Wang, A, Chen, D, Phillips, OL orcid.org/0000-0002-8993-6168 et al. (8 more authors) (2021) Dynamics and multi-annual fate of atmospherically deposited nitrogen in montane tropical forests. Global Change Biology, 27 (10). pp. 2076-2087. ISSN 1354-1013
Abstract
The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on forests largely depend on its fate after entering the ecosystem. While several studies have addressed the forest fate of N deposition using 15N tracers, the long-term fate and redistribution of deposited N in tropical forests remains unknown. Here, we applied 15N tracers to examine the fates of deposited ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃⁻) separately over 3 years in a primary and a secondary tropical montane forest in southern China. Three months after 15N tracer addition, over 60% of 15N was retained in the forests studied. Total ecosystem retention did not change over the study period, but between 3 months and 3 years following deposition 15N recovery in plants increased from 10% to 19% and 13% to 22% in the primary and secondary forests, respectively, while 15N recovery in the organic soil declined from 16% to 2% and 9% to 2%. Mineral soil retained 50% and 35% of 15N in the primary and secondary forests, with retention being stable over time. The total ecosystem retention of the two N forms did not differ significantly, but plants retained more ¹⁵NO₃⁻ than ¹⁵NH₄⁺ and the organic soil more ¹⁵NH₄⁺ than ¹⁵NO₃⁻. Mineral soil did not differ in ¹⁵NH₄ and ¹⁵NO₃⁻ retention. Compared to temperate forests, proportionally more 15N was distributed to mineral soil and plants in these tropical forests. Overall, our results suggest that atmospherically deposited NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ is rapidly lost in the short term (months) but thereafter securely retained within the ecosystem, with retained N becoming redistributed to plants and mineral soil from the organic soil. This long-term N retention may benefit tropical montane forest growth and enhance ecosystem carbon sequestration.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Wang, A., Chen, D., Phillips, O.L., Gundersen, P., Zhou, X., Gurmesa, G.A., Li, S., Zhu, W., Hobbie, E.A., Wang, X. and Fang, Y. (2021), Dynamics and multi-annual fate of atmospherically deposited nitrogen in montane tropical forests. Glob Change Biol, 27: 2076-2087, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15526. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. |
Keywords: | 15N tracer; ammonium and nitrate; long-term fate; N deposition; N retention and redistribution; tropical montane forests |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jan 2021 17:18 |
Last Modified: | 22 Jan 2022 01:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/gcb.15526 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:170392 |