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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The ALFAM2 database on ammonia emission from field-applied manure: Description and illustrative analysis
Sasha D. Hafner,Andreas Pacholski,Shabtai Bittman,W. Burchill,Wim Bussink,Martin H. Chantigny,Marco Carozzi,Marco Carozzi,Sophie Genermont,Christoph Häni,Martin Nørregaard Hansen,J.F.M. Huijsmans,Derek Hunt,Thomas Kupper,Gary Lanigan,Benjamin Loubet,Tom Misselbrook,John J. Meisinger,Albrecht Neftel,Tavs Nyord,Simon Vilms Pedersen,Jörg Sintermann,Rodney B. Thompson,Bert Vermeulen,Annette Vibeke Vestergaard,Polina Voylokov,John R. Williams,Sven G. Sommer +27 more
TL;DR: The ALFAM2 database as mentioned in this paper contains measurements of emission, manure and soil properties, weather, application technique, and other variables for 1895 plots from 22 research institutes in 12 countries.
Journal ArticleDOI
Upwind impacts of ammonia from an intensive poultry unit
TL;DR: Estimated long-term impacts suggest an increase in the soil carbon pool of 9% over a 50-year timescale and a response to ammonia concentrations and nitrogen deposition loads observed in the conservation site by increasing biomass.
Journal ArticleDOI
Sources and sinks for N2O, can microbiologist help to mitigate N2O emissions?
Lars R. Bakken,Åsa Frostegård +1 more
Journal ArticleDOI
Nitrogen deposition cancels out exotic earthworm effects on plant-feeding nematode communities.
Yuanhu Shao,Yuanhu Shao,Weixin Zhang,Weixin Zhang,Nico Eisenhauer,Tao Liu,Yanmei Xiong,Chenfei Liang,Shenglei Fu,Shenglei Fu +9 more
TL;DR: This study indicates that N deposition can cancel out exotic earthworm‐induced reductions in the density of harmful plant‐feeding nematodes, and suggests that anthropogenic N depositioncan alter biotic interactions between exotic and native soil organisms with potential implications for ecosystem functioning.
Journal ArticleDOI
Potential vulnerability of 348 herbaceous species to atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur in the United States.
Christopher M. Clark,Samuel M. Simkin,Edith B. Allen,William D. Bowman,Jayne Belnap,Matthew L. Brooks,Scott L. Collins,Linda H. Geiser,Frank S. Gilliam,Sarah E. Jovan,Linda H. Pardo,Bethany K. Schulz,Carly J. Stevens,Katharine N. Suding,Heather L. Throop,Donald M. Waller +15 more
TL;DR: It is found that the probability of occurrence for 70% of species was negatively associated with nitrogen or sulfur deposition somewhere in the contiguous United States, demonstrating that many herbaceous species may be at risk from atmospheric deposition and can inform air quality policies in the United States and globally.
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