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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Relations among soil microbial community composition, nitrogen turnover, and tree growth in N-loaded and previously N-loaded boreal spruce forest
TL;DR: It is proposed that the higher gross N mineralization rate in N-loaded forest is not caused by greater decomposition of organic matter, but a higher internal turnover of microbial N.
Journal ArticleDOI
Surface–atmosphere exchange of ammonia over peatland using QCL-based eddy-covariance measurements and inferential modeling
Undine Zöll,Christian Brümmer,Frederik Schrader,Christof Ammann,Andreas Ibrom,Christophe Flechard,David D. Nelson,Mark S. Zahniser,Werner L. Kutsch +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, the applicability of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) absorption spectrometer to continuously measure ammonia concentrations at high time resolution and thus to quantify the net exchange between a seminatural peatland ecosystem and the atmosphere based on the eddy-covariance approach was demonstrated.
Journal ArticleDOI
A three-way perspective of stoichiometric changes on host-parasite interactions
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that environmental nutrient enrichment alters infectivity dynamics leading to fluctuating selection dynamics in host-parasite coevolution, and suggests that the outcome of infection could depend on the overlap in stoichiometric requirements of the host and the parasite.
Journal ArticleDOI
Mapping correlations between nitrogen concentrations in atmospheric deposition and mosses for natural landscapes in Europe
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether correlations between the concentration of N in atmospheric deposition and mosses within the units of an ecological land classification of Europe can be established, and the correlations are country and N compound-specific and agree well with spatial patterns and temporal trends across Europe as a whole and in single European countries.
Journal ArticleDOI
Community composition, structure and productivity in response to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in a temperate meadow
TL;DR: Under N plus P addition, P addition alleviated the negative effects of N addition on community structure by increasing species richness and covers of legume and forbs, highlighting that the negative influence of N deposition on plant community composition might be alleviated by P input in the future.
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