A global perspective on belowground carbon dynamics under nitrogen enrichment
Top Cited Papers
- 14 June 2010
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Ecology Letters
- Vol. 13 (7), 819-828
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2010.01482.x
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) effects on ecosystem carbon (C) budgets are critical to understand as C sequestration is considered as a mechanism to offset anthropogenic CO(2) emissions. Interactions between aboveground C and N cycling are more clearly characterized than belowground processes. Through synthesizing data from multiple terrestrial ecosystems, we quantified the responses of belowground C cycling under N addition. We found that N addition increased litter input from aboveground (+20%) but not from fine root. N addition inhibited microbial activity as indicated by a reduction in microbial respiration (-8%) and microbial biomass carbon (-20%). Although soil respiration was not altered by N addition, dissolved organic carbon concentration was increased by 18%, suggesting C leaching loss may increase. N addition increased the C content of the organic layer (+17%) but not the mineral soil layer. Overall, our meta-analysis indicates that N addition will increase short term belowground C storage by increasing C content of organic layer. However, it is difficult to predict the response of long term C sequestration since there is no significant change in mineral soil C content.Keywords
This publication has 52 references indexed in Scilit:
- Simulated chronic nitrogen deposition increases carbon storage in Northern Temperate forestsGlobal Change Biology, 2007
- Pools and fluxes of carbon in three Norway spruce ecosystems along a climatic gradient in SwedenBiogeochemistry, 2007
- Climate and species affect fine root production with long-term fertilization in acidic tussock tundra near Toolik Lake, AlaskaOecologia, 2007
- Atmospheric nitrogen deposition promotes carbon loss from peat bogsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2006
- Intrinsic effects of species on leaf litter and root decomposition: a comparison of temperate grasses from North and South AmericaOecologia, 2006
- Effects of chronic N additions on tissue chemistry, photosynthetic capacity, and carbon sequestration potential of a red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) stand in the NE United StatesForest Ecology and Management, 2004
- Ecosystem response to 15 years of chronic nitrogen additions at the Harvard Forest LTER, Massachusetts, USAForest Ecology and Management, 2004
- Soil C:N ratio as a predictor of annual riverine DOC flux at local and global scalesGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2000
- Early stages of root and leaf decomposition in Hawaiian forests: effects of nutrient availabilityOecologia, 1999
- Photosynthesis and nitrogen relationships in leaves of C3 plantsOecologia, 1989