity; Biomass; carbon nitrogen ratio; Community composition; community structure; Complementarity; Composition; Ecosystem services; Flowers & plants; Functional groups; Grasses; Grasslands; Legumes; legumes functional group; Litter; moieties; Nitrogen; Organic carbon; Plant communities; Plant diversity; Plant species; Productivity; richness; soil; soil C storage; soil N storage; soil organic carbon; Soils; Species diversity; Species richness
• ISSN: 1085-3278; 1099-145X
• DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2570

Community composition strongly affected the soil C and N storages. However, the influences of community composition on native grassland remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the ability of plant communities including how legumes affect the soil C and N storages in the semi‐arid grassland. Experimental grassland communities were separated by whether or not containing legumes. We measured soil C and N storages and determined above‐ground and below‐ground biomass, litter biomass, plant species richness, and species diversity to understand the mechanisms underlying the changes of soil C and N storages and to determine the relationship of species diversity and productivity. The results showed that legumes increased above‐ground and below‐ground biomass and C and N storages. Soil C and N storages were significantly and positively related to above‐ground and below‐ground biomass, litter biomass, plant species richness, and diversity in the presence of legumes. The presence of legumes increased soil C and N simultaneously but not synchronously, which resulting in a higher C:N ratio. This study indicated that legumes increased soil C and N storages possibly through increasing biomass and soil C and N inputs. The increases are mediated by plant diversity and plant functional complementarity. We suggest that the combination of legumes‐grass species may greatly enhance ecosystem services such as soil C and N storages, productivity, and diversity in semi‐arid grassland. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.