Chapter 10
Impacts of Nitrogen Deposition on China’s
Grassland Ecosystems
Xiaotao Lü, Kaihui Li, Ling Song, and Xuejun Liu
Abstract Grasslands account for 40% of national land area in China, with great
influences on economic development and ecological security. Atmospheric nitrogen
(N) deposition has increased dramatically in China during last three decades and is
expected to remain relatively high in the next few decades. By comparing the status
of grasslands in the 1980s and 2000s, it has been found that N deposition increased
the N:P ratio and reduced soil pH and cation exchange capacity in the grasslands of
China. Here, we review scientific advances in the impacts of N deposition on
Chinese grasslands in recent decades by focusing the changes of above- and
belowground biodiversity and carbon and nutrient cycling. We also introduced the
experimental setups with respect to N deposition in diverse types of grasslands in
China. Nitrogen deposition leads to soil eutrophication with the substantial increases
of soil N availability and thus changes soil nutrient cycling through soil- and plantmediated pathways. Nitrogen addition alters fluxes of greenhouse gas (GHG) and
interactively with precipitation and temperature factors affected GHG emissions.
Mounting evidence showed that N deposition threatens biodiversity in the grasslands
of China, in that N deposition would reduce species richness in above- and belowground communities through acidifying soil and triggering metal toxicity.
X. Lü (*)
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
e-mail: lvxiaotao@iae.ac.cn
K. Li
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
L. Song
Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of
Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
X. Liu
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing,
China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_10
215
Impacts of Nitrogen Deposition on China’s
Grassland Ecosystems
Xiaotao Lü, Kaihui Li, Ling Song, and Xuejun Liu
Abstract Grasslands account for 40% of national land area in China, with great
influences on economic development and ecological security. Atmospheric nitrogen
(N) deposition has increased dramatically in China during last three decades and is
expected to remain relatively high in the next few decades. By comparing the status
of grasslands in the 1980s and 2000s, it has been found that N deposition increased
the N:P ratio and reduced soil pH and cation exchange capacity in the grasslands of
China. Here, we review scientific advances in the impacts of N deposition on
Chinese grasslands in recent decades by focusing the changes of above- and
belowground biodiversity and carbon and nutrient cycling. We also introduced the
experimental setups with respect to N deposition in diverse types of grasslands in
China. Nitrogen deposition leads to soil eutrophication with the substantial increases
of soil N availability and thus changes soil nutrient cycling through soil- and plantmediated pathways. Nitrogen addition alters fluxes of greenhouse gas (GHG) and
interactively with precipitation and temperature factors affected GHG emissions.
Mounting evidence showed that N deposition threatens biodiversity in the grasslands
of China, in that N deposition would reduce species richness in above- and belowground communities through acidifying soil and triggering metal toxicity.
X. Lü (*)
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
e-mail: lvxiaotao@iae.ac.cn
K. Li
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
L. Song
Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of
Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
X. Liu
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing,
China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_10
215