Responses of forest ecosystems in Europe to decreasing nitrogen deposition

Schmitz, Andreas; Sanders, Tanja G. M.; Bolte, Andreas; Bussotti, Filippo; Dirnböck, Thomas; Johnson, Jim; Peñuelas, Josep; Pollastrini, Martina; Prescher, Anne‐Katrin; Sardans, Jordi; Verstraeten, Arne; Vries, Wim de

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.09.101

Cited by 164 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 161 publications

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“…Furthermore, P available in the upper mineral soil (0.02 mg/g, see Table 2) at our sites appears to be relatively low compared with averages for coniferous (0.84 mg/g) or deciduous (0.98 mg/g) temperate forests (Sohrt, Lang, & Weiler, 2017). Increases in P limitation and deterioration of tree P nutrition have been mainly attributed to high rates of N inputs to forest ecosystems Schmitz et al, 2019). Increases in P limitation and deterioration of tree P nutrition have been mainly attributed to high rates of N inputs to forest ecosystems Schmitz et al, 2019).…”

Section: Leaf Litter Elemental Composition: a Proxy Of Ecosystem Numentioning

confidence: 63%

ENSO and NAO affect long‐term leaf litter dynamics and stoichiometry of Scots pine and European beech mixedwoods

Andrés

Blanco

Imbert

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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Litterfall dynamics (production, seasonality and nutrient composition) are key factors influencing nutrient cycling. Leaf litter characteristics are modified by species composition, site conditions and water availability. However, significant evidence on how large‐scale, global circulation patterns affect ecophysiological processes at tree and ecosystem level remains scarce due to the difficulty in separating the combined influence of different factors on local climate and tree phenology. To fill this gap, we studied links between leaf litter dynamics with climate and other forest processes, such as tree‐ring width (TRW) and intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) in two mixtures of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in the south‐western Pyrenees. Temporal series (18 years) of litterfall production and elemental chemical composition were decomposed following the ensemble empirical mode decomposition method and relationships with local climate, large‐scale climatic indices, TRW and Scots pine's iWUE were assessed. Temporal trends in N:P ratios indicated increasing P limitation of soil microbes, thus affecting nutrient availability, as the ecological succession from a pine‐dominated to a beech‐dominated forest took place. A significant influence of large‐scale patterns on tree‐level ecophysiology was explained through the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on water availability. Positive NAO and negative ENSO were related to dry conditions and, consequently, to early needle shedding and increased N:P ratio of both species. Autumn storm activity appears to be related to premature leaf abscission of European beech. Significant cascading effects from large‐scale patterns on local weather influenced pine TRW and iWUE. These variables also responded to leaf stoichiometry fallen 3 years prior to tree‐ring formation. Our results provide evidence of the cascading effect that variability in global climate circulation patterns can have on ecophysiological processes and stand dynamics in mixed forests.

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Section: Leaf Litter Elemental Composition: a Proxy Of Ecosystem Numentioning

confidence: 63%

ENSO and NAO affect long‐term leaf litter dynamics and stoichiometry of Scots pine and European beech mixedwoods

Andrés

Blanco

Imbert

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…Declining health (high mortality and defoliation) has been recorded in forests with long‐term and persistently high atmospheric loads of N (Carnicer et al, ), imbalances in soil nutrients, and increasing P limitation (Schmitz et al, ; Veresoglou et al, ). The capacity of temperate forests to store P increases with age (Sardans & Penuelas, ), and proportional allocation among organs is linked to growth‐trait strategies.…”

Section: Impacts Of Shifts In the N:p Ratios Of Human Inputs On Organmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study of N and P concentrations and N:P ratios in rivers and basins allows the analysis of the effects of multiple human activities on nutrient budgets Zhang, Liu, et al, 2019) across a range of land uses (Romero et al, 2019;Sardans et al, 2012a;Zhang, Li, et al, 2019;Figure 5 Fenn et al, 1998;Franzaring, Holz, Zipperle, & Fangmeier, 2010;Prietzel & Stetter, 2010;Schmitz et al, 2019;Veresoglou et al, 2014;Wang, Sardans, et al, 2017), tend to be enriched more rapidly by N than P, thereby increasing the N:P ratios ( Figure 5). This trend has been exacerbated by the progressive replacement of P-rich with N-rich detergents (Sardans et al, 2012b and references therein).…”

Section: Spatial Heterogeneity In Anthropogenic N and P Imbalances:mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The link between increasing imbalances in biospheric N:P ratios and their impacts on global ecology and socioeconomics is supported by evidence from many studies that have identified clear relationships between drivers of global change and anthropogenic N and P releases and with shifts in ecosystem N:P ratios. These studies have also demonstrated feedbacks and synergies of shifts in the N:P ratios in soil, water, and organisms with increases in atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, climate change, species invasions, ecosystem eutrophication, and changes in soil use (Chen, Li, & Yang, ; Delgado‐Baquerizo, Reich, García‐Palacios, & Milla, ; Deng et al, ; Ferretti et al, ; Gargallo‐Garriga et al, ; He & Djistra, ; Jiao, Shi, Han, & Yuan, ; Kruk & Podbielska, ; Peng, Peng, Zeng, & Houx, ; Sardans, Alonso, Carnicer, et al, ; Sardans, Bartrons, et al, ; Sardans & Penuelas, ; Sardans, Rivas‐Ubach, Estiarte, Ogaya, & Penuelas, ; Sardans, Rivas‐Ubach, & Penuelas, ; Schmitz et al, ; Yuan & Chen, ; Yuan et al, ; Zhang, Guo, Song, Guo, & Gao, ; Zhu et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anthropogenic global shifts in biospheric N and P concentrations and ratios and their impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem productivity, food security, and human health

Peñuelas

Janssens

Ciais

et al. 2020

Global Change Biology

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190

119

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The availability of carbon (C) from high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and anthropogenic release of nitrogen (N) is increasing, but these increases are not paralleled by increases in levels of phosphorus (P). The current unstoppable changes in the stoichiometries of C and N relative to P have no historical precedent. We describe changes in P and N fluxes over the last five decades that have led to asymmetrical increases in P and N inputs to the biosphere. We identified widespread and rapid changes in N:P ratios in air, soil, water, and organisms and important consequences to the structure, function, and biodiversity of ecosystems. A mass‐balance approach found that the combined limited availability of P and N was likely to reduce C storage by natural ecosystems during the remainder of the 21st Century, and projected crop yields of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment indicated an increase in nutrient deficiency in developing regions if access to P fertilizer is limited. Imbalances of the N:P ratio would likely negatively affect human health, food security, and global economic and geopolitical stability, with feedbacks and synergistic effects on drivers of global environmental change, such as increasing levels of CO2, climatic warming, and increasing pollution. We summarize potential solutions for avoiding the negative impacts of global imbalances of N:P ratios on the environment, biodiversity, climate change, food security, and human health.

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“…Also studies addressing climate change as a factor influencing recovery from soil acidification as well as plant available N through its impact on decomposition and N mineralization are rare (Bernal et al 2012, Butler et al 2012, McDonnell et al 2014, Gaudio et al 2015, Rizzetto et al 2016, Dirnböck et al 2017. This highlights a critical need for further research and continuous observation to appreciate the biodiversity benefit of reduced N deposition in European forests (Schmitz et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Currently legislated decreases in nitrogen deposition will yield only limited plant species recovery in European forests

Dirnböck

Pröll

Austnes

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Atmospheric nitrogen (N) pollution is considered responsible for a substantial decline in plant species richness and for altered community structures in terrestrial habitats worldwide. Nitrogen affects habitats through direct toxicity, soil acidification, and in particular by favoring fast-growing species. Pressure from N pollution is decreasing in some areas. In Europe (EU28), overall emissions of NO x declined by more than 50% while NH 3 declined by less than 30% between the years 1990 and 2015, and further decreases may be achieved. The timescale over which these improvements will affect ecosystems is uncertain. Here we use 23 European forest research sites with high quality long-term data on deposition, climate, soil recovery, and understory vegetation to assess benefits of currently legislated N deposition reductions in forest understory vegetation. A dynamic soil model coupled to a statistical plant species niche model was applied with site-based climate and deposition. We use indicators of N deposition and climate warming effects such as the change in the occurrence of oligophilic, acidophilic, and cold-tolerant plant species to compare the present with projections for 2030 and 2050. The decrease in N deposition under current legislation emission (CLE) reduction targets until 2030 is not expected to result in a release from eutrophication. Albeit the model predictions show considerable uncertainty when compared with observations, they indicate that oligophilic forest understory plant species will further decrease. This result is partially due to confounding processes related to climate effects and to major decreases in sulphur deposition and consequent recovery from soil acidification, but shows that decreases in N deposition under CLE will most likely be insufficient to allow recovery from eutrophication.

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Responses of forest ecosystems in Europe to decreasing nitrogen deposition

Cited by 164 publications

References 161 publications

ENSO and NAO affect long‐term leaf litter dynamics and stoichiometry of Scots pine and European beech mixedwoods

ENSO and NAO affect long‐term leaf litter dynamics and stoichiometry of Scots pine and European beech mixedwoods

Anthropogenic global shifts in biospheric N and P concentrations and ratios and their impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem productivity, food security, and human health

Currently legislated decreases in nitrogen deposition will yield only limited plant species recovery in European forests

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