Global assessment of nitrogen deposition effects on terrestrial plant diversity: a synthesis.
Roland Bobbink,Kevin Hicks,James N. Galloway,Till Spranger,Rob Alkemade,Mike Ashmore,Mercedes M. C. Bustamante,Steve Cinderby,Eric A. Davidson,Frank Dentener,Bridget A. Emmett,Jan Willem Erisman,Mark E. Fenn,Frank S. Gilliam,Annika Nordin,Linda H. Pardo,W. de Vries +16 more
TLDR
Ecosystems thought of as not N limited, such as tropical and subtropical systems, may be more vulnerable in the regeneration phase, in situations where heterogeneity in N availability is reduced by atmospheric N deposition, on sandy soils, or in montane areas.Abstract:
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is a recognized threat to plant diversity in temperate and northern parts of Europe and North America. This paper assesses evidence from field experiments for N deposition effects and thresholds for terrestrial plant diversity protection across a latitudinal range of main categories of ecosystems, from arctic and boreal systems to tropical forests. Current thinking on the mechanisms of N deposition effects on plant diversity, the global distribution of G200 ecoregions, and current and future (2030) estimates of atmospheric N-deposition rates are then used to identify the risks to plant diversity in all major ecosystem types now and in the future. This synthesis paper clearly shows that N accumulation is the main driver of changes to species composition across the whole range of different ecosystem types by driving the competitive interactions that lead to composition change and/or making conditions unfavorable for some species. Other effects such as direct toxicity of nitrogen gases and aerosols, long-term negative effects of increased ammonium and ammonia availability, soil-mediated effects of acidification, and secondary stress and disturbance are more ecosystem- and site-specific and often play a supporting role. N deposition effects in mediterranean ecosystems have now been identified, leading to a first estimate of an effect threshold. Importantly, ecosystems thought of as not N limited, such as tropical and subtropical systems, may be more vulnerable in the regeneration phase, in situations where heterogeneity in N availability is reduced by atmospheric N deposition, on sandy soils, or in montane areas. Critical loads are effect thresholds for N deposition, and the critical load concept has helped European governments make progress toward reducing N loads on sensitive ecosystems. More needs to be done in Europe and North America, especially for the more sensitive ecosystem types, including several ecosystems of high conservation importance. The results of this assessment show that the vulnerable regions outside Europe and North America which have not received enough attention are ecoregions in eastern and southern Asia (China, India), an important part of the mediterranean ecoregion (California, southern Europe), and in the coming decades several subtropical and tropical parts of Latin America and Africa. Reductions in plant diversity by increased atmospheric N deposition may be more widespread than first thought, and more targeted studies are required in low background areas, especially in the G200 ecoregions.read more
Citations
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Year-round cattle and horse grazing supports the restoration of abandoned, dry sandy grassland and heathland communities by supressing Calamagrostis epigejos and enhancing species richness
TL;DR: Year-round low-intensity cattle and horse grazing is a suitable management tool for restoring, maintaining and even improving long-abandoned, nutrient-poor sandy grassland and heathland communities and thus to enhance the local conservation status of the habitat types.
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Applying the ecosystem service concept to air quality management in the UK: a case study for ammonia†
James C. R. Smart,James C. R. Smart,Kevin Hicks,Tim Morrissey,Andreas Heinemeyer,Andreas Heinemeyer,Mark A. Sutton,Mike Ashmore +7 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors considered the feasibility of using an ecosystem services approach to appraise the benefits of alternative scenarios for controlling agricultural ammonia emissions in the UK, and assessed the effect of ammonia emission reductions on ecosystem service delivery using an impact pathway approach.
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Human footprints in urban forests: implication of nitrogen deposition for nitrogen and carbon storage
Shahla Hosseini Bai,Shahla Hosseini Bai,Zhihong Xu,Timothy John Blumfield,Frédérique Reverchon +4 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a review aimed to provide a better understanding of N and C storage under N deposition scenarios in urban forests and showed that N loss from urban forests can occur through the direct leaching of the deposited NO3 − −-N.
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Impacts of nitrogen emissions on ecosystems and human health: A mini review
TL;DR: In this paper, the economic benefits of improved air and water quality outweigh the costs of reductions measures, there is ample reason to reduce reactive nitrogen emissions, both from agriculture and from traffic and industrial sources.
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Different impacts of external ammonium and nitrate addition on plant growth in terrestrial ecosystems: A meta-analysis.
TL;DR: The results generally reveal a higher response of plant growth to NH4+- N than NO3--N addition in terrestrial ecosystems, and suggest that future predictions on the vegetation response to atmospheric N enrichment could benefit from a better understanding of plant strategies for acquiring different forms of N.
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