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
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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in European grasslands under nutrient pollution
Tobias Ceulemans,Maarten Van Geel,Hans Jacquemyn,Margaux Boeraeve,Jan Plue,Liina Saar,Liis Kasari,Gerrit Peeters,Kasper van Acker,Sam Crauwels,Bart Lievens,Olivier Honnay +11 more
TL;DR: The extent to which nutrient pollution explains arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community richness and composition is quantified, and major taxa stud ...
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The effects of biomass removal and N additions on microbial N transformations and biomass at different vegetation types in an old-field ecosystem in northern China
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined how clipping and nitrogen addition may affect net > microbial N mineralization (ammonification + nitrification), microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and microbial respirations (MR) in grass dominated, herb dominated, and grassherb mixed patches in an old-field community in northern China.
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Twenty-five year record of chemicals in open field precipitation and throughfall from a medium-altitude forest catchment (Strengbach - NE France): an obvious response to atmospheric pollution trends.
TL;DR: In this article, a 25-yr continuous record of bulk precipitation and throughfall composition in a medium-altitude forested environment was used to evaluate the real inputs of elements to forest ecosystems and among them, essential mineral nutrients.
Journal ArticleDOI
Detecting the footprint of changing atmospheric nitrogen deposition loads on acid grasslands in the context of climate change
Cassandre Gaudnik,Cassandre Gaudnik,Emmanuel Corcket,Emmanuel Corcket,Bernard Clément,Chloé E. L. Delmas,Sandrine Gombert-Courvoisier,Sandrine Gombert-Courvoisier,Serge Muller,Carly J. Stevens,Carly J. Stevens,Didier Alard,Didier Alard +12 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a stratified resampling approach to investigate the potential impact of changing levels of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change on species composition of nutrient-poor acid grasslands within the French Atlantic Domain (FAD).
Journal ArticleDOI
Different responses of multifaceted plant diversities of alpine meadow and alpine steppe to nitrogen addition gradients on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Shuai Li,Shikui Dong,Hao Shen,Yuhui Han,Jing Zhang,Yudan Xu,Xiaoxia Gao,Mingyue Yang,Yu Li,Zhenzhen Zhao,Shiliang Liu,Huakun Zhou,Quanming Dong,Jane C. Yeomans +13 more
TL;DR: The findings suggest that the effects of N deposition on the multifaceted plant diversity (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity) varied with N deposition gradients and ecosystem types.
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