BGD Biogeosciences Discussions BGD Biogeosciences Discuss. 1810-6285 Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/bgd-10-4995-2013 Decoupling of above and belowground C and N pools within predominant plant species <i>Stipa grandis</i> along a precipitation gradient in Chinese steppe zone Ye X. H. 1 Pan X. 1 Cornwell W. K. 2 Cornelissen J. H. C. 2 Chu Y. 1 Gao S. Q. 1 Li R. Q. 3 Qiao J. J. 1 Dong M. 1 State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China Systems Ecology, Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China 12 03 2013 10 3 4995 5013 Copyright: © 2013 X. H. Ye et al. 2013 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is available from https://bg.copernicus.org/preprints/10/4995/2013/bgd-10-4995-2013.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://bg.copernicus.org/preprints/10/4995/2013/bgd-10-4995-2013.pdf

The coupling of the carbon and nutrient cycles drives the food web structure and biogeochemistry of ecosystems. However, across precipitation gradients, there may be a shift in C and N pools from above- to belowground because of shifting plant stoichiometry and allocation. Here, we present a study which is the first to explicitly compare above- and belowground pool sizes of N and C within predominant plant species along precipitation gradient. We dissected these pools into biomass allocation and nutrient concentrations. Based on previous evidence, biomass allocation to roots should increase with aridity, while leaf [N] should increase. If their effect sizes are equal, they should cancel each other out, and the above- and belowground proportions of the N would remain constant. Along a precipitation gradient in Chinese steppe zone, the effect sizes of the biomass shifts were remarkably consistent among the predominant species, <i>Stipa grandis</i>. The effect sizes of biomass allocation and [N] were equal and the proportion of N of above- and belowground did not change with aridity, but the shift in leaf [C] with aridity was much weaker than the biomass shift, leading to a decrease in the proportion of C belowground at dry sites. Precipitation gradients do decouple the C and N pool of <i>S. grandis</i> along a precipitation gradient in Chinese steppe zone.

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