Altered response to nitrogen supply of mixed grassland communities in a future climate: a controlled environment microcosm study

Abstract. Few studies have investigated whether responses to nutrient supply of mixed plant communities change under combined elevated CO₂ and climate warming. In this study we analyzed the response of constructed temperate grassland communities to five levels of nitrogen (N) supply, ranging from 0 to 150 kg N ha⁻¹, under two climate scenarios. Biomass of the plant communities responded positively to N supply in the current climate, but was insensitive to N supply in the future climate. This altered response was not the result of a changing response from a single species, but all species seemed to contribute to it. The weaker response in the future climate was caused by changes in N uptake rather than by changes in nitrogen use efficiency, as community N stocks showed the same response pattern as community biomass. Climate change apparently modified the relation between fertilizer N addition and plant available N.