Drought effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in global natural ecosystems

Deng, Lei; Peng, Changhui; Kim, Dong-Gill; Li, Jiwei; Liu, Yulin; Hai, Xuying; Liu, Qiuyu; Huang, Chunbo; Shangguan, Zhouping; Kuzyakov, Yakov

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103501

Cited by 233 publications

(169 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…A few global syntheses have advanced our understanding of the influences of altered precipitation on C cycle processes, such as soil respiration (Liu et al., 2016), aboveground and belowground net primary productivity (ANPP and BNPP, respectively) (Wilcox et al., 2017), soil C storage, C pools and C fluxes (Song et al., 2019; Wu et al., 2011; Zhou et al., 2016). However, previous studies focused mainly on the effect of the magnitude of altered precipitation, and the influence of experimental duration on C cycling responses has rarely been evaluated (Deng et al., 2021). Moreover, whether or how the magnitude and duration of precipitation treatments affect C cycle processes interactively is largely unclear, although increasing intensity and longer time‐scales of altered precipitation (e.g., severe and prolonged drought) are frequent in vast areas of the world (IPCC, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation manipulation and terrestrial carbon cycling: The roles of treatment magnitude, experimental duration and local climate

Tian

Knapp

Chen

et al. 2021

Global Ecol. Biogeogr.

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Aim Precipitation manipulation experiments have shown diverse terrestrial carbon (C) cycling responses when the ecosystem is subjected to different magnitudes of altered precipitation, various experimental durations or heterogeneity in local climate. However, how these factors combine to affect C cycle responses to changes in precipitation remains unclear. Location Global. Time period 1990–2019. Major taxa studied Terrestrial ecosystems. Methods Using observations from 230 published studies in which precipitation was manipulated and terrestrial C cycling variables were measured, we conducted a global meta‐analysis to investigate responses of diverse C cycle processes to altered precipitation, including gross ecosystem productivity, ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem productivity, ecosystem carbon use efficiency, net primary productivity (NPP), aboveground and belowground NPP, aboveground and belowground biomass, shoot‐to‐root ratio, soil respiration and soil microbial biomass C. Results We found that C cycling responses were correlated linearly and positively with the magnitude of precipitation treatments. We also detected that the responses of NPP and its aboveground component (ANPP) to altered precipitation weakened with experimental duration. Furthermore, gross ecosystem productivity, ecosystem respiration and net ecosystem productivity showed larger responses to precipitation treatments of greater magnitude over shorter time periods. The response of soil respiration, a key component of the C budget in most terrestrial ecosystems, depended in particular on the local climate. Local temperature and precipitation not only influenced the magnitude of the response of soil respiration to altered precipitation but also affected its sensitivity to the magnitude of the precipitation treatments, with higher sensitivities in the response of soil respiration to treatment magnitude at drier and colder sites. Main conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of the interactions between the magnitude of precipitation treatments, their duration and the local climate in the response of ecosystem C cycling to altered precipitation, which is crucial to a better understanding of ecosystem C processes and functioning and projecting them under changing precipitation regimes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation manipulation and terrestrial carbon cycling: The roles of treatment magnitude, experimental duration and local climate

Tian

Knapp

Chen

et al. 2021

Global Ecol. Biogeogr.

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“…The responses of plants, soils, and microbial biomass C:N:P stoichiometry to precipitation change may be more pronounced with increasing precipitation intensity and experimental duration because plants and soils may adapt to environmental stresses at low magnitudes (Sardans et al., 2012; Yue et al., 2017). Additionally, the effects of precipitation change may differ with ecosystems due to variations in the plant community, vegetation physiology, soil types and associated climates (Deng et al., 2021; Sun, Liao, et al., 2020). However, to what extent the effects of precipitation change on terrestrial C:N:P stoichiometry vary by precipitation intensity, experimental duration, ecosystems, and climates remain uncertain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetric responses of terrestrial C:N:P stoichiometry to precipitation change

Sun

Wang

Chen

et al. 2021

Global Ecol. Biogeogr.

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Aim The aim was to test whether the responses of C:N:P stoichiometry in plant–soil–microorganism systems to precipitation changes support the prediction of the double asymmetry model, which predicts ecological processes (i.e. aboveground productivity, soil microbial community, and soil respiration) are more sensitive to increased precipitation (R+) than decreased precipitation (R−) under normal precipitation changes, whereas more sensitive to R− than R+ under extreme precipitation changes. Location Global. Time period 1999–2020. Major taxa studied Plants, soils, and soil microorganisms. Methods We performed a global meta‐analysis of 848 observations (587 R− and 261 R+ manipulations) from 160 studies, which tested the effects of precipitation changes on C:N:P across plants, soils, and soil microorganisms. The data encompassed broad variations in ecosystems, climate, precipitation intensity, and experimental duration. Results We revealed that the C:N and C:P ratios of different ecosystem compartments were more sensitive to moderate R+ rather than moderate R−, whereas they exhibited a higher response to extreme R− rather than extreme R+, which supported the prediction of the double asymmetry model. Moreover, such responses were more pronounced under higher precipitation intensities and longer experimental duration. The effects of precipitation changes on the C:N:P stoichiometry of plants, soils, and soil microorganisms were consistent across ecosystem types (i.e. forests and grasslands) and associated background climates (i.e. mean annual temperature and precipitation). Main conclusions Our findings provide the first evidence of the asymmetric responses of C:N:P stoichiometry in above‐ and belowground systems to precipitation change. These results extend the double asymmetric model and improve our understanding of C and N cycling, as well as facilitate the prediction of ecosystem responses to precipitation changes.

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“…The aggravation of aridity leads to a decrease in available soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), damage of soil nutrient supply, and increased nitrogen limitation on the growth of plants and microorganisms in the soil 34,41 . Additionally, aridity indirectly affects the accumulation of microbial residues through the soil C:N ratio 42 . Furthermore, our analysis showed no simple linear relationship between aridity index, soil C:N ratio, SOC, and microbial residues (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, aridity can reduce the ability of microorganisms to utilize SOC and plant litter for growth and reproduction (microorganisms as decomposers), and thus reduce the efficiency of accumulation of microbial residues 19,48 . Drought conditions can also reduce the production of plant litter and root biomass, resulting in the reduction of plant carbon input 42 . The consequent lack of available substrates in turn can delay the production and accumulation of microbial residues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threshold conditions for the accumulation of microbial residues in terrestrial ecosystems

Hao

Zhao

Wang

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Microbial residues play important roles in the formation and stability of soil carbon pools; however, the factors affecting large-scale accumulation of microbial residues remain unclear. Here, we collected data of 268 amino sugar levels (biomarkers of microbial residues) from previous field studies and found that soil organic carbon (SOC), soil C:N ratio, and aridity index mainly determine the accumulation of microbial residual carbon. Moreover, we found that the threshold of the aridity index where microbial residue starts decreasing is in the range of humid climate type, while the threshold of soil C:N ratio represents a point of sharp decrease in fungal abundance. Although SOC and aridity index were important in all cases, the dominant factors for predicting microbial residues varied across different ecosystems and climate zones, with pH being particularly important. Hence, climate and soil environment play important roles in the process of microbial residue accumulation.

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Drought effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in global natural ecosystems

Cited by 233 publications

References 97 publications

Precipitation manipulation and terrestrial carbon cycling: The roles of treatment magnitude, experimental duration and local climate

Precipitation manipulation and terrestrial carbon cycling: The roles of treatment magnitude, experimental duration and local climate

Asymmetric responses of terrestrial C:N:P stoichiometry to precipitation change

Threshold conditions for the accumulation of microbial residues in terrestrial ecosystems

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