Warming prevents the elevated CO₂-induced reduction in available soil nitrogen in a temperate, perennial grassland

Title
Warming prevents the elevated CO₂-induced reduction in available soil nitrogen in a temperate, perennial grassland
Publication Date
2008-05
Author(s)
Hovenden, Mark J
Newton, P C D
Carran, R A
Theobald, P
Wills, K E
Vander Schoor, J K
Williams, A L
Osanai, Y
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6390-5382
Email: yosanai@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:yosanai
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01558.x
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/27139
Abstract
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO₂]) has the potential to stimulate ecosystem productivity and sink strength, reducing the effects of carbon (C) emissions on climate. In terrestrial ecosystems, increasing [CO₂] can reduce soil nitrogen (N) availability to plants, preventing the stimulation of ecosystem C assimilation; a process known as progressive N limitation. Using ion exchange membranes to assess the availability of dissolved organic N, ammonium and nitrate, we found that CO₂ enrichment in an Australian, temperate, perennial grassland did not increase plant productivity, but did reduce soil N availability, mostly by reducing nitrate availability. Importantly, the addition of 2 °C warming prevented this effect while warming without CO₂ enrichment did not significantly affect N availability. These findings indicate that warming could play an important role in the impact of [CO₂] on ecosystem N cycling, potentially overturning CO₂‐induced effects in some ecosystems.
Link
Citation
Global Change Biology, 14(5), p. 1018-1024
ISSN
1365-2486
1354-1013
Start page
1018
End page
1024

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