The potential fertilization effect of the decomposition of periodical cicadas on plant growth has been often discussed, but little quantified. I demonstrated this effect in an urban context by examining the effect of decomposing cicada carcasses and commercial lawn fertilizer on the growth of lawn grass in an 80-day greenhouse experiment. Deposition of cicada carcasses benefited aboveground growth of several lawn grasses in a dose-dependent manner, as did lawn fertilizer addition. The effect of cicadas at high levels of deposition was similar to that of the application of lawn fertilizer at half recommended rates. Notable increases in plant height and greenness were also observed in grasses given either treatment indicating the decomposition of cicadas can benefit growth in ways similar to lawn fertilizer, at least during the season following emergence.

中文翻译：

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周期性蝉能为城市绿化做出贡献吗？


人们经常讨论周期蝉分解对植物生长的潜在施肥作用，但很少进行量化。我通过在 80 天的温室实验中研究分解的蝉尸体和商业草坪肥料对草坪草生长的影响，在城市环境中证明了这种效应。蝉尸体的沉积以剂量依赖的方式有利于几种草坪草的地上生长，草坪肥料的添加也是如此。蝉在高沉积水平下的效果与以推荐用量的一半施用草坪肥料的效果相似。在接受任何一种处理的草中也观察到植物高度和绿度显着增加，这表明蝉的分解可以以类似于草坪肥料的方式有利于生长，至少在出苗后的季节是这样。