Response of plant community composition and productivity to warming and nitrogen deposition in a temperate meadow ecosystem

Abstract. Climate change has profound influences on plant community composition and ecosystem functions. However, its effects on plant community composition and net primary productivity are not well understood. A field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of warming, nitrogen (N) addition, and their interactions on plant community composition and productivity in a temperate meadow ecosystem in northeast China. Experimental warming significantly increased species richness, evenness and diversity, by contrast, N addition highly reduced species richness, evenness and diversity. Warming reduced the importance value of gramineous species but increased in forbs, N addition had the opposite effect. Warming had a significant positive effect on belowground productivity, but had a negative effect on aboveground biomass. The influences of warming on aboveground productivity were dependent on precipitation. Experimental warming had little effect on aboveground productivity in the years with higher precipitation, but significantly suppressed the growth of aboveground in dry years. Our results suggest that warming had indirect effects on plant productivity via altering water availability. Nitrogen addition significantly increased above- and belowground productivity, suggesting that N is one of the most important limiting factors which determine plant productivity in the studied meadow steppe. Significant interactive effects of warming plus N addition on belowground productivity were also detected. Our observations revealed that climate changes (warming and N deposition) plays significant roles in regulating plant community composition and productivity in temperate meadow steppe.