Abstract
In order to elucidate the differences in early successional development among similary aged old-fields having different soil nitrogen (N), caused by the land use history before at abandonment, the response of plant community along an experimental nitrogen gradient (control plot (No), plot NI with 5.8g $N/m^2$, plot N2 with 11.7g $N/m^2$ and plot N3 with 23.3g $N/m^2$) was investigated in a five-year-old abandoned field. Although the N content in soil among treatments was similar at the end of the growing season, N concentrations in plant tissue increased with the amount of N supplied. These results suggest that almost all the N contained in N-enriched soil might be absorbed by plants during the growing season after N supply. Vegetation tended to grow vigorously by nitrogen supply, and the standing biomass increased significantly in plots NI and N2 . Species richness of plants, especially of annuals and perennials, was more reduced than the control plot, and the species diversity was also reduced by N supply. The importance value (IV) of species by N supply differed in each species along the position on the successional sere: Artemisia princeps var. orientalis as the dominant species in this old-field decreased slightly; annuals as the earlier successional species decreased clearly along nitrogen gardients; Erigeron annuals as the earlier successional species and as a strong competitor with Artemisia princeps var. orientalis had the highest IV by small N supply; Miscanthus sinensis and Rubus crataegifolius as the later successional species increased by large N supply. These results suggest that old-fields with high soil N might show the structural and functional characteristics of the earlier successional stages, but community composition in those old-fields might be changed more quickly from the sarlier successional species than the later successional species.