Meadow Plant Research Articles

Exploring phyllosphere fungal communities of 29 alpine meadow plant species: composition, structure, function, and implications for plant fungal diseases

The phyllosphere of plants hosts diverse fungal microbial communities. Despite the significant impact of plant fungal diseases on productivity and community ecology, the relationship between phyllosphere fungal communities and plant health in natural environments remains poorly understood. This study utilized high-throughput sequencing and field investigations to explore the composition, dynamics, and incidence of fungal diseases across 29 plant species from four functional groups (forbs, grasses, legumes, and sedges) in alpine meadow plant communities of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We identified Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes as the predominant phyllosphere fungi. Significant differences were observed in the Shannon diversity index, β-diversity, indicator fungi, and hub fungi among the functional groups. With the exception of the sedge group, the incidence of fungal diseases in other groups was positively correlated with the proportion of pathogens in the phyllosphere fungal community. Predictive analyses revealed that Ascochyta was strongly associated with high disease incidence in grasses, Cercospora in forbs, and Podosphaera in legumes, while Calophoma was associated with low disease incidence in sedges. These findings enhance our understanding of how plant phyllosphere fungal communities assemble in natural environments and improve our ability to predict and manage foliar fungal diseases in alpine meadows.

Response of Plant Phylogenetic Structure to Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) Disturbance on Alpine Meadow of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACTPlant community construction is influenced by bottom‐up processes, such as environmental factors, and top‐down processes, such as herbivore disturbances. With climate change and overgrazing, the stability of plant community structure and function decreases, and more land at risk of degradation. However, the response of the plant community to interference from native herbivores under similar environmental conditions remains unclear. Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is an important small rodent inhabiting the alpine meadow of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, and its disturbance may accelerate the degradation of grassland ecosystems when its population experiences a burst. In this study, we investigated the plant communities, collected and analyzed the soil samples, to explore the effects of plateau pikas' disturbance intensity on species composition and phylogenetic structure of plant communities on the alpine meadow. We utilized the generalized additive model and structural equation model to explain and predict the response of plant phylogenetic structure and species competition to the disturbance of plateau pikas. Our results indicated that plateau pika disturbance altered the dominance of plant groups, increased species substitution, and facilitated coexistence among different species, and it affected deterministic processes, reduced interspecific competition intensity, and promoted the dispersion of phylogenetic structures. These findings suggested that plateau pika, as a small native herbivore, plays a significant role in fostering multi‐species plant communities. Therefore, it is essential to manage plateau pika disturbance intensity to maintain the stability of alpine meadow plant communities, as well as to influence the long‐term succession of grassland ecosystems. This study provides some new evidence for exploring the effects of native small herbivores on the changes in grassland plant communities.

Ecology of Trifolium elazizense, an endemic alpine meadow species from Türkiye

This study presents some ecological characteristics of Trifolium elazizense, a local endemic alpine meadow plant species in the East Anatolian region of Türkiye. Elemental analyses were carried out in plants and soils. Soil-plant relationships were evaluated. The results obtained from all plant parts of Trifolium elazizense (root, stem and leaves) showed that the elemental concentrations of boron, calcium, copper, potassium, manganese, lead and zinc were within the limit values; cadmium, iron and magnesium were above the limit values. The general concentration of all elements in the soil samples is generally within acceptable limits.

Natural forming of vegetation cover on black coal mining dumps in the environs of Kopeysk (Chelyabinsk Oblast)

The article considers the current forming of vegetation and biotopes as a result of natural overgrowth of territories disturbed during black coal mining in the environs of Kopeysk town (Chelyabinsk Oblast). The 88 species of vascular plants were detected on the waste banks and spaces between them, the 7 species of vascular plants are woody species. It has been established that in the process of natural overgrowth of dumps, forest and meadow plant communities are actively formed from pioneer ruderal and halophytic communities. By methods of multidimensional statistics, 15 phytocoenochores have been determined and the discriminate of which is d identified by the tree species, which are forming the forest canopy. The identified plant communities are characterized by specific regimes of the fundamental abiotic factors of biotopes and make up a series of biotopic and coenotic substitution, forming a sylvant (forest) and pratant (meadow) successional series. It has been shown that in the process of natural overgrowth, the formation of forest (primarily birch) and meadow coenoses proceeds in parallel, and the invasive species Acer negundo L. plays an active role in sylvatization. It has been established that the leading hand in the formation of the coenotic structure of communities belongs to soil mineralization, acidity, aeration and variability of soil moisture. The obtained data on biotopes and successional series can be used in the development of the biological stage of landfill revegetation after coal mining impacts with the formation of woody or grass plant communities.

Biodiversity of plants in suburban meadows to create urban lawns with wildflowers

The creation of natural lawns is a means of optimizing costs for maintaining green infrastructure in the city by including natural biodiversity in lawns, which will increase the stability of plant communities in lawns and the quality of ecosystem services. Purpose. Determine the predominant species of plant groups of natural phytocenoses, which are further appropriate for planting in semi-natural lawns to ensure the stability of territories.. Methods. The Ramensky method was employed to determine the quantitative composition of natural lawns in the study areas, while the Raunkiær classification was utilized to identify persistent and perennial plant species. Results. The geobotanical investigation enabled the identification of dominant species in the study areas, providing insights into the phytocoenological composition of natural lawns for the city of Kyiv. This served as the foundation for developing recommendations for a plant catalogue tailored to the creation of such lawns in Kyiv. The grass stand at Lysa Hora exhibited the highest stability, with a significant presence of native species. Adventitious species were less dominant in this area, likely due to their conditional pathogenicity. Conversely, Trukhaniv Island displayed dominance by typical species, albeit with the occasional presence of azonal species. Mount Shchekavytsia showed competition between azonal and typical species. Surveys of recreational areas, including Lysa Hora, Mount Shchekavytsia, and Trukhaniv Island, underscored the presence of native, azonal, and adventive species. The study identified common native hemicryptophytes, including filamentous fescue, grey fescue, and creeping wheatgrass. A developed plant catalogue is poised to enhance ecosystem regulation services, such as microclimate regulation, water and wind erosion control, biodiversity maintenance, and social services through increased territorial attractiveness. Conclusions. When creating a natural lawn, the best species are considered to be indigenous, which allows for the sustainability of plant communities. The study identified the following native species that will successfully complement lawn coverings in the city: gray and filamentous fescue, ground fescue, creeping thyme, green strawberry, field carnation, and oak sage. The recommendations can be applied in other cities of Ukraine with similar physical and geographical conditions.

Assessment of the biological activity of soil in meadow plant communities comprising ash-leafd maple

Assessment of the biological activity of soil in meadow plant communities comprising ash-leafd maple

Plant biomass partitioning in alpine meadows under different herbivores as influenced by soil bulk density and available nutrients

Biomass allocation is a key mechanism for understanding the response of alpine meadow plants to environmental changes. However, the two major theories of plant biomass partitioning, that is, optimal and equidistant allocation, are highly controversial. This study aimed to test these hypotheses by using the biomass allocation pattern of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau alpine meadows under different herbivore assemblages and enclosures and to identify the key physicochemical factors driving changes in biomass allocation. The results showed that fencing and grazing lead to the allocation of more biomass to roots and shoots, respectively. Additionally, our results support the optimal allocation hypothesis, which is mainly regulated by changes in soil physicochemical properties. Specifically, the trade-off between aboveground- and belowground biomass negatively correlated with the soil bulk density, soil moisture, available nitrogen, and available phosphorus but positively correlated with available potassium. In terms of biomass trade-offs, co-grazing yaks and Tibetan sheep at a 1:6 ratio with moderate grazing intensity may be a reasonable method to use and protect alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Fire as a Factor in the Dynamics of Meadow Vegetation: A Model Experiment in Western Siberia

The state of meadow vegetation in areas with different ages of experimental spring burnout (from 1 to 12 years ago) was studied in the Tomsk region for 3 years. On experimental plots of 1 m2 and 100 m2 (small- and middle-scale levels, respectively), the dynamics of species richness, total projective cover of vegetation, and aboveground phytomass reserves were characterized, and the structure of communities was analyzed. It was revealed that a single fire in the spring significantly reduces species richness for small-scale plots and increases the total projective cover for middle-scale plots. Structural differences from control plots can be traced from 1 to 4 years for different characteristics. The effects of fire are more prominent for small-scale plots. To suppress tree growth and maintain the existence of meadows, grass fires seem to be a less effective practice than mowing. At the same time, the results obtained potentially allow us to consider prescribed burning as a tool for maintaining the stability of meadow plant communities in the south of Western Siberia, preventing them from becoming overgrown with tree undergrowth, in cases with a controlled frequency of burning and the use of appropriate fire safety measures.

The genome sequence of the meadow plant bug, Leptopterna dolabrata (Linnaeus, 1758)

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Leptopterna dolabrata (the meadow plant bug; Arthropoda; Insecta; Hemiptera; Miridae). The genome sequence is 987.9 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 17 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 18.18 kilobases in length.

How to successfully improve the biodiversity of city grasslands?

Urban grasslands (UG) are among the most common types of urban green areas. They are usually species poor, and spontaneous plant migration, which can increase biodiversity, is limited. To improve the range of ecosystem services provided by UG, various seed mixtures are applied during the establishment and restoration of UG. These mixtures vary in content, quality, and cost. High-quality seed mixtures are expensive and are usually only available in small amounts. Meanwhile, alternative methods of seed introduction (e.g., fresh hay application, seeds harvested by brush) have not been well studied in UG restoration, and inexpensive commercial mixtures could have low quality and lead to poor restoration outcomes. Here, we tested the effectiveness of different seed sources to create high-quality UG at two study sites. Based on the results, all seed addition methods increased the species richness of restored grasslands. The outcome of seed addition was satisfactory regardless of differences in residual vegetation species composition and soil properties between the sites. The species richness on plots that received a commercial mixture of flower meadow plants dedicated to pollinators decreased after overwintering. The alternative seed sources (fresh hay and seed incidentally collected during mowing) yielded grassland quality that was comparable to that on plots that received high-quality mixtures with known seed origin (a seminatural meadow mixture and a mixture with the addition of grasses).

Diazotrophic abundance and community structure associated with three meadow plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Symbiotic diazotrophs form associations with legumes and substantially fix nitrogen into soils. However, grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are dominated by non-legume plants, such as Kobresia tibetica. Herein, we investigated the diazotrophic abundance, composition, and community structure in the soils and roots of three plants, non-legume K. tibetica and Kobresia humilis and the legume Oxytropis ochrocephala, using molecular methods targeting nifH gene. Diazotrophs were abundantly observed in both bulk and rhizosphere soils, as well as in roots of all three plants, but their abundance varied with plant type and soil. In both bulk and rhizosphere soils, K. tibetica showed the highest diazotroph abundance, whereas K. humilis had the lowest. In roots, O. ochrocephala and K. humilis showed the highest and the lowest diazotroph abundance, respectively. The bulk and rhizosphere soils exhibited similar diazotrophic community structure in both O. ochrocephala and K. tibetica, but were substantially distinct from the roots in both plants. Interestingly, the root diazotrophic community structures in legume O. ochrocephala and non-legume K. tibetica were similar. Diazotrophs in bulk and rhizosphere soils were more diverse than those in the roots of three plants. Rhizosphere soils of K. humilis were dominated by Actinobacteria, while rhizosphere soils and roots of K. tibetica were dominated by Verrumicrobia and Proteobacteria. The O. ochrocephala root diazotrophs were dominated by Alphaproteobacteria. These findings indicate that free-living diazotrophs abundantly and diversely occur in grassland soils dominated by non-legume plants, suggesting that these diazotrophs may play important roles in fixing nitrogen into soils on the plateau.

Поступление 137Cs в почву из луговых растений при аэральном загрязнении и формирование первичных градиентов концентраций этого поллютанта в почве на агрегатном уровне

In model experiments under field conditions in the Aleksandrovsky district of the Vladimir region, the intake of 137Cs from various meadow plants into soddy-podzolic heavy loamy soil was studied. The radionuclide in the form of an aqueous solution of cesium nitrate was applied to the leaf surface of the middle tier, which prevented 137Cs from entering the soil. Representatives of different families were used as experimental plants: common cuff (Alchemilla vulgaris L.), rosaceae family; forest angelica (Angelica sylvestris L.), celery family; caustic buttercup (Ranunculus acer L.), ranunculaceae family; common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.), aster family and meadow timothy (Phleum pratense L.), bluegrass family. The experimental results showed that 2.7 to 6.9% of the applied radiocesium can enter the soil through root secretions, and the largest amount of the pollutant was found in the soil of varieties with forest angelica, the smallest – with common tansy. 137Cs entering the soil accumulated mainly in the uppermost 0 to 4 cm horizon; in the underlying layers of 4 to 12 cm radiocesium was found 1.2 to 6.7 times less. At the aggregate level, 137Cs concentrated mainly on the surface of the smallest soil particles, which were <0.5 and 0.5 to 1 mm in size.

Сосновые (Pinus sylvestris) леса и редколесья Северо-Западного Приладожья

Сосновые (Pinus sylvestris) леса и редколесья Северо-Западного Приладожья

ECOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF FLORA OF MEADOWS OF THE ROMENSKO-POLTAVSKY GEOBOTANICAL DISTRICT

The article paper deals with the ecological structure of the meadows flora of the Romensko-Poltavsky geobotanical district. The identified species were analysed according to 12 ecological factors, which belong to two groups – edaphic and climatic. In the first group, the plants of meadow lands were studied according to 7 ecological factors, among which sub-mesophytes (174 species or 28,9%) and mesophytes (149 species or 24,8%) prevail in relation to soil water regime. In relation to the soil moisture variability, the dominance of two ecogroups was revealed, they are hemi-hydrocontrastophiles (227 species or 37,8%) and hemi-hydrocontrastophobes (226 species or 37,6%). In terms of soil acidity, sub-acidophytes (275 species or 45,8%) and neutrophiles(244 species or 40,6%) were identified. In relation to the soil salinity of the soil in the studied meadow, phytocoenoses semi-eutrophes (288 species or 48%) are leading. In terms of carbonate content in the soil, hemi-carbonatophobes (235 species or 39,1%) and acarbonatophiles(203 species or 37,8%) prevailed. Hemi-nitrophiles (297 species or 49,4%) prevail in terms of nitrogen content in the soil, and sub-aerophiles (305 species or 50,7%) in terms of soil aeration. The meadow plants of the Romensko-Poltavsky geobotanical district were studied according to5 ecological factors of the climatic group, among which the most prominent were sub-mesotherms (309 species or 51,4%) and sub-microtherms (240 species or 39,9%) in relation to the thermal regime. In terms of climate humidity, sub-aridophytes dominate (233 species or 38,8%). In terms of climate continentality, hemi-continental (258 species or 42,9%) and hemi-oceanic (207 species or 34,4%) are dominant. Sub-cryophytes are the most numerous in relation to the cryo-regime(302 species or 50,2%). In relation to light conditions, sub-heliophytes are represented by the largest number of species (493 species or 82%).

Response of Alpine Meadow Plant Diversity and Biomass to Nitrogen Addition and Growth Stage

Response of Alpine Meadow Plant Diversity and Biomass to Nitrogen Addition and Growth Stage

Влияние экологических факторов на генетический полиморфизм в природных популяциях Fragaria vesca

Genetic polymorphism of natural cenopopulations of wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) from the Republic of Mari El was measured by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The method of molecular genome marking based on RAPD-PCR makes it possible to determine the genetic status of populations and establish interpopulation relationships. The cenopopulations that we selected for the analysis were confined to different stages of the forest phytocenosis succession: the climatic phytocenosis and the area of the forest felling. These F. vesca cenopopulations differed in the ratio of sexual and vegetative reproduction during the maintenance of the cenopopulation size. In a felling area in conditions of greater illumination the intensity of sexual and vegetative reproduction increases. However, specimens of seed origin were not found in the felling area, since in conditions of high competition with ruderal and meadow plants, slowly developing strawberry seedlings died. The germination of seeds and plants of seed origin was noted under conditions of climatic phytocenosis. For the cenopopulation confined to the climax forest, Shannon’s diversity index and Nei’s genetic distance were 0.5179 and 0.3613 respectively. In a felling area vegetative reproduction processes predominate, so Shannon’s diversity index and Nei’s genetic distance were lower, 0.4573 and 0.3132 respectively. In a felling area revealed the loss of certain genetic clusters present in the climax forest. This indicates the loss of a strawberry genetic diversity in the transition to vegetative reproduction due to anthropogenic impact. Our data confirm the idea that climax communities with their more stable conditions can act as regenerative niches of the species.

Effects of Pre-Treatments on Seed Dormancy and Germination of Endemic Muscari bourgaei Baker

M. bourgaei Baker is an endemic plant that grows in Türkiye. It has the potential to be an ornamental plant, so it is important to know its germination characteristics and seed morphological characteristics. We evaluated the effects of moist chilling (3 to 12 months) and application of gibberellic acid (GA3) (250 to 1000 mg/L−1) on seed germination under two different light regimes (light phase and dark phase) and four temperature regimes (20, 20/10, 25/15, and 15/10 °C). Seeds were collected from the subalpine belt of Mount Uludağ at an altitude between 2200 and 2300 m. M. bourgaei seeds were dormant and reached the highest germination percentage after 12 months of moist chilling. GA3 applications only have a limited effect on the breaking of dormancy in most cases. Maximum germination of 28 percent was obtained by the GA3 application of 1000 mg/L under dark phase with incubation at 15/10 °C. Scarification with sulfuric acid did not result in any germination. Seed germination of above 80 percent was obtained after 6 months of moist chilling and above 90 percent after 9 and 12 months of moist chilling. Intermediate physiological dormancy was determined as the type of dormancy. Our findings on seed germination and dormancy characteristics of M. bourgaei, which is an endemic alpine meadow plant, will contribute to the protection and development of the germplasm of this species.

Changes in biomass in the meadow plant community during succession

In this research, we determined the changes in species diversity, and biomass in the degraded meadow community during the successional process and also determined the effects of climate, and mowing, there were objects to the restoration of the successional process vegetation community of degraded meadow at the Mungunmorit soum, while fenced 1-hectare area since 2009. Our results showed that four stages of the restoration successional process, which were; stage1: Carex duriuscula-forb-Leymus chinensis community, stage2; Grass-forb community, stage 3; grass community, stage4 was after the mowing process at the primary community and it was changed to Grass-Kobresia community. Therefore, the biomass of green plants increased from stage 1 to the first of stage 3 (147.6 г/м2 -224.1 g/m2), but middle and end of stage 3 biomass were decreasing (68 g/m2), while these processes the biomass of litter were accumulated (102.1 g/m2). After the mowing, at stage 4 the biomass of the green plant was gradually increased (295 g/m2-330 g/m2). The species diversity of the community had been showing the result same as a biomass change. According to the results, the grazing effect for 14 years at the degraded meadow community, there were species richness, species diversity, and green plant biomass increased at the 7-8th years after fencing. On the other hand, for quite a long time fencing was self-affecting negatively on the vegetation community. That’s why proper grazing management and mowing at the right time were effects positively the production of the vegetation community also the annual precipitation was affecting green plant biomass and it increased. Татмын нугын ургамал бүлгэмдлийн биомассын сэргэх сукцесстэй уялдан өөрчлөгдөх нь Хураангуй. Бид Төв аймгийн Мөнгөнморьт суманд доройтсон татмын нугын ургамал бүлгэмдлийн 1 га талбайг 2009 оноос эхлэн 14 жил хашиж хамгаалан байгалийн аясаар нөхөн сэргэх үйл явцыг судалж, сэргэх сукцессийн үед ургамал бүлгэмдлийн биомассын өөрчлөлт болоод түүнд зүйлийн олон янз байдал, тухайн жилүүдийн цаг агаарын хүчин зүйлс болон хадлан хадалтын хэрхэн нөлөөлж буйг илрүүлэхийг зорилоо. Судалгааны үр дүнгээр тус бүлгэмдэлд 4 шаттай сэргэх сукцесс явагдсан. Үүнд: 1-р шатанд Нангиад түнгэ-алаг өвс-ширэг улалжит бүлгэмдэл, 2-р шатанд Алаг өвс-үетэнт бүлгэмдэл, 3-р шатанд Үетэнт бүлгэмдэл, 4-р шатанд Бушилз-үетэнт бүлгэмдэл байгаа ба энэ шат нь бүлгэмдлийг хадсаны дараах үетэй давхцаж байна. Ногоон ургамлын биомасс сукцессийн 1-р шатнаас 3-р шатны эхэн хүртэл нэмэгдэж (147.6 г/м2 -224.1 г/м2) байснаа 3-р шатны дунд, төгсгөл орчимд багасаж (68 г/м2), хагдны хуримтлал нэмэгдсэн (102.1 г/м2). Харин ургамал бүлгэмдлийг хадсаны дараагаар буюу сукцессийн 4-р шатанд ногоон ургамлын биомасс эргэн нэмэгдсэн (295 г/м2-330 г/м2). Бүлгэмдлийн зүйлийн олон янз байдал нь ногоон ургамлын биомасстай ижил зүй тогтолтой байсан бөгөөд цөөн наст ургамлууд (r2=0.607) болон алаг өвсний (r2=0.778) биомасс нь зүйлийн олон янз байдалтай шууд хамааралтай байна. Түүнчлэн өндөр ургадаг үетэн, улалжийн биомасс нэмэгдэхэд намхан ургадаг эдгээр ургамлууд бүлгэмдлээс түрэгдэж буй нь олон янз байдлыг буурахад хүргэж байна. Үүнээс үзэхэд доройтсон татмын нугын ургамал бүлгэмдлийг мал бэлчээрлэлтээс чөлөөлөхөд бүлгэмдлийн зүйлийн баялаг, олон янз байдал болон биомасс нэмэгдэж бүлгэмдэл 7-8 жилд сэргэж байна. Гэвч хэт удаан хугацаанд хашиж хамгаалахад хагдны хуримтлалыг нэмэгдүүлж байна. Иймд ургамал бүлгэмдлийн бүтээмжийн тогтвортой байдалд зохистой хэмжээний мал бэлчээрлэлт болон тодорхой давтамжтай хадлан хадалт нь эерэг нөлөөлдөг байна. Түүнчлэн цаг агаарын цаг агаарын хүчин зүйлс тэр дундаа хур тунадас нь ургамал бүлгэмдлийн биомассыг нэмэгдүүлж буйг бидний судалгаа харуулж байна. Түлхүүр үгс: Биомасс, татмын нуга, сукцесс

Clonal dominant grass Leymus chinensis benefits more from physiological integration in sexual reproduction than its main companions in a meadow.

The bioecological characteristics of plants determine their status and role in the community. The advantages of dominant species in the community compared with companion species in terms of physiological and ecological characteristics remain unclear. When both dominant and companion species in grassland plant communities are clonal, these plants are able to share resources within clones (physiological integration). However, it is unclear how the clonal dominant and companion species differ in the effect of their physiological integration on sexual reproduction. We chose Leymus chinensis, the dominant species of the most widespread meadow plant communities in the semiarid and arid regions of northern China, and its main companion species L. secalinus, Calamagrostis ripidula, C. pseudophragmites, and C. epigeios and conducted a series of in situ field experiments in a homogeneous environment, including the determination of the phenotypic characteristics of reproductive ramets with connected (allowing physiological integration) and disconnected (preventing integration) tillering nodes for each species, as well as 15N leaf labeling of ramet pairs at the milk-ripe stage. In the clonal populations of the five grasses, physiological integration between vegetative ramets and reproductive ramets interconnected by tillering nodes significantly increased the leaf, stem, inflorescence and ramet biomasses of reproductive ramets, and relative changes in ramet biomass were greatest in L. chinensis. 15N labeling showed that vegetative ramets supplied nutrients to reproductive ramets through tillering nodes; the amount of translocated 15N per unit of reproductive ramet biomass was highest in L. chinensis. Overall, our results indicate that in the five clonal grasses, physiological integration between functionally different ramets under tillering node connections had a significant positive effect on sexual reproduction, indicating interspecific consistency in the contribution of physiological integration to sexual reproduction between the dominant and companion species, but this positive effect was greater in the dominant species L. chinensis than in the four main companion species. Therefore, differences in the physiological integration ability between the dominant and main companion species, identified for the first time in this study, may explain, at least partly, the dominance of L. chinensis in the community.

Driving factors of community-level leaf stoichiometry patterns in a typical temperate mountain meadow ecosystem of northern China.

In ecological stoichiometry, the stoichiometry and spatial distribution of leaf carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are important research topics. Various studies have assessed leaf stoichiometry and its relationships with environmental factors at different scales. However, how the leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometric characteristics of the same vegetation type at the community level vary with environmental factors along a continuous altitudinal gradient remains poorly understood. In this paper, 13 sampling sites along an altitudinal gradient of 1,800-3,011 m in a typical temperate mountain meadow ecosystem on the southern slope of the Wutai Mountain in North China were sampled to explore the response of leaf carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometric characteristics to altitude change using correlation analysis, and then quantified the contribution of driving factors using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and variation partitioning. We found that the community-level leaf stoichiometry of mountain meadows differed significantly at different altitudes, and an increase in altitude significantly decreased community-level leaf total nitrogen (LTN) and leaf total phosphorus (LTP); however, the leaf total carbon (LTC), C∶N, C∶P, and N∶P increased with an increase in altitude. Additionally, with increasing altitude, soil properties showed significant trends. Soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil total phosphorus (STP), soil water content and soil electrical conductivity increased significantly, but soil temperature, soil bulk density and soil pH exhibited the opposite trend. Our results suggested that altitude, soil electrical conductivity and soil bulk density significantly influenced the changes in the leaf stoichiometric characteristics, explaining 75.5% of the total variation, and altitude had the greatest influence (36.6%). In the temperate mountains, altitude played a decisive role in affecting patterns of meadow plant nutrients and stoichiometry and was more important than soil in explaining leaf C∶N∶P stoichiometry variations. Our findings provide important references to understand the responses of plant stoichiometry to altitudinal gradients.