title: Different responses of alpine plants to nitrogen addition: effects on plant-plant interactions.
abstract: The different responses of plant species to resource stress are keys to understand the dynamics of plant community in a changing environment. To test the hypothesis that nitrogen (N) increase would benefit N competitive species, rather than N stress-tolerant species, to compete with neighbours, we conducted an experiment with neighbour removal, N addition and soil moisture as treatments in an alpine grassland on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Both growths and competitive-response abilities (CRA, the ability to tolerate the inhibitory effects of neighbors) of Kobresia macrantha, Polygonum viviparum and Potentilla anserine in wet site were facilitated by N addition, conversely, both growths and CRA of Taraxacum mongolicum and Ligularia virgaurea were suppressed by N addition, indicating that the responses of CRA of target species under N addition were consistent with the N utilization strategies of them. Moreover, the facilitative effects of N addition on competitive-response abilities of Kobresia macrantha and Polygonum viviparum were not found at the dry site, illustrating that soil moisture can alter the changes of neighbour effects caused by N addition. Life strategy of dominant species in plant community on the undisturbed southeastern Tibetan Plateau may shift from N stress-tolerant to N competitive, if the N increases continuously.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization &Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.|College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization &Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization &Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.|College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization &Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China.
authors.forename: Chengxiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization &Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100000, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mo
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D029785:Cyperaceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D065948:Grassland; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D063148:Plant Dispersal / Q000502:physiology; D019664:Polygonaceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D027824:Rosaceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D018609:Tibet; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D014867:Water; D009584:Nitrogen