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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Nutrient Addition and Drought Interact to Change the Structure and Decrease the Functional Diversity of a Mediterranean Grassland
Carla Nogueira,Alice Nunes,Miguel N. Bugalho,Cristina Branquinho,Rebecca L. McCulley,Maria C. Caldeira +5 more
TL;DR: Drought is highlighted as a critical factor determining a decrease in the functional diversity of Mediterranean grasslands as drought can also interact with nutrient addition changing the dominance of many traits and further decreasing functional diversity.
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Increased Precipitation and Nitrogen Alter Shrub Architecture in a Desert Shrubland: Implications for Primary Production
TL;DR: The results highlight the sensitivity of twig size and number as indicators to estimate shrub production and the mechanism underpinning desert shrub ANPP response to global environmental changes.
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Interactions between Climate and Nutrient Cycles on Forest Response to Global Change: The Role of Mixed Forests
TL;DR: In this article, a review summarizes the present knowledge regarding the impact of global change on forest functioning not only with respect to climate change, but also the influence of altered nitrogen cycle and the interactions among them.
Journal ArticleDOI
Nonlinear disruption of ecological interactions in response to nitrogen deposition.
TL;DR: A new Ecosystem Disruption Index is presented to quantify the impacts of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on abiotic and biotic ecological interactions and supports the idea of higher-trophic-level organisms being more sensitive to disturbance due to more complex links with other ecosystem constituents.
Journal ArticleDOI
The role of global dietary transitions for safeguarding biodiversity
Roslyn C. Henry,Peter Alexander,Sam Rabin,Peter Anthoni,Mark Rounsevell,Mark Rounsevell,Almut Arneth +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, a spatially explicit global food and land system model is used to quantify land-use change in locations important for biodiversity across taxa and find diets low in animal products reduce agricultural expansion and intensity in regions with high biodiversity.
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