Effects of Warming and Increased Precipitation on Root Production and Turnover of <i>Stipa breviflora</i> Community in Desert Steppe
Qi Li,
Jianying Guo,
Zhanyi Wang,
Chengjie Wang,
Pengbo Liu,
Guangyi Lv,
Zhenqi Yang,
Chunjie Wang,
Xiao Qiu
Affiliations
Qi Li
Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-Hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Jianying Guo
Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-Hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Zhanyi Wang
Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Chengjie Wang
Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Pengbo Liu
Arong Banner Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Arong Banner 162750, China
Guangyi Lv
Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of Education, College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Zhenqi Yang
Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-Hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Chunjie Wang
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Xiao Qiu
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
Organic carbon in grassland mainly exists in the soil, and root production and turnover play important roles in carbon input into the soil. However, the effects of climate change on plant root dynamics in desert steppe are unknown. We conducted an experiment in a desert steppe, which included ambient temperature (T0); temperature increased by 2 °C (T1); temperature increased by 4 °C (T2); natural precipitation (P0); precipitation increased by 25% (P1); precipitation increased by 50% (P2); and the interaction between warming and increased precipitation. Plant community aboveground characteristics; root production; and root turnover were measured. We found that the root length production of the T0P2; T1P1; T2P0; and T2P1 treatments were significantly higher than that of the T0P0 treatment, with an increment of 98.70%, 11.72%, 163.03%, and 85.14%, respectively. Three treatments with temperature increased by 2 °C (T1P0; T1P1; and T1P2) and significantly increased root turnover rate compared to the T0P0 treatment, with increases of 62.53%, 42.57%, and 35.55%, respectively. The interaction between warming and increased precipitation significantly affected the root production of the community (p < 0.01), but this interaction was non-additive. Future climate warming will benefit the accumulation of root-derived carbon in desert steppe communities.
