Contrasting effects of N fertilization and mowing on ecosystem multifunctionality in a meadow steppe

Abstract

There is little experimental field evidence on how multiple essential land use intensification drivers (LUIDs), such as nitrogen (N) fertilization and mowing, interact to control ecosystem multifunctionality. Here, we conducted a 4-year field experiment in a meadow steppe in northeast China and evaluated the direct and indirect effects of mowing and N fertilization on a range of ecosystem functions associated with nutrient cycle, carbon stocks, and organic matter decomposition during the past 2 years of the experiment (2017 and 2018). Mowing had negative effects on the ecosystem multifunctionality index (EMF), carbon (C) cycle multifunctionality index (CCMF), and N cycle multifunctionality index (NCMF) in 2 years of sampling. However, in general, the responses of multifunctionality to N fertilization were rate-specific and year-dependent. N fertilization had positive effects on EMF, CCMF, NCMF, and phosphorus (P) cycle multifunctionality index (PCMF) in 2017, with the higher precipitation rate during the growing season, which was likely associated with the strong monsoon season. However, in 2018, EMF, CCMF, and NCMF increased at the lower N fertilization levels (≤10 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹), but decreased at higher N rates. N fertilization had consistent positive effects on PCMF in the 2 years of sampling. The effects of land use drivers on multifunctionality were indirectly influenced by bacterial biomass, plant richness, and soil moisture changes. Our results also indicated that the impacts of land use drivers on multifunctionality played an important role in maintaining a range of functions at low levels of functioning (<50% functional threshold). Low N fertilization levels (≤10 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹) were able to reduce the negative effects of mowing on ecosystem multifunctionality while promoting plant biomass (food for livestock) and C storage. These findings are useful for designing practical strategies toward promoting multifunctionality by managing multiple LUIDs in a meadow steppe.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Ecosystem multifunctionality / Sustainable grassland management / Land use intensification / Mowing / Multi-threshold approach / Nitrogen fertilization

References

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Authorship

H.C., W.S. and M.D-B. developed the original idea of the analyses presented in the manuscript. H.C., W.S. and J-Y.M. designed the field experiment. K.W., W.Z.S. and X.L. helped field and laboratory work by sampling plant and soil and analyzing all the functions. H.C. performed all the statistical analyses and modeling, and wrote the first draft supported by M.D-B. and W.S. All the authors contributed substantially to the revisions of the manuscript.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0500602), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570470, 31870456), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2412018ZD010), and the Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities (B16011). M.D-B. was supported by the Spanish Government under Ramón y Cajal (RYC2018-025483-I). M.D-B. also acknowledges support from a Large Research Grant from the British Ecological Society (Grant Agreement No. LRA17\1193, MUSGONET). H.C. acknowledges support from Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Electronic supplementary material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s42832-020-0046-2 and is accessible for authorized users.

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