ArticleThe New phytologist2026
Nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion alter plant traits and biomass via distinct mechanisms: intraspecific variability vs species turnover.
Article in The New phytologist, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Plant genotypic diversity and defoliation jointly shape root exudation, fungal communities, and carbon and nitrogen cycling.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Pollination Under Pressure: Grazing and Nutrient Enrichment Reshape Arctic Pollinator Communities and Interaction Networks.Global change biology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Soil nutrients and vertebrate herbivory are key ecological factors with opposite and interactive effects on grassland plant traits and biomass. Partitioning trait changes into species turnover and intraspecific change provides a mechanistic linkage between trait shifts and biomass responses. However, their relative contributions in determining plant responses to nutrients and herbivory remain unclear. Based on a long-term experiment in two grasslands differing in productivity, we examined how nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion influenced plant functional composition and biomass, and quantified contributions of inter- and intraspecific trait change. Nutrient addition shifted leaf economics traits to be faster-growing and increased plant height, while herbivore exclusion boosted height and leaf area, both mainly through intraspecific changes. These effects were habitat-dependent: leaf economics traits dominated in the low-productivity grassland, while size-related traits prevailed in the high-productivity grassland. Nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion had weak effects on plant defense traits (tannins). Biomass responses to nutrient addition and herbivore exclusion were, to a greater extent, associated with intraspecific trait variation than species turnover. This study highlights how partitioning traits into different dimensions helps understand the distinct pathways through which nutrients and herbivores shape plant communities, how these vary across environments, and ultimately influence ecosystem functioning.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.