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Soil nutrients influence the photosynthesis and biomass in invasive Panicum virgatum on the Loess Plateau in China

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Abstract

Background and aims

The changes in the characteristics of Panicum virgatum, an exotic invasive species, after invading various plant communities on the Loess Plateau in China and the main soil nutrient factors in these communities closely associated with invasion remain unclear.

Methods

A pot culture experiment was carried out to simulate the changes in photosynthesis, biomass, and biomass allocation in P. virgatum and to identify the main soil nutrient factors in various soils collected from local plant communities. P. virgatum was grown in soils collected from communities of P. virgatum (PS treatment), Setaria viridis (SS treatment), Bothriochloa ischaemum (BS treatment), and Artemisia sacrorum (AS treatment) and in a mixed soil from the communities of S. viridis, B. ischaemum, and A. sacrorum (MS treatment).

Results

Photosynthesis in P. virgatum differed significantly among the soil treatments. Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) were highest in PS, whereas single-photon avalanche diode values were highest in PS and SS. The variation of biomass differed significantly in different tissues of P. virgatum in the treatments. Leaf and stem biomasses were highest in PS and SS, and root biomass was highest in PS and MS. Total biomass differed significantly among the treatments, except between BS and MS. Both the leaf to total and stem to total biomass ratios were highest in AS and SS, but the root to total biomass ratio was lowest in these two treatments. A constrained redundancy analysis and a path analysis suggested that the water-soluble nitrate-nitrogen (W-NN) concentration of the soil could significantly affect photosynthesis, biomass, and biomass allocation in P. virgatum.

Conclusions

Photosynthesis, biomass, and biomass allocation in P. virgatum differed significantly when grown in soils from different local plant communities on the Loess Plateau. The soil W-NN concentration in these local plant communities likely has a large impact on the invasive success of P. virgatum.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the anonymous referees and editors of the journal who provided valuable comments and suggestions on our manuscript. This research was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (41371510, 41671513, 41471438) and the West Young Scholars Project of The Chinese Academy of Sciences (XAB2015A05).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, People’s Republic of China

    Zemin Ai, Jiaoyang Zhang, Sha Xue & Guobin Liu

  2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Xinong Rd. 26, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zemin Ai, Jiaoyang Zhang, Sha Xue & Guobin Liu

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China

    Zemin Ai

  4. College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Hongfei Liu

  5. College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Qi Xin

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  1. Zemin Ai
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Correspondence to Sha Xue.

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Responsible Editor: Leslie A. Weston .

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Ai, Z., Zhang, J., Liu, H. et al. Soil nutrients influence the photosynthesis and biomass in invasive Panicum virgatum on the Loess Plateau in China. Plant Soil 418, 153–164 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3286-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3286-x

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