Abstract
Warming-induced nutrient enrichment in the Arctic may lead to shifts in leaf-level physiological properties and processes with potential consequences for plant community dynamics and ecosystem function. To explore the physiological responses of Arctic tundra vegetation to increasing nutrient availability, we examined how a set of leaf nutrient and physiological characteristics of eight plant species (representing four plant functional groups) respond to a gradient of experimental nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) enrichment. Specifically, we examined a set of chlorophyll fluorescence measures related to photosynthetic efficiency, performance and stress, and two leaf nutrient traits (leaf %C and %N), across an experimental nutrient gradient at the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research site, located in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, Alaska. In addition, we explicitly assessed the direct relationships between chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf %N. We found significant differences in physiological and nutrient traits between species and plant functional groups, and we found that species within one functional group (deciduous shrubs) have significantly greater leaf %N at high levels of nutrient addition. In addition, we found positive, saturating relationships between leaf %N and chlorophyll fluorescence measures across all species. Our results highlight species-specific differences in leaf nutrient traits and physiology in this ecosystem. In particular, the effects of a gradient of nutrient enrichment were most prominent in deciduous plant species, the plant functional group known to be increasing in relative abundance with warming in this ecosystem.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by NASA Terrestrial Ecology grant NNX12AK83G and a National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Graduate Education fellowship DGE-11–44155 awarded to C.M.P. The nutrient addition gradient experiment used in this study was supported by NSF grant DEB-1026843 awarded to G. Shaver and colleagues at the Arctic Long Term Ecological (ARC LTER) site. We thank Jim Laundre and Laura Gough for long-term maintenance of this experiment and we are extremely grateful for support from the staff and research community of Toolik Field Station, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research site. In addition, we thank Laura Gough for helpful feedback on an earlier version of this manuscript.
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CMP and KLG conceived the ideas and designed the methodology; CMP, HEG, JTG, CS and KLG collected the data; CMP analyzed the data; all authors contributed to the interpretation of analyses; CMP led the writing of the manuscript; all authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.
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Communicated by Miquel A. Gonzalez-Meler.
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Prager, C.M., Boelman, N.T., Eitel, J.U.H. et al. A mechanism of expansion: Arctic deciduous shrubs capitalize on warming-induced nutrient availability. Oecologia 192, 671–685 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04586-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04586-8