SGS-LTER Ecosystem Stress Area - Aboveground Biomass: Interactions between individual plant species and soil nutrient status in shortgrass steppe on the Central Plains Experimental Range in Nunn, Colorado, USA 1991

The effect of plant community structure on nutrient cycling is fundamental to our understanding of ecosystem function. We examined the importance of plant species and plant cover (i.e. plant covered microsites vs bare soil) on nutrient cycling in shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado. We tested the effects of both plant species and cover on soils in an area of undisturbed shortgrass steppe and an area that had undergone nitrogen and water additions from 1971 to 1974, resulting in significant shifts in plant species composition.植物群落结构对养分循环的影响，是解析生态系统功能的核心基础。本研究以美国科罗拉多州东北部的短草草原（shortgrass steppe）为研究对象，探究植物物种与植物覆盖（即有植物覆盖的微生境与裸土）对养分循环的重要性。我们分别在两块样地中测试了植物物种与覆盖对土壤的影响：一块为未受干扰的短草草原，另一块为1971年至1974年期间施加了氮素与水分添加处理、进而导致植物物种组成发生显著改变的样地。