Biomass N:P Ratios as Indicators of Nutrient Limitation for Plant Populations in Wetlands

The conservation or restoration of seminatural vegetation often involves measures that influence the availability of nutrients and consequently the plant species composition. The ability to predict effects of modified nutrient availability on species composition would therefore help to choose approp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological applications 2003-04, Vol.13 (2), p.372-384
Main Authors: Güsewell, Sabine, Koerselman, Willem, Jos T. A. Verhoeven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied ecology
Biomass
Biomass production
dune slacks
Fens
Fertilization
fertilization experiment
Fertilizers
N:P ratio
nitrogen concentration
nutrient limitation
phosphorus concentration
Plants
Ratios
resource ratio model
Vegetation
Wetland ecology
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Summary:The conservation or restoration of seminatural vegetation often involves measures that influence the availability of nutrients and consequently the plant species composition. The ability to predict effects of modified nutrient availability on species composition would therefore help to choose appropriate management strategies. The aim of this study was to test whether short-term effects of nitrogen or phosphorus enrichment can be predicted from nutrient ratios in plant biomass. At 11 species-rich sites in Dutch fens and dune slacks, small plots were fertilized with N, P, N + P, or not fertilized (control). The aboveground biomass, N and P concentrations, and N:P ratios were compared between fertilized and control plots for all sufficiently abundant plant populations in the summers preceding and following fertilization. Of 121 populations, only 45 had their biomass enhanced significantly by fertilization. Populations enhanced by P fertilization had on average higher biomass N:P ratios than those enhanced by N, due to higher N and lower P concentrations. However, N:P ratios did not differ among populations enhanced by N, N + P, or neither nutrient. High biomass N:P ratios (>20) therefore indicated that a plant population would probably respond to P-fertilization, but low or intermediate N:P ratios (
ISSN:1051-0761
1939-5582
DOI:10.1890/1051-0761(2003)013[0372:BNRAIO]2.0.CO;2