Abstract
Abstract Stability is a useful indicator of the functioning and sustainability of an ecosystem, and much studies have explored the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the inter‐annual stability of plant community. However, the effects of multiple anthropogenic stressors on seasonal community stability have not been clearly elucidated, especially for vulnerable semi‐arid grasslands. During the growing season in the 5th year of the experiment, we determined how nitrogen (N) addition, water addition and shrub removal altered seasonal community stability in a semi‐arid grassland dominated by the shrub Caragana microphylla on the Mongolian Plateau. We found that shrub removal, N addition and water addition had different effects on the stability of community and plant functional groups (PFGs). Shrub removal increased seasonal community stability mostly via increases in the stability of perennial forbs and C4 plants, and shrub removal did not alter the effects of N addition or water addition on seasonal community stability or PFG stability. N addition decreased seasonal community stability mostly via decreases in the stability of perennial rhizome grasses and C4 plants. Water addition increased seasonal community stability mostly via increases in the stability of annuals and biennials, perennial forbs, perennial rhizome grasses, dominant species and C4 plants. Species asynchrony and PFG stability but not species richness or soil abiotic or biotic variables helped to maintain seasonal community stability under N addition or water addition. Our findings indicate that future scenarios of increases in N deposition and shrub encroachment will strongly reduce community stability in drylands, and that future scenarios of increases in precipitation together with shrub removal might help to maintain the stability of this and other dryland ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
