Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology >
ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF INCREASED NITROGEN DEPOSITION IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
Received date: 2006-11-15
Accepted date: 2006-12-17
Online published: 2007-03-30
Human activities have greatly changed the pathway and rate of nitrogen transferred from atmosphere to terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment, as a result of chronic nitrogen deposition, has caused a wide range of impacts on ecosystem structures and functions. In this paper, we summarize the main effects of anthropogenic nitrogen addition on terrestrial ecosystems as follows:
1) Increased nitrogen input may have influences on plant production and ecosystem carbon storage, and the direction and magnitude of responses are determined by initial nitrogen status of ecosystems (N-limited or N-saturated) and local properties of vegetation and soil;
2) Chronic nitrogen addition can also alter soil nitrogen cycling, decrease the capability of soil to retain N, even lead to soil acidification, depletion of base cation, and affect decomposition of SOC;
3) Both high rate of nitrogen deposition and chronic low nitrogen addition may accelerate losses of N-contained gas, but the magnitude of influences depends on initial status of ecosystem (N-limited or P-limited);
4) N enrichment will affect species richness in terrestrial ecosystems, plant communities' structures and dynamics. It may also contribute to forest expansion into grasslands, alter species composition and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi;
5) Continuous N input and the resulting changes in plant composition and physiological feature may have effects on consumption rate and population dynamics of herbivorous insects, and eventually change ecosystem trophic structure through food chain;
6) Since the influences of N addition, increased concentration of CO2 and O3 on ecosystem properties and processes are interdependent, it is difficult to distinguish each effect.
We also summarized the current status of researches on N deposition in China, and proposed the potential research activities and recommendations.
LÁ Chao-Qun, TIAN Han-Qin, HUANG Yao . ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF INCREASED NITROGEN DEPOSITION IN TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS[J]. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 2007 , 31(2) : 205 -218 . DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2007.0025
| [1] | Aber JD, McDowell W, Nadelhoffer K, Magill A, Berntson G, Kamakea M, McNulty S, Currie W, Rustad L, Fernandez I (1998). Nitrogen saturation in temperate forest ecosystems: hypotheses revisited. BioScience, 48,921-934. |
| [2] | Aber JD, Nadelhoffer KJ, Steudler P, Melillo JM (1989). Nitrogen saturation in northern forest ecosystems. BioScience, 39,378-386. |
| [3] | Asner GP, Townsend AR, Riley WJ, Matson PA, Neff JC, Cleveland CC (2001). Modeling tropical and semi-arid ecosystem responses to increased N deposition. Biogeochemistry, 54,1-39. |
| [4] | Asner GP, Seastedt TR, Townsend AR (1997). The decoupling of terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycles. BioScience, 47,226-234. |
| [5] | Berg B, Matzner E (1997). Effect of N deposition on decomposition of plant litter and soil organic matter in forest systems. Environmental Reviews, 5,1-25. |
| [6] | Bert D, Leavitt SW, Dupouey JL (1997). Variation of wood δ 13C and water-use efficiency of Abies alba during the last century. Ecology, 78,1588-1596. |
| [7] | Bobbink R, Hornung M, Roelofs JGM (1998). The effects of air-borne nitrogen pollutants on species diversity in natural and semi-natural European vegetation. Journal of Ecology, 86,717-738. |
| [8] | Bowden RD, Davidson E, Savage K, Arabia C, Steudler P (2004). Chronic nitrogen additions reduce total soil respiration and microbial respiration in temperate forest soils at the Harvard Forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 196,43-56. |
| [9] | Bowman WD, Theodose TA, Schardt JC, Conant RT (1993). Constraints of nutrient availability on primary production in two alpine tundra communities. Ecology, 74,2085-2097. |
| [10] | Boxman AW, van der Ven PJM, Roelofs JGM (1998). Ecosystem recovery after a decrease in nitrogen input to a Scots pine stand at Ysselsteyn, the Netherlands. Forest Ecology and Management, 101,155-163. |
| [11] | Carreira JA, Harrison AF, Sheppard LJ, Woods C (1997). Reduced soil P availability in a Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) plantation induced by applied acid-mist: significance in forest decline. Forest Ecology and Management, 92,153-166. |
| [12] | Casperson JP, Pacala SW, Jenkins JC, Hurtt GC, Moorcroft PR, Birdsey RA (2000). Contributions of land use history to carbon accumulation in U.S. forests. Science, 290,1148-1151. |
| [13] | Coley PD, Bryant JP, Chapin FS (1985). Resource availability and plant antiherbivore defense. Science, 230,895-899. |
| [14] | Currie WS, Nadelhoffer K (1999). Dynamic redistribution of isotopically labeled cohorts of nitrogen inputs in two temperate forests. Ecosystems, 2,4-18. |
| [15] | Currie WS (1999). The responsive C and N biogeochemistry of the temperate forest floor. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 14,316-320. |
| [16] | Davidson EA, Kingerlee W (1997). A global inventory of nitric oxide emissions from soils. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystem, 48,37-50. |
| [17] | Ding GA (丁国安), Xu XB (徐晓斌), Wang SF (王淑凤), Yu XL (于晓岚), Cheng HB (程红兵) (2004). Database from the acid rain network of China meteorological administration and its preliminary analysis. Journal of Applied Meteorological Science (应用气象学报), 15 (Suppl.),85-94. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [18] | Emmett BA, Boxman D, Bredemeier M, Gundersen P, Kj?naas OJ, Moldan F, Schleppi P, Tietema A, Wright RF (1998). Predicting the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in conifer stands: evidence from NITREX ecosystem-scale experiments. Ecosystems, 1,352-360. |
| [19] | Fan S, Gloor M, Mahlman J, Pacala S, Sarmiento J, Takahashi T, Tan P (1998). A large terrestrial carbon sink in North America implied by atmospheric and oceanic carbon dioxide data and models. Science, 282,442-446. |
| [20] | Fang YT (方运霆), Mo JM (莫江明), Zhou GY (周国逸), Gundersen P, Li DJ (李德军), Jiang YQ (江远清) (2004). The short-term responses of soil available nitrogen of Dinghushan forests to simulated N deposition in subtropical China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 24,2353-2359. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [21] | Fang YT (方运霆), Mo JM (莫江明), Jiang YQ (江远清), Li DJ (李德军), Gundersen P (2005a). Acidity and inorganic nitrogen concentration in soil solution in short-term response to N addition in subtropical forests. Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany (热带亚热带植物学报), 13,123-129. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [22] | Fang YT (方运霆), Mo JM (莫江明), Zhou GY(周国逸) (2005b). Response of soil N3--N dynamics to N additions in Dinghushan forest, assessed by ion-exchange resin bag method. Ecology and Environment (生态环境), 14, 483-487. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [23] | Fang YT (方运霆), Mo JM (莫江明), Zhou GY (周国逸), Xue JH (薛王景花) (2005c). Response of diameter at breast height increment to N additions in forests of Dinghushan biosphere reserve. Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany (热带亚热带植物学报), 13,198-204. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [24] | FAO (1993). Food and Agriculture Production Yearbook 1992 . Statistical Series 112.FAO, Rome, Italy. |
| [25] | Fenn ME, Baron JS, Allen EB, Rueth HM, Nydick KR, Geiser L, Bowman WD, Sickman JO, Meixner T, Johnson DW, Neitlich P (2003). Ecological effects of nitrogen deposition in the western United States. BioScience, 53,404-419. |
| [26] | Fenn ME, Poth MA, Johnson DW (1996). Evidence for nitrogen saturation in the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California. Forest Ecology and Management, 82,211-230. |
| [27] | Field CB, Chapin FS, Matson PA III, Mooney HA (1992). Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to the changing atmosphere: a resource-based approach. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 23,201-235. |
| [28] | Firestone MK, Davidson EA (1989). Microbiological basis of NO and N2O production and consumption in soil. In: Andreae MO, Schimel DS eds. Exchange of Trace Gases Between Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Atmosphere. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 7-24. |
| [29] | Galloway JN, Aber JD, Erisman JW, Seitzinger SP, Howarth RW, Cowling EB, Cosby BJ (2003). The nitrogen cascade. BioScience, 53,341-356. |
| [30] | Galloway JN, Levy H II, Kasibhatla PS (1994). Year 2020: consequences of population growth and development on deposition of oxidized nitrogen. Ambio, 23,120-123. |
| [31] | Galloway JN, Schlesinger WH, Levy H II, Michaels A, Schnoor JL (1995). Nitrogen fixation: anthropogenic enhancement-environmental response. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 9,235-252. |
| [32] | Gifford RM, Lutze JL, Barrett D (1996). Global atmospheric change effects on terrestrial carbon sequestration: exploration with a global C- and N-cycle model (CQUESTN). Plant and Soil, 187,369-387. |
| [33] | Grulker NE, Anderson CP, Fenn ME, Miller PR (1998). Ozone and nitrogen deposition reduces root biomass of ponderosa pine in the San Bernardino Mountains, California. Environment Pollution, 103,63-73. |
| [34] | Gundersen P, Emmett BA, Kj?naas OJ, Koopmans C, Tietema A (1998). Impacts of nitrogen deposition on N cycling: a synthesis of NITREX data. Forest Ecology and Management, 101,37-55. |
| [35] | Haddad NM, Haarstad J, Tilman D (2000). The effects of long-term nitrogen loading on grassland insect communities. Oecologia, 124,73-84. |
| [36] | Hall SJ, Matson PA (1999). Nitrogen oxide emissions after nitrogen additions in tropical forests. Nature, 400,152-155. |
| [37] | Holland EA, Braswell BH, Lamarque JF, Towsend A, Sulzman J, Müller JF, Dentener F, Brasseur G, Levy H II, Penner JE, Roelofs GJ (1997). Variations in the predicted spatial distribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and their impact on carbon uptake by terrestrial ecosystems. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102,849-866. |
| [38] | Holland EA, Dentener FJ, Braswell BH, Sulzman JM (1999). Contemporary and pre-industrial global reactive nitrogen budgets. Biogeochemistry, 46,7-43. |
| [39] | Huang Y (黄耀), Yang ZF (杨兆芳), Yu YQ (于永强), Jiang J (姜军), Sun WJ (孙文娟) (2005). Simulating net primary production of rice and wheat crops: model establishment. Environmental Science (环境科学), 26(2),11-15. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [40] | Huang ZL (黄忠良), Kong GH (孔国辉), Yu QF (余清发), Zhang ZH (张志红) (2000). Hydrological function and nutrient dynamics in lower subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (植物生态学报), 24,157-161. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [41] | Hudson RJM, Gherini SA, Goldstein RA (1994). Modeling the global carbon cycle: nitrogen fertilization of the terrestrial biosphere and the “missing” CO2 sink. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 8,307-333. |
| [42] | Huenneke LF, Hamburg ST, Koide R, Mooney HA, Vitousek PM (1990). Effects of soil resources on plant invasion and community structure in Californian serpentine grassland. Ecology, 71,478-491. |
| [43] | Jenkinson DS, Goudling K, Powlson DS, Sievering H, Nadelhoffer KJ (1999). Nitrogen deposition and carbon sequestration. Nature, 400,629-630. |
| [44] | Johnson DW (1992). Nitrogen retention in forest soils. Journal of Environmental Quality, 21,1-12. |
| [45] | K?chy M, Wilson SD (2001). Nitrogen deposition and forest expansion in the northern Great Plains. Journal of Ecology, 89,807-817. |
| [46] | Larssen T, Seip HM, Semb A, Mulder J, Muniz IP, Vogt RD Lydersen E, Angell V, Dagang T, Eilertsen O (1999). Acid deposition and its effects in China: an overview. Environmental Science and Policy, 2,9-24. |
| [47] | Li DJ (李德军), Mo JM (莫江明), Fang YT (方运霆), Cai XA (蔡锡安), Xue JH (薛王景花), Xu GL (徐国良) (2004). Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on growth and photosynthesis of Schima superba, Castanopsis chinensis and Cryptocarya concinna seedlings. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 24,876-882. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [48] | Li DJ (李德军), Mo JM (莫江明), Fang YT (方运霆), Li ZA (李志安) (2005a). Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on biomass production and allocation in Schima superba and Cryptocarya concinna seedlings in subtropical China. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (植物生态学报), 29,543-549. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [49] | Li DJ (李德军), Mo JM (莫江明), Peng SL (彭少麟), Fang YT (方运霆) (2005b). Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on elemental concentrations of Schima superba and Cryptocarya concinna seedlings in subtropical China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 25,2165-2172. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [50] | Lilleskov EA, Fahey TJ, Horton TR, Lovett GM (2002). Belowground ectomycorrhizal fungal community change over a nitrogen deposition gradient in Alaska. Ecology, 83,103-115. |
| [51] | Liu JX, Price DT, Chen JM (2005). Nitrogen controls on ecosystem carbon sequestration: a model implementation and application to Sakatchewan, Canada. Ecological Modelling, 186,178-195. |
| [52] | Ma XH (马雪华) (1989). Effects of rainfall on the nutrient cycling in man-made forests of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Pinus massoniana. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 9,15-20. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [53] | Magill AH, Aber JD, Berntson GM, McDowell WH, Nadelhoffer KJ, Melillo JM, Steudler PA (2000). Long-term nitrogen additions and nitrogen saturation in two temperate forests. Ecosystems, 3,238-253. |
| [54] | Magill AH, Aber JD, Currie WS, Nadelhoffer KJ, Martin ME, McDowell WH, Melillo JM, Steudler PA (2004). Ecosystem response to 15 years of chronic nitrogen additions at the Harvard Forest LTER, Massachusetts, USA. Forest Ecology and Management, 196,7-28. |
| [55] | Matson PA, Lohse KA, Hall SJ (2002). The globalization of nitrogen deposition: consequences for terrestrial ecosystems. Ambio, 31,113-118. |
| [56] | Matson PA, McDowell WH, Townsend AR, Vitousek PM (1999). The globalization of N deposition: ecosystem consequences in tropical environments. Biogeochemistry, 46,67-83. |
| [57] | McNulty SG, Aber JD, McLellan TM, Katt SM (1990). Nitrogen cycling in high elevation forests of the Northeastern US in relation to nitrogen deposition. Ambio, 19,38-40. |
| [58] | Melillo JM, Gosz JR (1983). Interaction of biogeochemical cycles in forest ecosystems. In: Bolin B, Cook RB eds. The Major Biogeochemical Cycles and Their Interactions. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, 177-222. |
| [59] | Mo JM (莫江明), Xue JH (薛王景花), Fang YT (方运霆) (2004). Litter decomposition and its responses to simulated N deposition for the major plants of Dinghushan forests in subtropical China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 24,1413-1420. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [60] | Mo JM (莫江明), Fang YT (方运霆), Xu GL (徐国良), Li DJ (李德军), Xue JH (薛王景花) (2005). The short-term responses of soil CO2 emission and CH4 uptake to simulated N deposition in nursery and forests of Dinghushan in subtropical China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 25,682-670. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [61] | Nadelhoffer KJ, Emmet BA, Gundersen P, Kj?naas OJ, Koopmans CJ, Schleppi P, Tietemal A, Wright RF (1999). Nitrogen deposition makes a minor contribution to carbon sequestration in temperate forests. Nature, 398,145-148. |
| [62] | Neff JC, Bowman WD, Holland EA, Fisk MC, Schmidt SK (1994). Fluxes of nitrous oxide and methane from nitrogen-amended soils in Colorado alpine ecosystem. Biogeochemistry, 27,23-33. |
| [63] | Neff JC, Townsend AR, Gleixner G, Lehman SJ, Turnbull J, Bowman WD (2002). Variable effects of nitrogen additions on the stability and turnover of organic carbon. Nature, 419,915-917. |
| [64] | Norby RJ (1998). Nitrogen deposition: a component of global change analyses. New Phytologist, 139,189-200. |
| [65] | Nordin A, Strengbom J, Witzell J, N?sholm T, Ericson L (2005). Nitrogen deposition and the biodiversity of boreal forests: implications for the nitrogen critical load. Ambio, 34,20-24. |
| [66] | Ollinger SV, Aber J, Reich PB, Freuder RJ. (2002). Interactive effects of nitrogen deposition, tropospheric ozone, elevated CO2 and land use history on the carbon dynamics of northern hardwood forests. Global Change Biology, 8,545-562. |
| [67] | Read DJ (1991). Mycorrhizas in ecosystems—nature's response to the “law of the minimum”. In: Hawksworth DL ed. Frontiers in Mycology. CAB International, Regensburg, Germany,101-130. |
| [68] | Schimel DS, Alevs D, Enting I, Heimann M (1996). Radiative forcing of climate change. In: Houghton JT, Meira FLG, Callender BA, Harris N, Kattenberg A, Maskell K eds. Climate Change 1995: the Science of Climate Change. IPCC WG 1 Report. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK,65-131. |
| [69] | Schindler DW, Bayley SE (1993). The biosphere as an increasing sink for atmospheric carbon: estimates from increased nitrogen deposition. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 7,717-733. |
| [70] | Schleppi P, Bucher-Wallin I, Siegwolf R, Saurer M, Muller N, Bucher JB (1999). Simulation of increased nitrogen deposition to a montane forest ecosystem: partitioning of the added 15N. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 116,129-134. |
| [71] | Siemann E (1998). Experimental tests of the effects of plant productivity and plant diversity on grassland arthropod diversity. Ecology, 79,2057-2070. |
| [72] | Streets DG, Bond TC, Carmichael GR, Fernandes SD, Fu Q, He D, Klimont Z, Nelson SM, Tsai NY, Wang MQ, Woo JH, Yarber KF (2003). An inventory of gaseous and primary aerosol emissions in Asia in the year 2000. Journal of Geographical Research, 108(D21),8809, doi:10.1029/2002JD003093. |
| [73] | Sun QR (孙庆瑞), Wang MR (王美蓉) (1997). Ammonia emission and concentration in the atmosphere over China. Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences (大气科学), 21,590-598. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [74] | Takemoto BK, Bytnerowicz A, Fenn ME (2001). Current and future effects of ozone and atmospheric nitrogen on California's mixed conifer forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 144,159-173. |
| [75] | Throop HL, Holland EA, Parton WJ, Ojima DS, Keough CA (2004). Effects of nitrogen deposition and insect herbivory on patterns of ecosystem-level carbon and nitrogen dynamics: results from the CUNTURY model. Global Change Biology, 10,1092-1105. |
| [76] | Tian DL (田大伦), Pan WC (潘维俦), Chen XY (陈小勇), Zhu XN (朱小年) (1994). Studies of biogeochemical cycling in Chinese fir plantation ecosystems. In: Zhou XF (周晓峰) ed. Long-Term Research on China's Forest Ecosystems (森林生态系统定位研究). Northeast Forestry University Press, Harbin, 136-145. (in Chinese) |
| [77] | Tian HQ, Hall CAS, Qi Y (1998). Modeling primary productivity of the terrestrial biosphere in changing environments: toward a dynamic biosphere model. Critical Review in Plant Sciences, 17,541-557. |
| [78] | Tian HQ, Melillo JM, Kicklighter DW, Pan S, Liu J, McGuire AD, Moore B III (2003). Regional carbon dynamics in monsoon Asia and its implications to the global carbon cycle. Global and Planetary Change, 37,201-217. |
| [79] | Tian HQ, Wang S, Liu J, Pan S, Chen H, Zhang C, Shi X (2006). Patterns of soil nitrogen storage in China. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 20, GB1001, doi:10.1029/2005GB002464. |
| [80] | Tietema A, Emmett BA, Gundersen P, Kj?naas OJ, Koopmans CJ (1998). The fate of 15N-labelled nitrogen deposition in coniferous forest ecosystem. Forest Ecology and Management, 101,19-27. |
| [81] | Townsend AR, Braswell BH, Holland EA, Penner JE (1996). Spatial and temporal patterns in terrestrial carbon storage due to deposition of anthropogenic nitrogen. Ecological Applications, 6,806-814. |
| [82] | Treseder KK (2004). A meta-analysis of mycorrhizal responses to nitrogen, phosphorus, and atmospheric CO2 in field studies. New Phytologist, 164,347-355. |
| [83] | Uehara G, Gillman G (1981). The Mineralogy, Chemistry and Physics of Tropical Soils with Variable Charge Clays. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 160. |
| [84] | Vitousek PM, Aber JD, Howarth RW, Likens GE, Matson PA, Schindler DW, Schlesinger WH, Tilman GD (1997). Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: sources and consequences. Ecological Applications, 7,737-750. |
| [85] | Wang WX (王文兴), Wang W (王玮), Zhang WH (张婉华), Hong SX (洪少贤) (1996). Geographical distribution of SO2 and NOx emission intensities and trends in China. China Environmental Science (中国环境科学), 16,161-167. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [86] | Wedin DA, Tilman D (1996). Influence of nitrogen loading and species composition on the carbon balance of grasslands. Science, 274,1720-1723. |
| [87] | Wilson SD (1998). Competition between grasses and woody plants. In: Cheplick GP ed. Population Ecology of Grasses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 231-254. |
| [88] | Wilson SD, Tilman D (1991). Components of plant competition along an experimental gradient of nitrogen availability. Ecology, 72,1050-1065. |
| [89] | Xu GL (徐国良), Mo JM (莫江明), Sandra B, Li DJ (李德军) (2004). Effects of simulated N deposition on soil fauna. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 24,2245-2251. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
| [90] | Xu GL (徐国良), Mo JM (莫江明), Zhou GY (周国逸), Xue JH (薛王景花) (2005). Litter decomposition under N deposition in Dinghushan forests and its relationship with soil fauna. Ecology and Environment (生态环境), 14,901-907. (in Chinese with English abstract) |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
Copyright © 2026 Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology
Tel: 010-62836134, 62836138, E-mail: apes@ibcas.ac.cn, cjpe@ibcas.ac.cn
