Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Numerous studies have demonstrated that nitrogen (N) enrichment typically reduces ecosystem stability, yet how low N addition rates influence temporal dynamics of stability remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the temporal effects of different N addition levels (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 g N m −2 year −1 ) on the stability of aboveground net primary production (ANPP), species richness, species stability, and species asynchrony, and how the relationships among them change with a 7-year experiment in alpine grasslands. Low N addition significantly enhanced the temporal stability of ANPP during the initial years, whereas this positive effect attenuated over time. In contrast, high N addition reduced community stability, independent of temporal changes. Across the entire experimental period, the stabilizing effect of low N addition was primarily driven by increased species asynchrony, whereas the destabilizing effect of high N addition was mainly mediated by decreased species stability. Moreover, greater interannual precipitation variability amplified the negative effect of high N addition on community stability by reducing species asynchrony, which resulted from the enhanced sensitivity of the dominant species, Stipa purpurea, to precipitation fluctuations. The low N input (≤ 2.5 g N m⁻ 2 year⁻ 1 ) may be prioritized to maintain alpine ecosystem stability in the short term, while attention should be paid to its potential cumulative effects over the long term.
Source: Ecological Processes
Authors: Yunlong He, Peili Shi, Yangjian Zhang, Ning Zong, Ge Hou, Juntao Zhu, Lin Jiang
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,670
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia da Criosfera, Key Research and Development Program of Liaoning Province, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
Awards: Experimental assessment of the long-term ecological and evolutionary consequences of engineered nanoparticles, G1342225833, G1578326747, G2248598239, G3480734407, G3663742574, G3727086630, G4296377354, G4677673759, The Role of Phylogenetic Relatedness and Diversity on Community Assembly and Ecosystem Functioning: Experimental Tests Using Laboratory Protist Microcosms, G5910512106, G6495430103, G7696091013, G8421693139, G9000160022
OpenAlex ID: W7138190802