Calcium plus magnesium indicates digestibility: the significance of the second major axis of plant chemical variation for ecological processes
Jazyk angličtina Země Velká Británie, Anglie Médium print-electronic
Typ dokumentu časopisecké články, práce podpořená grantem
PubMed
29601668
DOI
10.1111/ele.12956
Knihovny.cz E-zdroje
- Klíčová slova
- asterids, biomass, dicots, leaf dry matter content, leaf economics spectrum, monocots, nitrogen, phosphorus, rosids, rumen liquor,
- MeSH
- dusík MeSH
- fosfor MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- fyziologie rostlin MeSH
- hořčík * MeSH
- listy rostlin MeSH
- rostliny MeSH
- vápník * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- dusík MeSH
- fosfor MeSH
- hořčík * MeSH
- vápník * MeSH
Plant variation in nutrient concentrations encompasses two major axes. The first is connected to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), reflects growth rate and has been designated as the leaf economics spectrum (LES) while the second follows the gradient in calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and mirrors cell structural differences. Here, we tested in grasslands whether the sum Ca + Mg concentrations is a better indicator of digestibility than LES constituents. Structural equation modelling revealed that the total effect size of N (0.30) on digestibility was much lower than that of Ca + Mg (0.58). The N effect originated predominantly from sampling date (biomass ageing), while the Ca + Mg effect largely from phylogenetic composition (proportion of monocots). Thus, plant variation in partially substitutable divalent cations seems to play a significant role in biomass digestion by ruminants. This finding contests, together with litter decomposition studies, the prominent role of the LES for understanding both fundamental ecological processes.
Citace poskytuje Crossref.org
figshare
10.6084/m9.figshare.5938651
