Biomass allocations and their response to environmental factors for grass species in an aridhot valley

: The effects of water supply frequency, nutrient addition and clipping on biomass allocations among roots, stems and leaves as well as their allometric scaling relationships for six grass species from an arid-hot valley were investigated. The results showed that the fraction of leaf biomass significantly increased from 25.1% to 31.2% and the faction of stem biomass decreased from 43.7% to 34.2% under clipping treatment. Fertilization significantly decreased the faction of root biomass from 34.0% to 30.8%. Water treatments had no significant effect on biomass allocations. Species identity significantly affected biomass allocations among roots, stems and leaves. Species adapted to infertile soils allocated more biomass into leaves and roots and less into stems. There were significant interactions between species and environmental factors, suggesting that the effects of environmental factors on biomass allocations differed among species. Allometric constants and scaling exponents of leaf-stem for species adapted to infertile soils were greater than those for other species. Allometric constants and scaling exponents of stem-root for species adapted to infertile soils were lower than those for other species. In total, nutrient addition significantly increased allometric constants of leaf-stem and leaf-root while clipping significantly reduced scaling exponents of stem-root. The frequency of water supply had no significant effects on the allometric scaling relationships among different organs. The effects of environmental factors on the allometric scaling relationships between different organs differed among species. The differences in biomass allocations and their responses to environmental factors among different species might affect plant adaptations to environmental changes.