Nutrient management for production, profit, and environmental protection: Striking the balance Strategies to manage nutrients in crop production were first designed to maximize crop yields, an objective that became increasingly possible with the development of inorganic fertilizers during the past century. Later, as economic analysis of farm profitability became more sophisticated, strategies s...

Optimal defense theories suggest that a trade-off between defense costs and benefits maintains genetic variation within plant populations. This study assessed the independent and interactive effects of genetic- and environment-based variation in aspen leaf chemistry on insect performance, preference, and defoliation. Gypsy moth larvae were released into screenhouses containing eight aspen genot...

The response of montane and subalpine hay meadow plant and arthropod communities to the application of liquid manure and aerial irrigation - two novel, rapidly spreading management practices - remains poorly understood, which hampers the formulation of best practice management recommendations for both hay production and biodiversity preservation. In these nutrient-poor mountain grasslands, a mo...

Knecht Billberger, M. F. Plant growth – stoichiometry and competition. Doctor’s dissertation. ISSN 1652-6880, ISBN 91-576-7073-0. In four different studies, this thesis addresses issues concerning plant nutrition and growth from a theoretical perspective. Terrestrial plants require nutrients, water, light and space for their existence. All of these resources may be limiting for growth, however ...

Anthropogenic activities have increased phosphorus (P) inputs to most aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. However, the relationship between plant nutrient resorption and P availability is still unclear, and much less is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here, we used a multi-level P addition experiment (0, 1.2, 4.8, and 9.6 g P m(-2) year(-1)) to assess the effect of P enrichment on nutrie...

Previous studies have suggested that spatial nutrient heterogeneity promotes plant nutrient capture and growth. However, little is known about how spatial nutrient heterogeneity interacts with key community attributes to affect plant community production. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate how nitrogen heterogeneity effects vary with species richness and plant density. Effect size was ...