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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Structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems in a changing world.
Fernando T. Maestre,David J. Eldridge,Santiago Soliveres,Sonia Kéfi,Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo,Matthew A. Bowker,Pablo García-Palacios,Juan José Gaitán,Antonio Gallardo,Roberto Lázaro,Miguel Berdugo +10 more
TL;DR: This synthesis highlights the importance of biotic attributes (e.g. species richness) in maintaining fundamental ecosystem processes such as primary productivity, illustrates how N deposition and grazing pressure are impacting ecosystem functioning in drylands worldwide, and highlights the role of the traits of woody species as drivers of their expansion in former grasslands.
Journal ArticleDOI
Multi-model mean nitrogen and sulfur deposition from the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP): evaluation of historical and projected future changes
Jean-Francois Lamarque,Frank Dentener,Joseph R. McConnell,Chul-Un Ro,Mike Shaw,Robert Vet,Dan Bergmann,Philip Cameron-Smith,S. B. Dalsøren,Ruth M. Doherty,Gregory Faluvegi,S. J. Ghan,Béatrice Josse,Y. H. Lee,Ian A. MacKenzie,David A. Plummer,Drew Shindell,Ragnhild Bieltvedt Skeie,David Stevenson,Sarah A. Strode,Sarah A. Strode,Guang Zeng,Mark A. J. Curran,Dorthe Dahl-Jensen,Sarah B. Das,Diedrich Fritzsche,Matt Nolan +26 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented a multi-model global dataset of nitrogen and sulfate deposition covering time periods from 1850 to 2100, calculated within the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP).
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Review on ammonia as a potential fuel: from synthesis to economics
Agustin Valera-Medina,F. Amer-Hatem,Abul Kalam Azad,Irene C Dedoussi,M. de Joannon,Ravi Fernandes,Peter Glarborg,Hamid Hashemi,Xiaoyu He,Syed Mashruk,Jon G. McGowan,C. Mounaim-Rouselle,A. Ortiz-Prado,A. Ortiz-Valera,Ilenia Rossetti,Bo Shu,M. A. Yehia,Hua Xiao,Mário Costa +18 more
TL;DR: Ammonia has been considered as a candidate to power transport, produce energy, and support heating applications for decades, however, the particular characteristics of the molecule always made it a chemical with low, if any, benefit once compared to conventional fossil fuels as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI
Spatial and decadal variations in inorganic nitrogen wet deposition in China induced by human activity
Yanlong Jia,Guirui Yu,Nianpeng He,Xiaoyun Zhan,Huajun Fang,Wenping Sheng,Yao Zuo,Da-Yong Zhang,Qiufeng Wang +8 more
TL;DR: The findings conformed that anthropogenic activities were the main reason for the Ndep increase and provide a scientific background for studies on ecological effects of N deposition in China.
Journal ArticleDOI
Patterns and mechanisms of responses by soil microbial communities to nitrogen addition
TL;DR: Findings revised the previous notion that N addition inhibited the microbial growth and showed that the shifts in the F:B and GP:GN mainly resulted from enhanced N availability due to N addition rather than soil acidification.
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