Summary
This 26-year field study in the northern Chihuahuan Desert examined where added nitrogen accumulates in an arid grassland ecosystem. Whilst soil available nitrogen increased significantly with fertilisation at 10 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹, neither microbial nor plant communities responded with increased biomass or nitrogen content, and the majority of added nitrogen could not be accounted for in measured pools, implying substantial ecosystem loss.
Regional applicability
The findings are specific to arid and semi-arid ecosystems and may have limited direct applicability to United Kingdom grassland management, which typically operates in mesic conditions. However, the study's findings on nitrogen fate and community non-responsiveness to nitrogen addition could inform understanding of nitrogen cycling in marginal or water-stressed UK grasslands or inform policy on atmospheric nitrogen deposition in sensitive ecosystems.
Key measures
Soil available nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N, NH₄⁺-N), soil microbial nitrogen pool, plant nitrogen content and biomass, total soil nitrogen
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil inorganic nitrogen pools (NO₃⁻-N and NH₄⁺-N), microbial biomass and nitrogen content, plant biomass and nitrogen content, and total soil nitrogen across a 26-year fertilisation experiment at 10 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹. The majority of added nitrogen was not recovered in shallow soil, microbial, or plant compartments, suggesting ecosystem loss.
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