Summary
This comprehensive meta-meta-analysis synthesised findings on how climate change and agricultural practices influence microbial nitrogen cycling and soil nitrous oxide emissions. The review quantified effects of global warming (159.7% increase in N2O emissions), elevated CO2 (40.6% increase), nitrogen fertilisation (153.2% increase), biochar application (15.8% decrease), and microplastic exposure (140.4% increase) on soil N2O production, mediated through shifts in functional microbial genes orchestrating nitrification and denitrification.
Regional applicability
As a global meta-analysis synthesising data across multiple regions and climates, the findings are broadly applicable to United Kingdom agricultural contexts, particularly regarding nitrogen fertilisation impacts and mitigation strategies such as biochar. However, the transferability of specific effect sizes may vary given regional differences in soil type, climate conditions, and current agricultural practice intensity in the UK.
Key measures
Soil nitrification rates, denitrification rates, soil N2O emissions (% change), abundance of functional genes (amoA, narG, nirS, nirK, nosZ), soil nitrogen content (NH4+-N and NO3−-N)
Outcomes reported
The study quantitatively assessed the effects of climatic factors and agricultural practices on soil nitrogen processes and nitrous oxide emissions using mega-analysis. It reported percentage changes in soil N2O emissions under various conditions including global warming, elevated CO2, nitrogen fertilisation, biochar application, and microplastic exposure.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.