Phosphorus (P) is an important element in terrestrial ecosystems and plays a critical role in soil quality and ecosystem productivity. Soil total P distributions have undergone large spatial changes ...as a result of centuries of climate change. It is necessary to study the characteristics of the horizontal and vertical distributions of soil total P and its influencing factors. In particular, the influence of climatic factors on the spatial distribution of soil total P in China's forest ecosystems remain relatively unknown. Here, we conducted an intensive field investigation in different forest ecosystems in China to assess the effect of climatic factors on soil total P concentration and distribution. The results showed that soil total P concentration significantly decreased with increasing soil depth. The spatial distribution of soil total P increased with increasing latitude and elevation gradient but decreased with increasing longitude gradient. Random forest models and linear regression analyses showed that the explanation rate of bioclimatic factors and their relationship with soil total P concentration gradually decreased with increasing soil depths. Variance partitioning analysis demonstrated that the most important factor affecting soil total P distribution was the combined effect of temperature and precipitation factor, and the single effect of temperature factors had a higher explanation rate compare with the single effect of precipitation factors. This work provides a new farmework for the geographic distribution pattern of soil total P and the impact of climate variability on P distribution in forest ecosystems.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Intensified anthropogenic activities will increase rates of nitrogen (N) deposition over the next decades, especially in the tropics. There are urgent needs to know how soil microbial community in ...N-rich tropical forests responds to long-term N deposition. This study examined effects of long-term N additions on soil microbial biomass (determined by chloroform fumigation), microbial community composition (based on phospholipid fatty acids, PLFAs), and microbial enzyme activities, using an ongoing experimental N additions field in an N-rich tropical forest of South China. There were four N additions levels: no additions (Control); 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (Low-N); 100 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (Medium-N), and 150 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (High-N). Results showed that long-term N additions significantly decreased microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), but had little effects on total PLFAs. However, elevated N inputs significantly reduced the relative abundance of bacterial PLFAs, especially gram-negative bacterial PLFAs with higher gram-positive bacteria: gram-negative bacteria ratio in N treatment plots. Although N additions did not change fungi: bacteria ratio, the proportion of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased significantly with N additions. Long-term N additions greatly increased bacterial stress indexes and enhanced specific enzyme activity (activity per unit of microbial biomass) involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization. Meanwhile, shifts in microbial community composition and specific enzyme activity were correlated well with soil pH and available N. These results suggest that N-mediated environmental stresses can play an important role in shaping microbial community, and that soil microbes will invest more resources on enzyme production in N-rich forest under elevated N deposition.
•Nitrogen additions decreased microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen.•Nitrogen additions shifted microbial community composition.•Bacterial stress indexes increased with elevated nitrogen inputs.•Nitrogen additions enhanced both absolute and specific enzyme activity.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Climate is predicted to change over the 21st century. However, little is known about how climate change can affect soil phosphorus (P) cycle and availability in global terrestrial ecosystems, where P ...is a key limiting nutrient. With a global database of Hedley P fractions and key‐associated physiochemical properties of 760 (seminatural) natural soils compiled from 96 published studies, this study evaluated how climate pattern affected soil P cycle and availability in global terrestrial ecosystems. Overall, soil available P, indexed by Hedley labile inorganic P fraction, significantly decreased with increasing mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP). Hypothesis‐oriented path model analysis suggests that MAT negatively affected soil available P mainly by decreasing soil organic P and primary mineral P and increasing soil sand content. MAP negatively affected soil available P both directly and indirectly through decreasing soil primary mineral P; however, these negative effects were offset by the positive effects of MAP on soil organic P and fine soil particles, resulting in a relatively minor total MAP effect on soil available P. As aridity degree was mainly determined by MAP, aridity also had a relatively minor total effect on soil available P. These global patterns generally hold true irrespective of soil depth (≤10 cm or >10 cm) or site aridity index (≤1.0 or >1.0), and were also true for the low‐sand (≤50%) soils. In contrast, available P of the high‐sand (>50%) soils was positively affected by MAT and aridity and negatively affected by MAP. Our results suggest that temperature and precipitation have contrasting effects on soil P availability and can interact with soil particle size to control soil P availability.
Soil phosphorus cycle is an important component of terrestrial biogeochemical cycles; however, little is known about climatic effects on soil phosphorus cycle. We evaluated how climate pattern affected soil phosphorus dynamics and availability in natural terrestrial ecosystems using a global database of soil phosphorus fractions. Our results suggest that temperature and precipitation have contrasting effects on soil phosphorus dynamics and can interact with soil particle size to control soil phosphorus availability.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The impacts of enhanced nitrogen (N) deposition on the global forest carbon (C) sink and other ecosystem services may depend on whether N is deposited in reduced (mainly as ammonium) or oxidized ...forms (mainly as nitrate) and the subsequent fate of each. However, the fates of the two key reactive N forms and their contributions to forest C sinks are unclear. Here, we analyze results from 13 ecosystem-scale paired
N-labelling experiments in temperate, subtropical, and tropical forests. Results show that total ecosystem N retention is similar for ammonium and nitrate, but plants take up more labelled nitrate (Formula: see text%) (Formula: see text) than ammonium (Formula: see text%) while soils retain more ammonium (Formula: see text%) than nitrate (Formula: see text%). We estimate that the N deposition-induced C sink in forests in the 2010s is Formula: see text Pg C yr
, higher than previous estimates because of a larger role for oxidized N and greater rates of global N deposition.
Aims
We aim to construct a comprehensive global database of litter decomposition rate (k value) estimated by surface floor litterbags, and investigate the direct and indirect effects of impact ...factors such as geographic factors (latitude and altitude), climatic factors (mean annual tempePlrature, MAT; mean annual precipitation, MAP) and litter quality factors (the contents of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and C:N ratio, lignin:N ratio) on litter decomposition.
Methods
We compiled a large data set of litter decomposition rates (k values) from 110 research sites and conducted simple, multiple regression and path analyses to explore the relationship between the k values and impact factors at the global scale.
Important findings
The k values tended to decrease with latitude (LAT) and lignin content (LIGN) of litter but increased with temperature, precipitation and nutrient concentrations at the large spatial scale. Single factor such as climate, litter quality and geographic variable could not explain litter decomposition rates well. However, the combination of total nutrient (TN) elements and C:N accounted for 70.2% of the variation in the litter decomposition rates. The combination of LAT, MAT, C:N and TN accounted for 87.54% of the variation in the litter decomposition rates. These results indicate that litter quality is the most important direct regulator of litter decomposition at the global scale. This data synthesis revealed significant relationships between litter decomposition rates and the combination of climatic factor (MAT) and litter quality (C:N, TN). The global-scale empirical relationships developed here are useful for a better understanding and modeling of the effects of litter quality and climatic factors on litter decomposition rates.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Increasing greening of planet Earth to slow down the rise of atmospheric CO
2
concentrations is certainly desirable; however, its consequences on water resources are less affirmative and thus are a ...matter of wide concern. China, as the largest and most successful country of the world in terms of artificial revegetation, is naturally the focus of the concerns and warnings. Based on previous studies, we analyzed the mechanism for the effects of climate and watershed characteristics on water resources, explained various hydrological results and phenomena, and considered the ways in which water consumption by artificial revegetation projects can be reduced. Moreover, some guidelines are suggested for artificial revegetation at watershed scale with consideration of water resource sustainability. The findings of this study highlight the need for more top-down approaches when studying the mechanism of “forest and water”.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Soil phosphorus (P) availability often limits plant productivity. Classical theories suggest that total P content declines at the temporal scale of pedogenesis, and ecosystems develop toward the ...efficient use of scarce P during succession. However, the trajectory of ecosystem P within shorter time scales of succession remains unclear. We analyzed changes to P pools at the early (I), middle (II), and late (III) stages of growth of plantation forests (PFs) and the successional stages of natural forests (NFs) at 1969 sites in China. We found significantly lower P contents at later growth stages compared to earlier ones in the PF (p < .05), but higher contents at late successional stages than in earlier stages in the NF (p < .05). Our results indicate that increasing P demand of natural vegetation during succession, may raise, retain, and accumulate P from deeper soil layers. In contrast, ecosystem P in PF was depleted by the more rapidly increasing demand outpacing the development of a P‐efficient system. We advocate for more studies to illuminate the mechanisms for determining the divergent changes, which would improve forest management and avoid the vast degradation of PF ecosystems suffering from the ongoing depletion of P.
Increasing P demand of natural forests during succession, may raise, retain, and accumulate P from deeper soil layers. In contrast, ecosystem P in forest plantations was depleted by the more rapidly increasing demand outpacing the development of a P‐efficient system.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Research results on the effects of land cover change on water resources vary greatly and the topic remains controversial. Here we use published data worldwide to examine the validity of Fuh's ...equation, which relates annual water yield (R) to a wetness index (precipitation/potential evapotranspiration; P/PET) and watershed characteristics (m). We identify two critical values at P/PET=1 and m=2. m plays a more important role than P/PET when m<2, and a lesser role when m>2. When P/PET<1, the relative water yield (R/P) is more responsive to changes in m than it is when P/PET>1, suggesting that any land cover changes in non-humid regions (P/PET<1) or in watersheds of low water retention capacity (m<2) can lead to greater hydrological responses. m significantly correlates with forest coverage, watershed slope and watershed area. This global pattern has far-reaching significance in studying and managing hydrological responses to land cover and climate changes.
Despite evidence from experimental grasslands that plant diversity increases biomass production and soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, it remains unclear whether this is true in natural ecosystems, ...especially under climatic variations and human disturbances. Based on field observations from 6,098 forest, shrubland, and grassland sites across China and predictions from an integrative model combining multiple theories, we systematically examined the direct effects of climate, soils, and human impacts on SOC storage versus the indirect effects mediated by species richness (SR), aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), and belowground biomass (BB). We found that favorable climates (high temperature and precipitation) had a consistent negative effect on SOC storage in forests and shrublands, but not in grasslands. Climate favorability, particularly high precipitation, was associated with both higher SR and higher BB, which had consistent positive effects on SOC storage, thus offsetting the direct negative effect of favorable climate on SOC. The indirect effects of climate on SOC storage depended on the relationships of SR with ANPP and BB, which were consistently positive in all biome types. In addition, human disturbance and soil pH had both direct and indirect effects on SOC storage, with the indirect effects mediated by changes in SR, ANPP, and BB. High soil pH had a consistently negative effect on SOC storage. Our findings have important implications for improving global carbon cycling models and ecosystem management: Maintaining high levels of diversity can enhance soil carbon sequestration and help sustain the benefits of plant diversity and productivity.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition has accelerated terrestrial N cycling at regional and global scales, causing nutrient imbalance in many natural and seminatural ecosystems. How added N affects ...ecosystems where N is already abundant, and how plants acclimate to chronic N deposition in such circumstances, remains poorly understood. Here, we conducted an experiment employing a decade of N additions to examine ecosystem responses and plant acclimation to added N in an N-rich tropical forest. We found that N additions accelerated soil acidification and reduced biologically available cations (especially Ca and Mg) in soils, but plants maintained foliar nutrient supply at least in part by increasing transpiration while decreasing soil water leaching below the rooting zone. We suggest a hypothesis that cation-deficient plants can adjust to elevated N deposition by increasing transpiration and thereby maintaining nutrient balance. This result suggests that long-term elevated N deposition can alter hydrological cycling in N-rich forest ecosystems.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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