Nitrogen use efficiency: does a trade-off exist between the N productivity and the mean residence time within species?
Zhi Y. Yuan A B , Han Y. H. Chen B and Ling H. Li A CA Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China.
B Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada.
C Corresponding author. Email: llinghao@ibcas.ac.cn
Australian Journal of Botany 56(3) 272-277 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT07139
Submitted: 23 July 2007 Accepted: 25 February 2008 Published: 21 May 2008
Abstract
Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) can be divided into two components, i.e. N productivity (A) and the mean residence time (MRT). Controlled experiments indicate that there is not a trade-off between A and MRT within species, but this theory has not been well tested in field conditions. Here, we studied the A, MRT and NUE of Stipa krylovii Roshev. in a grassland over 4 years of N fertilisation experimentation. The three parameters (A, MRT and NUE) were significantly related to soil N supply and there was a negative relationship between A and MRT within this species (r = –0.775, P < 0.05), i.e. plants with higher A had lower MRT. Our results showed a trade-off between A and MRT within this Stipa species and this observed trade-off was attributed to different responses of A and MRT to soil fertility.
Acknowledgements
Great thanks are extended to J.Y. Huang for her kind regard in providing data. This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30600076) and the State Key Basic Research Development Program of China (2007CB106800).
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