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McDonnell TC, Phelan J, Talhelm AF, Cosby BJ, Driscoll CT, Sullivan TJ, Greaver T. Protection of forest ecosystems in the eastern United States from elevated atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen: A comparison of steady-state and dynamic model results. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 318:120887. [PMID: 36535424 PMCID: PMC10348011 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Critical loads (CLs) and target loads (TLs) of atmospheric deposition of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) specify the thresholds of air pollution above which damage to ecosystems is expected to occur and are used to inform environmental regulation and natural resource management. Model estimates of CL and TL can vary for a given location, and these differences can be important for characterization of ecosystem effects from elevated S and N deposition. Moreover, TLs are used to evaluate associated timeframes of ecosystem recovery. We compared published CLs and TLs based on soil acidity criteria derived from steady-state versus dynamic models for terrestrial ecosystems. We examined the magnitude of differences in the CL/TL results from the two types of models for the same regions in the Eastern U.S. Results showed that CLs/TLs from dynamic models (or from steady state modeling using soil base cation weathering estimates from dynamic models) generally produce a broader range of values of acid-sensitivity, including lower CLs/TLs, as compared with a steady-state approach. Applications of dynamic biogeochemical models capable of developing CLs/TLs are relatively data intensive and typically limited to locations where measured soil and soil solution (or nearby stream water) chemistry are available for model parameterization, calibration, and testing. We recommend that CLs/TLs derived from dynamic models be used, where data permit, as they are likely more accurate and allow for evaluation of time-dependent phenomena and period needed for recovery. However, CLs derived from steady-state models remain a useful tool for understanding broad spatial patterns in soil acid-sensitivity throughout the U.S. Future work should focus on the development of more reliable model input parameters, particularly soil base cation weathering, and the extent to which CLs and TLs at a given location may vary and be altered with anticipated future climate change. In addition, dynamic models could be further developed to estimate CLs/TLs for nutrient N.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alan F Talhelm
- College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA
| | - Bernard J Cosby
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Environment Centre Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK
| | - Charles T Driscoll
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | | | - Tara Greaver
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, RTP, NC 27711, USA
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De Marco A, Sicard P, Feng Z, Agathokleous E, Alonso R, Araminiene V, Augustatis A, Badea O, Beasley JC, Branquinho C, Bruckman VJ, Collalti A, David‐Schwartz R, Domingos M, Du E, Garcia Gomez H, Hashimoto S, Hoshika Y, Jakovljevic T, McNulty S, Oksanen E, Omidi Khaniabadi Y, Prescher A, Saitanis CJ, Sase H, Schmitz A, Voigt G, Watanabe M, Wood MD, Kozlov MV, Paoletti E. Strategic roadmap to assess forest vulnerability under air pollution and climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5062-5085. [PMID: 35642454 PMCID: PMC9541114 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Although it is an integral part of global change, most of the research addressing the effects of climate change on forests have overlooked the role of environmental pollution. Similarly, most studies investigating the effects of air pollutants on forests have generally neglected the impacts of climate change. We review the current knowledge on combined air pollution and climate change effects on global forest ecosystems and identify several key research priorities as a roadmap for the future. Specifically, we recommend (1) the establishment of much denser array of monitoring sites, particularly in the South Hemisphere; (2) further integration of ground and satellite monitoring; (3) generation of flux-based standards and critical levels taking into account the sensitivity of dominant forest tree species; (4) long-term monitoring of N, S, P cycles and base cations deposition together at global scale; (5) intensification of experimental studies, addressing the combined effects of different abiotic factors on forests by assuring a better representation of taxonomic and functional diversity across the ~73,000 tree species on Earth; (6) more experimental focus on phenomics and genomics; (7) improved knowledge on key processes regulating the dynamics of radionuclides in forest systems; and (8) development of models integrating air pollution and climate change data from long-term monitoring programs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhaozhong Feng
- Key Laboratory of Agro‐Meteorology of Jiangsu Province, School of Applied MeteorologyNanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyNanjingChina
| | - Evgenios Agathokleous
- Key Laboratory of Agro‐Meteorology of Jiangsu Province, School of Applied MeteorologyNanjing University of Information Science & TechnologyNanjingChina
| | - Rocio Alonso
- Ecotoxicology of Air Pollution, CIEMATMadridSpain
| | - Valda Araminiene
- Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and ForestryKaunasLithuania
| | - Algirdas Augustatis
- Faculty of Forest Sciences and EcologyVytautas Magnus UniversityKaunasLithuania
| | - Ovidiu Badea
- “Marin Drăcea” National Institute for Research and Development in ForestryVoluntariRomania
- Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering“Transilvania” UniversityBraşovRomania
| | - James C. Beasley
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAikenSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Cristina Branquinho
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade de LisboaLisbonPortugal
| | - Viktor J. Bruckman
- Commission for Interdisciplinary Ecological StudiesAustrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
| | | | | | - Marisa Domingos
- Instituto de BotanicaNucleo de Pesquisa em EcologiaSao PauloBrazil
| | - Enzai Du
- Faculty of Geographical ScienceBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | | | - Shoji Hashimoto
- Department of Forest SoilsForestry and Forest Products Research InstituteTsukubaJapan
| | | | | | | | - Elina Oksanen
- Department of Environmental and Biological SciencesUniversity of Eastern FinlandJoensuuFinland
| | - Yusef Omidi Khaniabadi
- Department of Environmental Health EngineeringIndustrial Medial and Health, Petroleum Industry Health Organization (PIHO)AhvazIran
| | | | - Costas J. Saitanis
- Lab of Ecology and Environmental ScienceAgricultural University of AthensAthensGreece
| | - Hiroyuki Sase
- Ecological Impact Research DepartmentAsia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP)NiigataJapan
| | - Andreas Schmitz
- State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine‐WestphaliaRecklinghausenGermany
| | | | - Makoto Watanabe
- Institute of AgricultureTokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT)FuchuJapan
| | - Michael D. Wood
- School of Science, Engineering and EnvironmentUniversity of SalfordSalfordUK
| | | | - Elena Paoletti
- Department of Forest SoilsForestry and Forest Products Research InstituteTsukubaJapan
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McDonnell T, Clark C, Reinds G, Sullivan T, Knees B. Modeled Vegetation Community Trajectories: Effects from Climate Change, Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition, and Soil Acidification Recovery. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCES 2022; 9:1-13. [PMID: 36969089 PMCID: PMC10031515 DOI: 10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Forest understory plant communities in the United States harbor most of the vegetation diversity of forests and are often sensitive to changes in climate and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N). As temperature increases from human-caused climate change and soils recover from long term atmospheric deposition of N and sulfur (S), it is unclear how these important ecosystem components will respond. We used the newly developed US-PROPS model - based on species response functions for over 1,500 species - to evaluate the potential impacts of atmospheric N deposition and climate change on species occurrence probability for a case study in the forested ecosystems of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM), an iconic park in the southeastern United States. We evaluated six future scenarios from various combinations of two potential recoveries of soil pH (no change, +0.5 pH units) and three climate futures (no change, +1.5, +3.0 deg C). Species critical loads (CLs) of N deposition and projected responses for each scenario were determined. Critical loads were estimated to be low (< 2 kg N/ha/yr) to protect all species under current and expected future conditions across broad regions of GRSM and these CLs were exceeded at large spatial extents among scenarios. Northern hardwood, yellow pine, and chestnut oak forests were among the most N-sensitive vegetation map classes found within GRSM. Potential future air temperature conditions generally led to decreases in the maximum occurrence probability for species. Therefore, CLs were considered "unattainable" in these situations because the specified level of protection used for CL determination (i.e., maximum occurrence probability under ambient conditions) was not attainable. Although some species showed decreases in maximum occurrence probability with simulated increases in soil pH, most species were favored by increased pH. The importance of our study is rooted in the methodology described here for establishing regional CLs and for evaluating future conditions, which is transferable to other national parks in the U.S. and in Europe where the original PROPS model was developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T.C. McDonnell
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis, OR 97339
| | - C.M. Clark
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington DC, 20460, USA
| | - G.J. Reinds
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - T.J. Sullivan
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis, OR 97339
| | - B. Knees
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis, OR 97339
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Modelling Response of Norway Spruce Forest Vegetation to Projected Climate and Environmental Changes in Central Balkans Using Different Sets of Species. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13050666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The structure and function of many forest ecosystems will be modified as a result of air pollution and climate change. Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) forests are among the first terrestrial ecosystems to respond to this change. We analysed how changes in climate and environmental factors will affect vegetation cover in Norway spruce forests and whether it is possible to assemble a list of diagnostically important/sensitive species that would be the first to react to changes in habitats of Norway spruce in Central Balkan. Significant changes in the vegetation cover of Norway spruce forests are mainly influenced by temperature increases (≈4 °C), and precipitation decreases (≈102 mm) by the end of the 21st century. Projections show that vegetation cover changes and future habitat conditions for Norway spruce forests on podzolic brown soils with a low base saturation and soil pH decreases, and temperature growth and precipitation decline, with the worst in the Rodope montane forest ecoregion. In Dinaric Mountain and Balkan mixed forest ecoregions, the range of natural occurrence of Norway spruce forest will shift to higher altitudes, or to the north. One of the cognitions of this paper is that, through available environmental models and their indices, species from the IUCN Red List should be recognised more properly and included in model calculations.
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de Vries W, Schulte-Uebbing L, Kros H, Voogd JC, Louwagie G. Spatially explicit boundaries for agricultural nitrogen inputs in the European Union to meet air and water quality targets. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 786:147283. [PMID: 33958210 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural production in the EU has increased strongly since the 1940s, partly driven by increased nitrogen (N) fertiliser and manure inputs. Increased N inputs and associated losses, however, adversely affect air and water quality, with widespread impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and human health. Managing these impacts requires knowledge on 'safe boundaries' for N inputs, i.e., N flows that do not exceed environmental thresholds. We used a spatially explicit N balance model for the EU to derive boundaries for N losses and associated N inputs for three environmental thresholds: (i) N deposition onto natural areas to protect terrestrial biodiversity (critical N loads), (ii) N concentration in runoff to surface water (2.5 mg N l-1) to protect aquatic ecosystems and (iii) nitrate (NO3-) concentration in leachate to groundwater (50 mg NO l-1) to meet the EU drinking water standard. Critical N losses and inputs were calculated for ~40,000 unique soil-slope-climate combinations and then aggregated at country- and EU-level. To respect thresholds for N deposition, N inputs in the EU need to be reduced by 31% on average, ranging from 0% in several countries to 59% in Ireland and Denmark. The strongest reductions are required in intensive livestock regions, such as Benelux, Brittany and the Po valley. To respect thresholds for N concentration in runoff to surface water, N inputs need to be reduced by 43% on average, ranging from 2% in Estonia to 74% in the Netherlands. Average critical N inputs in view of the threshold for NO3- concentration in leachate to groundwater are close to actual (year 2010) inputs, even though leaching thresholds are exceeded in 18% of agricultural land. Critical N inputs and their exceedances presented in this paper can inform more targeted mitigation policies than flat-rate targets for N loss reductions currently mentioned in EU policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wim de Vries
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Systems Analysis Group, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Lena Schulte-Uebbing
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Systems Analysis Group, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Kros
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Cees Voogd
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Geertrui Louwagie
- (formerly) European Environment Agency, Kongens Nytorv 6, 1050 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Du E, van Doorn M, de Vries W. Spatially divergent trends of nitrogen versus phosphorus limitation across European forests. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 771:145391. [PMID: 33529819 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential nutrients that widely limit plant growth in global terrestrial ecosystems. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration generally stimulates terrestrial net primary productivity and consequently may cause or aggravate N and P limitation due to a dilution effect, but the spatial variation of temporal trends in N versus P limitation and its key regulating factors is poorly understood. Using the leaf N:P ratio of 15 dominant tree species as an indicator, we analysed the spatial variation of plot-level shift towards N or P limitation across 163 European forest plots during 1995-2017. Phosphorus limitation increased from 25% to 33% of the studied plots between 1995-1997 and 2015-2017, while N limitation occurred in a negligible number of plots. A major proportion (56%) of the plots showed no significant trend in leaf N:P ratio, implying no shifts in N versus P limitation status. In the remaining plots, 38% of the plots showed a significant increase of leaf N:P ratio and only 6% of the plots showed a significant decrease of leaf N:P ratio. The spatial variation in the rate of decrease in leaf N:P ratio was associated with a significant decrease in leaf N concentration and mainly explained by the rate of decrease in N deposition. In contrast, the spatial variation in the rate of increase in leaf N:P ratio was associated with a significant decrease in leaf P concentration and mainly explained by forest category (broadleaf vs. conifer), mean annual temperature and soil C:N ratio. Our findings highlight a remarkable spatial divergence in temporal trends of nutrient limitation status across European forests over the past two decades, but overall, P is becoming more limiting versus N, especially in broadleaved forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enzai Du
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Maarten van Doorn
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Systems Analysis Group, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Wim de Vries
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Systems Analysis Group, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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7
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Changes in Soil Features and Phytomass during Vegetation Succession in Sandy Areas. LAND 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/land10030265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This research was conducted on an area of inland sands characterised by various degrees of overgrowth by vegetation and soil stabilisation. This landscape’s origin is not natural but is connected to human industrial activities dating from early medieval times, which created a powerful centre for mining and metallurgy. This study aims to identify the changes in the above- and belowground phytomass in the initial stages of succession and their influence on the chemical properties and morphology of the soil. It was found that Salix arenaria dominated in primary phytomass production in all plots tested. The amounts of this species found in each community were as follows: 8.55 kg/400 m2 (algae–mosses), 188.97 kg/400 m2 (sand grassland–willow), 123.44 kg/400 m2 (pine–willow–mosses), 14.63 kg/400 m2 (sand grassland–mosses–willow), and 196.55 kg/400 m2 (willow–pine–sand grassland). A notable share of Koeleria glauca was found in the phytomass production of Plots IV (45.73 kg) and V (86.16 kg). Basic soil properties (pH, Corg, Nt), available plant elements (P), and plant nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, P, Fe) beneath the dominant plant species were examined. Soil acidity (pH) varied greatly, ranging from acidic (pH = 3.2) to weakly acidic (pH = 6.3). The content of organic carbon (Corg) in individual plots beneath the dominant species in the humus horizon ranged from 0.28% to 1.42%. The maximum contents of organic carbon and total nitrogen were found in organic (O) and organic-humus (OA) horizons. The highest Pavail content was found in organic and organic-humus horizons, ranging from 10.41 to 65.23 mg/kg, and in mineral horizons under K. glauca (24.10 mg/kg) and Salix acutifola (25.11 mg/kg). The soil features and phytomass were varied differently across individual sites, representing different stages of succession.
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Jahani A, Saffariha M. Human Activities Impact Prediction in Vegetation Diversity of Lar National Park in Iran Using Artificial Neural Network Model. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2021; 17:42-52. [PMID: 32970369 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The effects of livestock and tourism on vegetation include loss of biodiversity and in some cases species extinction. To evaluate these stressor-effect relationships and provide a tool for managing them in Iran's Lar National Park, we developed a multilayer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network model to predict vegetation diversity related to human activities. Recreation and restricted zones were selected as sampling areas with maximum and minimum human impacts. Vegetation diversity was measured as the number of species in 210 sample plots. Twelve landform and soil variables were also recorded and used in model development. Sensitivity analyses identified human intensity class and soil moisture as the most significant inputs influencing the MLP. The MLP was strong with R2 values in training (0.91), validation (0.83), and test data sets (0.88). A graphical user interface was designed to make the MLP model accessible within an environmental decision support system tool for national park managers, thus enabling them to predict effects and develop proactive plans for managing human activities that influence vegetation diversity. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:42-52. © 2020 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Jahani
- Natural Environment and Biodiversity Department, College of Environment, Karaj, Iran
| | - Maryam Saffariha
- College of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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Wamelink GWW, Mol-Dijkstra JP, Reinds GJ, Voogd JC, Bonten LTC, Posch M, Hennekens SM, de Vries W. Prediction of plant species occurrence as affected by nitrogen deposition and climate change on a European scale. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 266:115257. [PMID: 32750540 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Plant species occurrence in Europe is affected by changes in nitrogen deposition and climate. Insight into potential future effects of those changes can be derived by a model approach based on field-based empirical evidence on a continental scale. In this paper, we present a newly developed empirical model PROPS, predicting the occurrence probabilities of plant species in response to a combination of climatic factors, nitrogen deposition and soil properties. Parameters included were temperature, precipitation, nitrogen deposition, soil pH and soil C/N ratio. The PROPS model was fitted to plant species occurrence data of about 800,000 European relevés with estimated values for pH and soil C/N ratio and interpolated climate and modelled N deposition data obtained from the Ensemble meteo data set and EMEP model results, respectively. The model was validated on an independent data set. The test of ten species against field data gave an average Pearson's r-value of 0.79. PROPS was applied to a grassland and a heathland site to evaluate the effect of scenarios for nitrogen deposition and climate change on the Habitat Suitability Index (HSI), being the average of the relative probabilities, compared to the maximum probability, of all target species in a habitat. Results for the period 1930-2050 showed that an initial increase and later decrease in nitrogen deposition led to a pronounced decrease in HSI, and with dropping nitrogen deposition to an increase of the HSI. The effect of climate change appeared to be limited, resulting in a slight increase in HSI.
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Affiliation(s)
- G W W Wamelink
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - J P Mol-Dijkstra
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - G J Reinds
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - J C Voogd
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - L T C Bonten
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - M Posch
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria
| | - S M Hennekens
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - W de Vries
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 47, NL-6700, AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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10
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McDonnell TC, Reinds GJ, Wamelink GWW, Goedhart PW, Posch M, Sullivan TJ, Clark CM. Threshold effects of air pollution and climate change on understory plant communities at forested sites in the eastern United States. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 262:114351. [PMID: 32443221 PMCID: PMC8218460 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Forest understory plant communities in the eastern United States are often diverse and are potentially sensitive to changes in climate and atmospheric inputs of nitrogen caused by air pollution. In recent years, empirical and processed-based mathematical models have been developed to investigate such changes in plant communities. In the study reported here, a robust set of understory vegetation response functions (expressed as version 2 of the Probability of Occurrence of Plant Species model for the United States [US-PROPS v2]) was developed based on observations of forest understory and grassland plant species presence/absence and associated abiotic characteristics derived from spatial datasets. Improvements to the US-PROPS model, relative to version 1, were mostly focused on inclusion of additional input data, development of custom species-level input datasets, and implementation of methods to address uncertainty. We investigated the application of US-PROPS v2 to evaluate the potential impacts of atmospheric nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition, and climate change on forest ecosystems at three forested sites located in New Hampshire, Virginia, and Tennessee in the eastern United States. Species-level N and S critical loads (CLs) were determined under ambient deposition at all three modeled sites. The lowest species-level CLs of N deposition at each site were between 2 and 11 kg N/ha/yr. Similarly, the lowest CLs of S deposition, based on the predicted soil pH response, were less than 2 kg S/ha/yr among the three sites. Critical load exceedance was found at all three model sites. The New Hampshire site included the largest percentage of species in exceedance. Simulated warming air temperature typically resulted in lower maximum occurrence probability, which contributed to lower CLs of N and S deposition. The US-PROPS v2 model, together with the PROPS-CLF model to derive CL functions, can be used to develop site-specific CLs for understory plants within broad regions of the United States. This study demonstrates that species-level CLs of N and S deposition are spatially variable according to the climate, light availability, and soil characteristics at a given location. Although the species niche models generally performed well in predicting occurrence probability, there remains uncertainty with respect to the accuracy of reported CLs. As such, the specific CLs reported here should be considered as preliminary estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C McDonnell
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis, OR, 97339, USA.
| | - G J Reinds
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - G W W Wamelink
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - P W Goedhart
- Wageningen University and Research, Biometris, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - M Posch
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria
| | - T J Sullivan
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis, OR, 97339, USA
| | - C M Clark
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington, DC, 20460, USA
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Xie D, Zhao B, Wang S, Duan L. Benefit of China's reduction in nitrogen oxides emission to natural ecosystems in East Asia with respect to critical load exceedance. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 136:105468. [PMID: 31935562 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in China decreased by 15% from 2010 to 2015 (without a significant decrease in NH3 emission), resulting in the decline of nitrogen (N) deposition in East Asia. Empirical N critical load exceedance was used to assess the benefit of the NOx emission reduction in China to natural ecosystems in East Asia. Empirical N critical loads for major forest and grassland types in East Asia were assigned based on field manipulation experiments for N effects. The critical load map based on the minimum of the critical load range of each vegetation type showed that empirical critical loads were generally lower in the Tibetan Plateau and some parts of northeastern China (≤5 kgN·ha-1·a-1), and higher in northern and southern China (≥20 kgN·ha-1·a-1). Empirical critical loads were also low in some parts of central and northern Japan (≤5 kgN·ha-1·a-1) and the south Korean Peninsula (5-10 kgN·ha-1·a-1). As a benefit of NOx emission reduction in China, N deposition in East Asia decreased significantly from 2010 to 2015. The total area and total amount of critical load exceedance in East Asia declined 4.6% and 14.3% respectively, suggesting great benefits to natural ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danni Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Shuxiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Centre for Regional Environmental Quality, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China
| | - Lei Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Centre for Regional Environmental Quality, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, PR China.
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12
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Smart SM, Jarvis SG, Mizunuma T, Herrero‐Jáuregui C, Fang Z, Butler A, Alison J, Wilson M, Marrs RH. Assessment of a large number of empirical plant species niche models by elicitation of knowledge from two national experts. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:12858-12868. [PMID: 31788220 PMCID: PMC6875586 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantitative models play an increasing role in exploring the impact of global change on biodiversity. To win credibility and trust, they need validating. We show how expert knowledge can be used to assess a large number of empirical species niche models constructed for the British vascular plant and bryophyte flora. Key outcomes were (a) scored assessments of each modeled species and niche axis combination, (b) guidance on models needing further development, (c) exploration of the trade-off between presenting more complex model summaries, which could lead to more thorough validation, versus the longer time these take to evaluate, (d) quantification of the internal consistency of expert opinion based on comparison of assessment scores made on a random subset of models evaluated by both experts. Overall, the experts assessed 39% of species and niche axis combinations to be "poor" and 61% to show a degree of reliability split between "moderate" (30%), "good" (25%), and "excellent" (6%). The two experts agreed in only 43% of cases, reaching greater consensus about poorer models and disagreeing most about models rated as better by either expert. This low agreement rate suggests that a greater number of experts is required to produce reliable assessments and to more fully understand the reasons underlying lack of consensus. While area under curve (AUC) statistics showed generally very good ability of the models to predict random hold-out samples of the data, there was no correspondence between these and the scores given by the experts and no apparent correlation between AUC and species prevalence. Crowd-sourcing further assessments by allowing web-based access to model fits is an obvious next step. To this end, we developed an online application for inspecting and evaluating the fit of each niche surface to its training data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Toshie Mizunuma
- Department of BotanyNational Museum of Nature and ScienceTsukubaJapan
| | | | - Zhou Fang
- Biomathematics & Statistics ScotlandJCMBEdinburghUK
| | - Adam Butler
- Biomathematics & Statistics ScotlandJCMBEdinburghUK
| | | | - Mike Wilson
- NERC Centre for Ecology & HydrologyLancasterUK
| | - Robert H. Marrs
- School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
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13
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Clark CM, Simkin SM, Allen EB, Bowman WD, Belnap J, Brooks ML, Collins SL, Geiser LH, Gilliam FS, Jovan SE, Pardo LH, Schulz BK, Stevens CJ, Suding KN, Throop HL, Waller DM. Potential vulnerability of 348 herbaceous species to atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur in the United States. NATURE PLANTS 2019; 5:697-705. [PMID: 31263243 PMCID: PMC10790282 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-019-0442-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric nitrogen and sulfur pollution increased over much of the United States during the twentieth century from fossil fuel combustion and industrial agriculture. Despite recent declines, nitrogen and sulfur deposition continue to affect many plant communities in the United States, although which species are at risk remains uncertain. We used species composition data from >14,000 survey sites across the contiguous United States to evaluate the association between nitrogen and sulfur deposition and the probability of occurrence for 348 herbaceous species. We found that the probability of occurrence for 70% of species was negatively associated with nitrogen or sulfur deposition somewhere in the contiguous United States (56% for N, 51% for S). Of the species, 15% and 51% potentially decreased at all nitrogen and sulfur deposition rates, respectively, suggesting thresholds below the minimum deposition they receive. Although more species potentially increased than decreased with nitrogen deposition, increasers tended to be introduced and decreasers tended to be higher-value native species. More vulnerable species tended to be shorter with lower tissue nitrogen and magnesium. These relationships constitute predictive equations to estimate critical loads. These results demonstrate that many herbaceous species may be at risk from atmospheric deposition and can inform improvements to air quality policies in the United States and globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Clark
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Samuel M Simkin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- National Ecological Observatory Network, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Edith B Allen
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - William D Bowman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jayne Belnap
- Southwest Biological Science Center, US Geological Survey, Moab, UT, USA
| | - Matthew L Brooks
- Western Ecological Research Center, US Geological Survey, Oakhurst, CA, USA
| | - Scott L Collins
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Linda H Geiser
- Washington Office-Water, Fish, Wildlife, Air & Rare Plants, USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Frank S Gilliam
- Department of Biology, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, USA
| | - Sarah E Jovan
- Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, USDA Forest Service, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Linda H Pardo
- Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Bethany K Schulz
- Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, USDA Forest Service, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Carly J Stevens
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Katharine N Suding
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA
| | - Heather L Throop
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Donald M Waller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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14
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Perring MP, Diekmann M, Midolo G, Schellenberger Costa D, Bernhardt-Römermann M, Otto JCJ, Gilliam FS, Hedwall PO, Nordin A, Dirnböck T, Simkin SM, Máliš F, Blondeel H, Brunet J, Chudomelová M, Durak T, De Frenne P, Hédl R, Kopecký M, Landuyt D, Li D, Manning P, Petřík P, Reczyńska K, Schmidt W, Standovár T, Świerkosz K, Vild O, Waller DM, Verheyen K. Understanding context dependency in the response of forest understorey plant communities to nitrogen deposition. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 242:1787-1799. [PMID: 30115529 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.07.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Understorey communities can dominate forest plant diversity and strongly affect forest ecosystem structure and function. Understoreys often respond sensitively but inconsistently to drivers of ecological change, including nitrogen (N) deposition. Nitrogen deposition effects, reflected in the concept of critical loads, vary greatly not only among species and guilds, but also among forest types. Here, we characterize such context dependency as driven by differences in the amounts and forms of deposited N, cumulative deposition, the filtering of N by overstoreys, and available plant species pools. Nitrogen effects on understorey trajectories can also vary due to differences in surrounding landscape conditions; ambient browsing pressure; soils and geology; other environmental factors controlling plant growth; and, historical and current disturbance/management regimes. The number of these factors and their potentially complex interactions complicate our efforts to make simple predictions about how N deposition affects forest understoreys. We review the literature to examine evidence for context dependency in N deposition effects on forest understoreys. We also use data from 1814 European temperate forest plots to test the ability of multi-level models to characterize context-dependent understorey responses across sites that differ in levels of N deposition, community composition, local conditions and management history. This analysis demonstrated that historical management, and plot location on light and pH-fertility gradients, significantly affect how understorey communities respond to N deposition. We conclude that species' and communities' responses to N deposition, and thus the determination of critical loads, vary greatly depending on environmental contexts. This complicates our efforts to predict how N deposition will affect forest understoreys and thus how best to conserve and restore understorey biodiversity. To reduce uncertainty and incorporate context dependency in critical load setting, we should assemble data on underlying environmental conditions, conduct globally distributed field experiments, and analyse a wider range of habitat types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Perring
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium; Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Martin Diekmann
- Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology, FB 2, University of Bremen, Leobener Str. 5, DE-28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Midolo
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bozen/Bolzano, Piazza Università 5, 39100, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
| | - David Schellenberger Costa
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, DE-07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Markus Bernhardt-Römermann
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, DE-07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Johanna C J Otto
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, DE-07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Frank S Gilliam
- Department of Biology, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, 32514, USA
| | - Per-Ola Hedwall
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Annika Nordin
- Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå Plant Science Centre, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Samuel M Simkin
- National Ecological Observatory Network, 1685 38th St., Suite 100, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - František Máliš
- Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Forestry, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia; National Forest Centre, T. G. Masaryka 22, 960 92, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Haben Blondeel
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Jörg Brunet
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Markéta Chudomelová
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz Durak
- Department of Ecology, University of Rzeszów, ul. Rejtana 16C, PL-35- 959, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Radim Hédl
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-78371, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Kopecký
- Department of GIS and Remote Sensing, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 00, Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Dries Landuyt
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Daijiang Li
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Peter Manning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Petr Petřík
- Department of GIS and Remote Sensing, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Kamila Reczyńska
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Kanonia 6/8, PL-50-328, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Wolfgang Schmidt
- Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tibor Standovár
- Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. sétány 1/c, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krzysztof Świerkosz
- Museum of Natural History, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, PL-50-335, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Ondřej Vild
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Donald M Waller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
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15
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Holmberg M, Aherne J, Austnes K, Beloica J, De Marco A, Dirnböck T, Fornasier MF, Goergen K, Futter M, Lindroos AJ, Krám P, Neirynck J, Nieminen TM, Pecka T, Posch M, Pröll G, Rowe EC, Scheuschner T, Schlutow A, Valinia S, Forsius M. Modelling study of soil C, N and pH response to air pollution and climate change using European LTER site observations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 640-641:387-399. [PMID: 29860010 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Current climate warming is expected to continue in coming decades, whereas high N deposition may stabilize, in contrast to the clear decrease in S deposition. These pressures have distinctive regional patterns and their resulting impact on soil conditions is modified by local site characteristics. We have applied the VSD+ soil dynamic model to study impacts of deposition and climate change on soil properties, using MetHyd and GrowUp as pre-processors to provide input to VSD+. The single-layer soil model VSD+ accounts for processes of organic C and N turnover, as well as charge and mass balances of elements, cation exchange and base cation weathering. We calibrated VSD+ at 26 ecosystem study sites throughout Europe using observed conditions, and simulated key soil properties: soil solution pH (pH), soil base saturation (BS) and soil organic carbon and nitrogen ratio (C:N) under projected deposition of N and S, and climate warming until 2100. The sites are forested, located in the Mediterranean, forested alpine, Atlantic, continental and boreal regions. They represent the long-term ecological research (LTER) Europe network, including sites of the ICP Forests and ICP Integrated Monitoring (IM) programmes under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), providing high quality long-term data on ecosystem response. Simulated future soil conditions improved under projected decrease in deposition and current climate conditions: higher pH, BS and C:N at 21, 16 and 12 of the sites, respectively. When climate change was included in the scenario analysis, the variability of the results increased. Climate warming resulted in higher simulated pH in most cases, and higher BS and C:N in roughly half of the cases. Especially the increase in C:N was more marked with climate warming. The study illustrates the value of LTER sites for applying models to predict soil responses to multiple environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Holmberg
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Mechelininkatu 34a, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Julian Aherne
- Environmental and Resource Studies, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Kari Austnes
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research NIVA, Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jelena Beloica
- Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, Kneza Viseslava 1, RS-11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Alessandra De Marco
- ENEA - Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, IT-00123 Santa Maria di Galeria, Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas Dirnböck
- Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Klaus Goergen
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, Agrosphere (IBG-3), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Centre for High-Performance Scientific Computing in Terrestrial Systems, Geoverbund ABC/J, Jülich, Germany
| | - Martyn Futter
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU, P.O. Box 7050, SE-75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Antti-Jussi Lindroos
- Natural Resources Institute Finland LUKE, Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pavel Krám
- Czech Geological Survey, Klárov 3, CZ 11821 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Johan Neirynck
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Gaverstraat 35, BE-9500 Geraardsbergen, Belgium
| | | | - Tomasz Pecka
- Institute of Env. Protection - National Research Institute (IOS-PIB), ul. Kolektorska 4, PL-01692 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maximilian Posch
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Gisela Pröll
- Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ed C Rowe
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), ECW, Bangor, LL57 3EU, UK
| | | | | | - Salar Valinia
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research NIVA, Gaustadalléen 21, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway; Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, SE-10648 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Forsius
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Mechelininkatu 34a, FI-00251 Helsinki, Finland
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16
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McDonnell TC, Reinds GJ, Sullivan TJ, Clark CM, Bonten LTC, Mol-Dijkstra JP, Wamelink GWW, Dovciak M. Feasibility of coupled empirical and dynamic modeling to assess climate change and air pollution impacts on temperate forest vegetation of the eastern United States. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 234:902-914. [PMID: 29253831 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Changes in climate and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition caused pronounced changes in soil conditions and habitat suitability for many plant species over the latter half of the previous century. Such changes are expected to continue in the future with anticipated further changing air temperature and precipitation that will likely influence the effects of N deposition. To investigate the potential long-term impacts of atmospheric N deposition on hardwood forest ecosystems in the eastern United States in the context of climate change, application of the coupled biogeochemical and vegetation community model VSD+PROPS was explored at three sites in New Hampshire, Virginia, and Tennessee. This represents the first application of VSD+PROPS to forest ecosystems in the United States. Climate change and elevated (above mid-19th century) N deposition were simulated to be important factors for determining habitat suitability. Although simulation results suggested that the suitability of these forests to support the continued presence of their characteristic understory plant species might decline by the year 2100, low data availability for building vegetation response models with PROPS resulted in uncertain results at the extremes of simulated N deposition. Future PROPS model development in the United States should focus on inclusion of additional foundational data or alternate candidate predictor variables to reduce these uncertainties.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C McDonnell
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis OR 97339, USA.
| | - G J Reinds
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - T J Sullivan
- E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., PO Box 609, Corvallis OR 97339, USA.
| | - C M Clark
- US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, Washington DC, 20460, USA.
| | - L T C Bonten
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - J P Mol-Dijkstra
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - G W W Wamelink
- Wageningen University and Research, Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - M Dovciak
- State University of New York, College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse NY, USA.
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17
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Dirnböck T, Djukic I, Kitzler B, Kobler J, Mol-Dijkstra JP, Posch M, Reinds GJ, Schlutow A, Starlinger F, Wamelink WGW. Climate and air pollution impacts on habitat suitability of Austrian forest ecosystems. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184194. [PMID: 28898262 PMCID: PMC5595319 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change and excess deposition of airborne nitrogen (N) are among the main stressors to floristic biodiversity. One particular concern is the deterioration of valuable habitats such as those protected under the European Habitat Directive. In future, climate-driven shifts (and losses) in the species potential distribution, but also N driven nutrient enrichment may threaten these habitats. We applied a dynamic geochemical soil model (VSD+) together with a novel niche-based plant response model (PROPS) to 5 forest habitat types (18 forest sites) protected under the EU Directive in Austria. We assessed how future climate change and N deposition might affect habitat suitability, defined as the capacity of a site to host its typical plant species. Our evaluation indicates that climate change will be the main driver of a decrease in habitat suitability in the future in Austria. The expected climate change will increase the occurrence of thermophilic plant species while decreasing cold-tolerant species. In addition to these direct impacts, climate change scenarios caused an increase of the occurrence probability of oligotrophic species due to a higher N immobilisation in woody biomass leading to soil N depletion. As a consequence, climate change did offset eutrophication from N deposition, even when no further reduction in N emissions was assumed. Our results show that climate change may have positive side-effects in forest habitats when multiple drivers of change are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dirnböck
- Department for Ecosystem Research and Environmental Information Management, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
| | - Ika Djukic
- Department for Ecosystem Research and Environmental Information Management, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Johannes Kobler
- Department for Ecosystem Research and Environmental Information Management, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Max Posch
- Coordination Centre for Effects (CCE), RIVM, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - Angela Schlutow
- OEKO-DATA—Ecosystem Analysis and Environmental Data Management, Strausberg, Germany
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18
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Taylor LL, Beerling DJ, Quegan S, Banwart SA. Simulating carbon capture by enhanced weathering with croplands: an overview of key processes highlighting areas of future model development. Biol Lett 2017; 13:20160868. [PMID: 28381633 PMCID: PMC5414688 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced weathering (EW) aims to amplify a natural sink for CO2 by incorporating powdered silicate rock with high reactive surface area into agricultural soils. The goal is to achieve rapid dissolution of minerals and release of alkalinity with accompanying dissolution of CO2 into soils and drainage waters. EW could counteract phosphorus limitation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in tropical soils, and soil acidification, a common agricultural problem studied with numerical process models over several decades. Here, we review the processes leading to soil acidification in croplands and how the soil weathering CO2 sink is represented in models. Mathematical models capturing the dominant processes and human interventions governing cropland soil chemistry and GHG emissions neglect weathering, while most weathering models neglect agricultural processes. We discuss current approaches to modelling EW and highlight several classes of model having the potential to simulate EW in croplands. Finally, we argue for further integration of process knowledge in mathematical models to capture feedbacks affecting both longer-term CO2 consumption and crop growth and yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyla L Taylor
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - David J Beerling
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Shaun Quegan
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Steven A Banwart
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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van Dobben HF, de Vries W. The contribution of nitrogen deposition to the eutrophication signal in understorey plant communities of European forests. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:214-227. [PMID: 28070285 PMCID: PMC5215267 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated effects of atmospheric deposition of nitrogen on the composition of forest understorey vegetation both in space and time, using repeated data from the European wide monitoring program ICP-Forests, which focuses on normally managed forest. Our aim was to assess whether both spatial and temporal effects of deposition can be detected by a multiple regression approach using data from managed forests over a relatively short time interval, in which changes in the tree layer are limited. To characterize the vegetation, we used indicators derived from cover percentages per species using multivariate statistics and indicators derived from the presence/absence, that is, species numbers and Ellenberg's indicator values. As explanatory variables, we used climate, altitude, tree species, stand age, and soil chemistry, besides deposition of nitrate, ammonia and sulfate. We analyzed the effects of abiotic conditions at a single point in time by canonical correspondence analysis and multiple regression. The relation between the change in vegetation and abiotic conditions was analyzed using redundancy analysis and multiple regression, for a subset of the plots that had both abiotic data and enough species to compute a mean Ellenberg N value per plot using a minimum of three species. Results showed that the spatial variation in the vegetation is mainly due to "traditional" factors such as soil type and climate, but a statistically significant part of the variation could be ascribed to atmospheric deposition of nitrate. The change in the vegetation over the past c. 10 years was also significantly correlated to nitrate deposition. Although the effect of deposition on the individual species could not be clearly defined, the effect on the vegetation as a whole was a shift toward nitrophytic species as witnessed by an increase in mean Ellenberg's indicator value.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wim de Vries
- Wageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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20
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Rowe EC, Ford AES, Smart SM, Henrys PA, Ashmore MR. Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methods to Choose a Habitat Quality Metric for Air Pollution Policy Evaluation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161085. [PMID: 27557277 PMCID: PMC4996518 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 07/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has had detrimental effects on species composition in a range of sensitive habitats, although N deposition can also increase agricultural productivity and carbon storage, and favours a few species considered of importance for conservation. Conservation targets are multiple, and increasingly incorporate services derived from nature as well as concepts of intrinsic value. Priorities vary. How then should changes in a set of species caused by drivers such as N deposition be assessed? We used a novel combination of qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative ranking to elucidate the views of conservation professionals specialising in grasslands, heathlands and mires. Although conservation management goals are varied, terrestrial habitat quality is mainly assessed by these specialists on the basis of plant species, since these are readily observed. The presence and abundance of plant species that are scarce, or have important functional roles, emerged as important criteria for judging overall habitat quality. However, species defined as 'positive indicator-species' (not particularly scarce, but distinctive for the habitat) were considered particularly important. Scarce species are by definition not always found, and the presence of functionally important species is not a sufficient indicator of site quality. Habitat quality as assessed by the key informants was rank-correlated with the number of positive indicator-species present at a site for seven of the nine habitat classes assessed. Other metrics such as species-richness or a metric of scarcity were inconsistently or not correlated with the specialists' assessments. We recommend that metrics of habitat quality used to assess N pollution impacts are based on the occurrence of, or habitat-suitability for, distinctive species. Metrics of this type are likely to be widely applicable for assessing habitat change in response to different drivers. The novel combined qualitative and quantitative approach taken to elucidate the priorities of conservation professionals could be usefully applied in other contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin C. Rowe
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Adriana E. S. Ford
- Environment Department, University of York, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Architecture, Computing & Humanities, University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon M. Smart
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster, Lancashire, United Kingdom
| | - Peter A. Henrys
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster, Lancashire, United Kingdom
| | - Mike R. Ashmore
- Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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Rizzetto S, Belyazid S, Gégout JC, Nicolas M, Alard D, Corcket E, Gaudio N, Sverdrup H, Probst A. Modelling the impact of climate change and atmospheric N deposition on French forests biodiversity. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 213:1016-1027. [PMID: 26809502 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.12.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A dynamic coupled biogeochemical-ecological model was used to simulate the effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on plant communities at three forest sites in France. The three sites had different forest covers (sessile oak, Norway spruce and silver fir), three nitrogen loads ranging from relatively low to high, different climatic regions and different soil types. Both the availability of vegetation time series and the environmental niches of the understory species allowed to evaluate the model for predicting the composition of the three plant communities. The calibration of the environmental niches was successful, with a model performance consistently reasonably high throughout the three sites. The model simulations of two climatic and two deposition scenarios showed that climate change may entirely compromise the eventual recovery from eutrophication of the simulated plant communities in response to the reductions in nitrogen deposition. The interplay between climate and deposition was strongly governed by site characteristics and histories in the long term, while forest management remained the main driver of change in the short term.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Salim Belyazid
- Institute of Ecology, CEC Group, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Jean-Claude Gégout
- AgroParisTech, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54000 Nancy, France; INRA, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54280 Champenoux, France
| | - Manuel Nicolas
- Office National des Forêts, Direction Forêts et Risques Naturels, Département R&D Boulevard de Constance F-77300 Fontainebleau
| | - Didier Alard
- Université de Bordeaux - INRA, UMR 1202 BioGeco, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, F-33615 Pessac, France
| | - Emmanuel Corcket
- Université de Bordeaux - INRA, UMR 1202 BioGeco, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, F-33615 Pessac, France
| | - Noémie Gaudio
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, France
| | - Harald Sverdrup
- Industrial Engineering, VR-II, Hjardarhagi 2-6, University of Iceland, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Anne Probst
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, France.
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22
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Comparative Risk Assessment to Inform Adaptation Priorities for the Natural Environment: Observations from the First UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. CLIMATE 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/cli3040937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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23
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Henrys PA, Smart SM, Rowe EC, Jarvis SG, Fang Z, Evans CD, Emmett BA, Butler A. Niche models for British plants and lichens obtained using an ensemble approach. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1179/2042349715y.0000000010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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24
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Gaudio N, Belyazid S, Gendre X, Mansat A, Nicolas M, Rizzetto S, Sverdrup H, Probst A. Combined effect of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change on temperate forest soil biogeochemistry: A modeling approach. Ecol Modell 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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25
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Rowe EC, Smart SM, Emmett BA. Phosphorus availability explains patterns in a productivity indicator in temperate semi-natural vegetation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2014; 16:2156-2164. [PMID: 25008033 DOI: 10.1039/c4em00312h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Plant production is a key process in semi-natural ecosystems, affecting resource provision, carbon storage, and habitat suitability for species of conservation concern. There is debate over whether nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limits productivity more widely, and whether the pattern of limitation has been affected by widespread atmospheric N pollution. In a national-scale survey, floristic composition was used to derive mean Ellenberg N score (EN) for use as an independent metric of productivity. Much of the variation in EN within extensively-managed habitats could be explained by bulk-soil properties such as total C and moisture contents, reflecting the axis from wet, organic, infertile soils to drier, mineral, fertile soils. However, this main axis of variation was also explained well by bicarbonate-extractable P stock, and P stock was included in the best 88 of 255 possible models for all habitats, or the best 55 of 255 models for extensively-managed habitats. The stock of mineralisable N was much less well able to explain variation in the productivity metric, particularly in extensively-managed habitats. This suggests that P availability is a more widespread constraint to the productivity of semi-natural ecosystems in the UK than is N availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- E C Rowe
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, LL57 3EU, UK.
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26
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Priputina I, Zubkova E, Shanin V, Smirnov V, Komarov A. Evidence of plant biodiversity changes as a result of nitrogen deposition in permanent pine forest plots in central Russia. ECOSCIENCE 2014. [DOI: 10.2980/21-(3-4)-3681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Irina Priputina
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, in Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya str. 2, Puschino, Moscow region, Russia,
| | - Elena Zubkova
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, in Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya str. 2, Puschino, Moscow region, Russia,
| | - Vladimir Shanin
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, in Soil Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya str. 2, Puschino, Moscow region, Russia,
| | - Vadim Smirnov
- Institute of Mathematical Problems in Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences Institutskaya str. 4, Puschino, Moscow region, Russia
| | - Alexander Komarov
- Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences Institutskaya str. 2, Puschino, Moscow region, Russia
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27
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Do Earthworms Have a Greater Influence on Nitrogen Dynamics Than Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition? Ecosystems 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-014-9794-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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28
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Dirnböck T, Grandin U, Bernhardt-Römermann M, Beudert B, Canullo R, Forsius M, Grabner MT, Holmberg M, Kleemola S, Lundin L, Mirtl M, Neumann M, Pompei E, Salemaa M, Starlinger F, Staszewski T, Uziębło AK. Forest floor vegetation response to nitrogen deposition in Europe. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:429-440. [PMID: 24132996 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Revised: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Chronic nitrogen (N) deposition is a threat to biodiversity that results from the eutrophication of ecosystems. We studied long-term monitoring data from 28 forest sites with a total of 1,335 permanent forest floor vegetation plots from northern Fennoscandia to southern Italy to analyse temporal trends in vascular plant species cover and diversity. We found that the cover of plant species which prefer nutrient-poor soils (oligotrophic species) decreased the more the measured N deposition exceeded the empirical critical load (CL) for eutrophication effects (P = 0.002). Although species preferring nutrient-rich sites (eutrophic species) did not experience a significantly increase in cover (P = 0.440), in comparison to oligotrophic species they had a marginally higher proportion among new occurring species (P = 0.091). The observed gradual replacement of oligotrophic species by eutrophic species as a response to N deposition seems to be a general pattern, as it was consistent on the European scale. Contrary to species cover changes, neither the decrease in species richness nor of homogeneity correlated with nitrogen CL exceedance (ExCLemp N). We assume that the lack of diversity changes resulted from the restricted time period of our observations. Although existing habitat-specific empirical CL still hold some uncertainty, we exemplify that they are useful indicators for the sensitivity of forest floor vegetation to N deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Dirnböck
- Department for Ecosystem Research and Monitoring, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, A-1090, Vienna, Austria
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29
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Dean SL, Farrer EC, Taylor DL, Porras-Alfaro A, Suding KN, Sinsabaugh RL. Nitrogen deposition alters plant-fungal relationships: linking belowground dynamics to aboveground vegetation change. Mol Ecol 2013; 23:1364-1378. [PMID: 24112704 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Revised: 09/17/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) deposition rates are increasing globally due to anthropogenic activities. Plant community responses to N are often attributed to altered competitive interactions between plants, but may also be a result of microbial responses to N, particularly root-associated fungi (RAF), which are known to affect plant fitness. In response to N, Deschampsia cespitosa, a codominant plant in the alpine tundra at Niwot Ridge (CO), increases in abundance, while Geum rossii, its principal competitor, declines. Importantly, G. rossii declines with N even in the absence of its competitor. We examined whether contrasting host responses to N are associated with altered plant-fungal symbioses, and whether the effects of N are distinct from effects of altered plant competition on RAF, using 454 pyrosequencing. Host RAF communities were distinct (only 9.4% of OTUs overlapped). N increased RAF diversity in G. rossii, but decreased it in D. cespitosa. D. cespitosa RAF communities were more responsive to N than G. rossii RAF communities, perhaps indicating a flexible microbial community aids host adaptation to nutrient enrichment. Effects of removing D. cespitosa were distinct from effects of N on G. rossii RAF, and D. cespitosa presence reversed RAF diversity response to N. The most dominant G. rossii RAF order, Helotiales, was the most affected by N, declining from 83% to 60% of sequences, perhaps indicating a loss of mutualists under N enrichment. These results highlight the potential importance of belowground microbial dynamics in plant responses to N deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Dean
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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30
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Tipping E, Henrys PA, Maskell LC, Smart SM. Nitrogen deposition effects on plant species diversity; threshold loads from field data. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2013; 179:218-223. [PMID: 23688734 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2013] [Revised: 04/03/2013] [Accepted: 04/06/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
National-scale plant species richness data for Great Britain in 1998 were related to modelled contemporary N deposition (N(dep)) using a broken stick median regression, to estimate thresholds above which N(dep) definitely has had an effect. The thresholds (kg N ha⁻¹ a⁻¹) are 7.9 for acid grassland 14.9 for bogs, 23.6 for calcareous grassland, 7.8 for deciduous woodland and 8.8 for heath. The woodland and heath thresholds are not significantly greater than the lowest N(dep), which implies that species loss may occur over the whole range of contemporary N(dep). This also applies to acid grassland if it is assumed that N(dep) has substituted for previous N fixation. The thresholds for bog and calcareous grassland are both significantly above the lowest N(dep). The thresholds are lower than the mid-range empirical Critical Loads for acid grassland, deciduous woodland and heath, higher for bogs, and approximately equal for calcareous grassland.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Tipping
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Lancaster LA1 4AP, United Kingdom.
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31
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Liu XY, Koba K, Makabe A, Li XD, Yoh M, Liu CQ. Ammonium first: natural mosses prefer atmospheric ammonium but vary utilization of dissolved organic nitrogen depending on habitat and nitrogen deposition. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 199:407-419. [PMID: 23692546 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 03/18/2013] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosses, among all types of terrestrial vegetation, are excellent scavengers of anthropogenic nitrogen (N), but their utilization of dissolved organic N (DON) and their reliance on atmospheric N remain uncharacterized in natural environments, which obscures their roles in N cycles. Natural (15) N abundance of N sources (nitrate (NO(3)(-)), ammonium (NH(4)(+)) and DON in deposition and soil) for epilithic and terricolous mosses was analyzed at sites with different N depositions at Guiyang, China. Moss NO(3)(-) assimilation was inhibited substantially by the high supply of NH(4)(+) and DON. Therefore, contributions of NH(4)(+) and DON to moss N were partitioned using isotopic mass-balance methods. The N contributions averaged 56% and 46% from atmospheric NH(4)(+), and 44% and 17% from atmospheric DON in epilithic and terricolous mosses, respectively. In terricolous mosses, soil NH(4)(+) and soil DON accounted for 16% and 21% of bulk N, which are higher than current estimations obtained using (15) N-labeling methods. Moreover, anthropogenic NH(4)(+) deposition suppressed utilization of DON and soil N because of the preference of moss for NH(4)(+) under elevated NH(4)(+) deposition. These results underscore the dominance of, and preference for, atmospheric NH(4)(+) in moss N utilization, and highlight the importance of considering DON and soil N sources when estimating moss N sequestration and the impacts of N deposition on mosses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Yan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 1838509, Japan
| | - Keisuke Koba
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 1838509, Japan
| | - Akiko Makabe
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 1838509, Japan
| | - Xiao-Dong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Muneoki Yoh
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 1838509, Japan
| | - Cong-Qiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China
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32
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Rowe EC, Emmett BA, Frogbrook ZL, Robinson DA, Hughes S. Nitrogen deposition and climate effects on soil nitrogen availability: influences of habitat type and soil characteristics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2012; 434:62-70. [PMID: 22245213 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2011] [Revised: 12/02/2011] [Accepted: 12/04/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The amount of plant-available nitrogen (N) in soil is an important indicator of eutrophication of semi-natural habitats, but previous studies have shown contrasting effects of N deposition on mineralisable N in different habitats. The stock of readily mineralisable N (N(rm)) was measured in 665 locations across Britain from a range of intensively and extensively managed habitats, allowing N availability to be studied in relation to soil and vegetation type, and also to variation in climate and in reactive N deposition from the atmosphere. Mineralisable N contents were correlated with deposition in extensively managed habitats but not in intensively managed habitats. The following statements apply only to extensively managed habitats. All habitats showed a similar increase in N(rm) with N deposition. However, soil characteristics affected the relationship, and soil carbon content in particular was a major control on mineralisation. The N(rm) stock increased more with N deposition in organic than in mineral soils. The nitrate proportion of N(rm) also increased with N deposition but, conversely, this increase was greater in mineral than in organic soils. The measurements could be used as indicators of eutrophication, e.g. deposition rates of over 20 kg N ha(-1) y(-1) are associated with nitrate proportions of >41% in a mineral soil (2% carbon), and with N(rm) stocks of over 4.8 kg N ha(-1) in an organic soil (55% carbon). Both N(rm) and nitrate proportion increased with mean annual temperature of the sampling location, despite consistent incubation temperature, suggesting that increasing temperatures are likely to increase the eutrophying effects of N pollution on semi-natural ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- E C Rowe
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Bangor, UK.
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33
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Oulehle F, Cosby BJ, Wright RF, Hruška J, Kopáček J, Krám P, Evans CD, Moldan F. Modelling soil nitrogen: the MAGIC model with nitrogen retention linked to carbon turnover using decomposer dynamics. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2012; 165:158-166. [PMID: 22459669 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2011] [Revised: 02/09/2012] [Accepted: 02/21/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We present a new formulation of the acidification model MAGIC that uses decomposer dynamics to link nitrogen (N) cycling to carbon (C) turnover in soils. The new model is evaluated by application to 15-30 years of water chemistry data at three coniferous-forested sites in the Czech Republic where deposition of sulphur (S) and N have decreased by >80% and 40%, respectively. Sulphate concentrations in waters have declined commensurately with S deposition, but nitrate concentrations have shown much larger decreases relative to N deposition. This behaviour is inconsistent with most conceptual models of N saturation, and with earlier versions of MAGIC which assume N retention to be a first-order function of N deposition and/or controlled by the soil C/N ratio. In comparison with earlier versions, the new formulation more correctly simulates observed short-term changes in nitrate leaching, as well as long-term retention of N in soils. The model suggests that, despite recent deposition reductions and recovery, progressive N saturation will lead to increased future nitrate leaching, ecosystem eutrophication and re-acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Oulehle
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
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34
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Duretz S, Drouet JL, Durand P, Hutchings NJ, Theobald MR, Salmon-Monviola J, Dragosits U, Maury O, Sutton MA, Cellier P. NitroScape: a model to integrate nitrogen transfers and transformations in rural landscapes. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2011; 159:3162-3170. [PMID: 21726925 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2011] [Accepted: 05/05/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Modelling nitrogen transfer and transformation at the landscape scale is relevant to estimate the mobility of the reactive forms of nitrogen (N(r)) and the associated threats to the environment. Here we describe the development of a spatially and temporally explicit model to integrate N(r) transfer and transformation at the landscape scale. The model couples four existing models, to simulate atmospheric, farm, agro-ecosystem and hydrological N(r) fluxes and transformations within a landscape. Simulations were carried out on a theoretical landscape consisting of pig-crop farms interspersed with unmanaged ecosystems. Simulation results illustrated the effect of spatial interactions between landscape elements on N(r) fluxes and losses to the environment. More than 10% of the total N(2)O emissions were due to indirect emissions. The nitrogen budgets and transformations of the unmanaged ecosystems varied considerably, depending on their location within the landscape. The model represents a new tool for assessing the effect of changes in landscape structure on N(r) fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Duretz
- INRA-AgroParisTech, UMR 1091 Environnement et Grandes Cultures (EGC), 78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France
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35
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Goodale CL, Dise NB, Sutton MA. Special issue on nitrogen deposition, critical loads, and biodiversity. Introduction. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2011; 159:2211-2213. [PMID: 21481995 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Christine L Goodale
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E215 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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36
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Wyness K, Mills G, Jones L, Barnes JD, Jones DL. Enhanced nitrogen deposition exacerbates the negative effect of increasing background ozone in Dactylis glomerata, but not Ranunculus acris. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2011; 159:2493-2499. [PMID: 21741736 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2011.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2011] [Revised: 06/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/19/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The combined impacts of simulated increased nitrogen (N) deposition (75 kg Nha(-1)yr (-1)) and increasing background ozone (O(3)) were studied using two mesotrophic grassland species (Dactylis glomerata and Ranunculus acris) in solardomes, by means of eight O(3) treatments ranging from 15.5 ppb to 92.7 ppb (24h average mean). A-C(i) curves were constructed for each species to gauge effects on photosynthetic efficiency and capacity, and effects on biomass partitioning were determined after 14 weeks. Increasing the background concentration of O(3) reduced the healthy above ground and root biomass of both species, and increased senesced biomass. N fertilisation increased biomass production in D. glomerata, and a significantly greater than additive effect of O(3) and N on root biomass was evident. In contrast, R. acris biomass was not affected by high N. The study shows the combined effects of these pollutants have differential implications for carbon allocation patterns in common grassland species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Wyness
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environment Centre Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
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Posch M, Aherne J, Hettelingh JP. Nitrogen critical loads using biodiversity-related critical limits. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2011; 159:2223-2227. [PMID: 21112679 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Revised: 11/02/2010] [Accepted: 11/04/2010] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Critical loads are widely used in the effects-based assessment of emission reduction policies. While the impacts of acidification have diminished, there is increasing concern regarding the effects of nitrogen deposition on terrestrial ecosystems. In this context much attention has been focussed on empirical critical loads as well as simulations with linked geochemistry-vegetation models. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to adapt the widely used simple mass balance approach. This approach has the well-established benefit of easy regional applicability, while incorporating specified critical chemical criteria to protect specified receptors. As plant occurrence/biodiversity is related to both the nutrient and acidity status of an ecosystem, a single abiotic factor (chemical criterion) is not sufficient. Rather than an upper limit for deposition (i.e., critical load), linked nutrient nitrogen and acidity chemical criteria for plant occurrence result in an 'optimal' nitrogen and sulphur deposition envelope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Posch
- Coordination Centre for Effects, PBL, PO Box 303, 3720 AH Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
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Bobbink R, Hicks K, Galloway J, Spranger T, Alkemade R, Ashmore M, Bustamante M, Cinderby S, Davidson E, Dentener F, Emmett B, Erisman JW, Fenn M, Gilliam F, Nordin A, Pardo L, De Vries W. Global assessment of nitrogen deposition effects on terrestrial plant diversity: a synthesis. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2010; 20:30-59. [PMID: 20349829 DOI: 10.1890/08-1140.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 926] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Bobbink
- B-WARE Research Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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