Publication
Title
Post-drought rewetting triggers substantial K release and shifts in leaf stoichiometry in managed and abandoned mountain grasslands
Author
Abstract
Background and aim When soil is rewetted after drought, typically a transient pulse of mineralization and other microbial processes occur. This “Birch effect” translates into a temporarily elevated soil carbon dioxide efflux (SCE) and may alter nutrient availability. While rewetting effects on SCE have been frequently studied, effects on soil nutrient supply have rarely been considered despite potential relevance for plant nutrition during post-drought recovery. Methods We investigated the magnitude of the post-drought rewetting effect on SCE, ion exchange membrane-derived soil nutrient supply rates and leaf stoichiometry in a drought experiment in the Austrian Alps. We conducted the experiment on a managed grassland (MG) and a nearby abandoned grassland (AG). Results Under drought, soil moisture depleted faster at MG than at AG. Upon rewetting, the SCE pulse was significantly larger at MG than at AG, whereas N, P and K supplies were more strongly stimulated at AG. A large, transient rewetting effect on soil K supply (MG: +363 ± 132%; AG: +821 ± 195%) was reflected in elevated K in leaves of Leontodon hispidus. Conclusions Rewetting can alter post-drought nutrient availability in mountain grasslands, with particularly pronounced effects on soil K supply.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Plant and soil. - 's-Gravenhage, 1949, currens
Plant and soil (Print)
Publication
Dordrecht : Springer , 2020
ISSN
0032-079X [print]
1573-5036 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S11104-020-04432-4
Volume/pages
16 p.
ISI
000515648800001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Global Ecosystem Functioning and Interactions with Global Change.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 26.03.2020
Last edited 02.12.2024
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