Articles | Volume 15, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-369-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-369-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Jan 2018
Research article |
| 17 Jan 2018
Nitrogen isotopic composition of plants and soil in an arid mountainous terrain: south slope versus north slope
Chongjuan Chen
Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention-control
and Remediation, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering,
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural
University, Beijing, 100193, China
Yufu Jia
Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention-control
and Remediation, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering,
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural
University, Beijing, 100193, China
Yuzhen Chen
Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention-control
and Remediation, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering,
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural
University, Beijing, 100193, China
Imran Mehmood
Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, MOE, Department of Plant
Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China
Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
Yunting Fang
CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of
Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110164, China
Guoan Wang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention-control
and Remediation, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering,
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural
University, Beijing, 100193, China
Related authors
No articles found.
Zixun Chen, Xuejun Liu, Xiaoqing Cui, Yaowen Han, Guoan Wang, and Jiazhu Li
Biogeosciences, 18, 2859–2870, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2859-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2859-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
δ13C in plants is a sensitive long-term indicator of physiological acclimatization. The present study suggests that precipitation change and increasing atmospheric N deposition have little impact on δ13C of H. ammodendron, a dominant plant in central Asian deserts, but affect its gas exchange. In addition, this study shows that δ13C of H. ammodendron could not indicate its water use efficiency (WUE), suggesting that whether δ13C of C4 plants indicates WUE is species-specific.
Wendell W. Walters, Linlin Song, Jiajue Chai, Yunting Fang, Nadia Colombi, and Meredith G. Hastings
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11551–11567, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11551-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11551-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This article details new field observations of the nitrogen stable isotopic composition of ammonia emitted from vehicles conducted in the US and China. Vehicle emissions of ammonia may be a significant source to urban regions with important human health and environmental implications. Our measurements have indicated a consistent isotopic signature from vehicle ammonia emissions. The nitrogen isotopic composition of ammonia may be a useful tool for tracking vehicle emissions.
Chongjuan Chen, Yingjie Wu, Shuhan Wang, Zhaotong Liu, and Guoan Wang
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-328, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-328, 2019
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Relationships between leaf δ15N and concentrations of leaf metallic nutrients have not been examined as yet though they could enhance our understanding of N cycling. By analyzing 624 non-N2-fixing plant samples, we first found that leaf δ15N was positively correlated with leaf K, Ca, Mg and Zn, negatively correlated with leaf Fe, and not related to leaf Mn. All of them together explained 55.7 % of variations in leaf δ15N. This study emphasized the significance of metallic nutrients in N cycling.
Yunhua Chang, Yan-Lin Zhang, Jiarong Li, Chongguo Tian, Linlin Song, Xiaoyao Zhai, Wenqi Zhang, Tong Huang, Yu-Chi Lin, Chao Zhu, Yunting Fang, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Jianmin Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 12221–12234, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12221-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12221-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The present work underscores the value of cloud water dissolved inorganic nitrogen isotopes as carriers of quantitative information on regional NOx and NH3 emissions. It sheds light on the origin and production pathways of nitrogenous species in clouds and emphasizes the importance of biomass-burning-derived nitrogenous species as cloud condensation nuclei in China’s troposphere. Moreover, it highlights the rapid evolution of NOx emissions in China.
Zhenjiao Cao, Yufu Jia, Yue Cai, Xin Wang, Huifeng Hu, Jinbo Zhang, Juan Jia, and Xiaojuan Feng
Biogeosciences, 16, 3605–3619, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3605-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3605-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Using pathway analysis, we demonstrate that past aridity's effect is mediated by differential mechanisms for substrates of varied complexity. While microbial biomass plays a more important role in the decomposition of fresh litter, enzyme-catalyzed extracellular reactions predominantly govern the mineralization of SOC. Our findings have significant implications for assessing and modeling decomposition in different aridity regimes.
Geshere Abdisa Gurmesa, Xiankai Lu, Per Gundersen, Yunting Fang, Qinggong Mao, Chen Hao, and Jiangming Mo
Biogeosciences, 14, 2359–2370, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2359-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2359-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We measured the abundance of a nitrogen (N) isotope (15N) in two subtropical forests in China to study the cycling of input N (deposition and addition). Plant leaves in both forests were 15N-depleted relative to the atmospheric standard, likely as an imprint from 15N-depleted deposition. Plant 15N changed into 15N of the added N, indicating incorporation of N into plants. Thus, interpretations of ecosystem 15N from high-N-deposition regions need to include data on the 15N deposition signature.
Dongwei Liu, Weixing Zhu, Xiaobo Wang, Yuepeng Pan, Chao Wang, Dan Xi, Edith Bai, Yuesi Wang, Xingguo Han, and Yunting Fang
Biogeosciences, 14, 989–1001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-989-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-989-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The use of 15N natural abundance of soil ammonium and nitrate demonstrates a clear shifting contribution from abiotic to biotic controls on N cycling along a 3200 km dryland transect in northern China, with a threshold at mean annual precipitation of 100 mm. Abiotic factors were the main driver below threshold, shown by the accumulation of atmospheric N and NH3 losses. In the area above threshold, soil N cycling was controlled mainly by biological factors, e.g., plant uptake and denitrification.
Yufu Jia, Guoan Wang, Qiqi Tan, and Zixun Chen
Biogeosciences, 13, 5057–5064, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5057-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5057-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Soil organic carbon can be used for climate reconstruction and carbon cycle study. This work assessed the effect of temperature on surface soil δ13C by an investigation from 27 sites across a temperature gradient along an isohyet. This study shows that soil type and vegetation type had influences on soil δ13C, while temperature was not related to soil δ13C. This suggests that organic carbon isotopes in sediments cannot be used for the paleotemperature reconstruction.
Weili Liu, Lin Qi, Yunting Fang, and Jian Yang
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-91, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-91, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Wildfire is a major disturbance in boreal forest ecosystem and strongly affects ecosystem N cycling. We find that even 5 years after a wildfire, isotopic signatures of soil and plant N pools are still different from those in unburned areas in a Chinese boreal forest. Our results show persistent legacy effects in the form of increased N losses following wildfires. The fire-induced increases in NH3 volatilization may greatly contribute to the increased δ15N values in plant and soil.
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Land
Estimating oil-palm Si storage, Si return to soils, and Si losses through harvest in smallholder oil-palm plantations of Sumatra, Indonesia
Assessing the sensitivity of multi-frequency passive microwave vegetation optical depth to vegetation properties
Seasonal variation of mercury concentration of ancient olive groves of Lebanon
Soil organic matter diagenetic state informs boreal forest ecosystem feedbacks to climate change
Upscaling dryland carbon and water fluxes with artificial neural networks of optical, thermal, and microwave satellite remote sensing
Sun-induced fluorescence as a proxy for primary productivity across vegetation types and climates
Carbon Cycle Extremes Accelerate Weakening of the Land Carbon Sink in the Late 21st Century
Technical note: A view from space on global flux towers by MODIS and Landsat: the FluxnetEO data set
Changing sub-Arctic tundra vegetation upon permafrost degradation: impact on foliar mineral element cycling
Land Management Contributes significantly to observed Vegetation Browning in Syria during 2001–2018
MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields tree cover needs calibrating in tropical savannas
Assessing the representation of the Australian carbon cycle in global vegetation models
Assessing the response of soil carbon in Australia to changing inputs and climate using a consistent modelling framework
Reviews and syntheses: Ongoing and emerging opportunities to improve environmental science using observations from the Advanced Baseline Imager on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
First pan-Arctic assessment of dissolved organic carbon in lakes of the permafrost region
The impact of wildfire on biogeochemical fluxes and water quality in boreal catchments
Examining the sensitivity of the terrestrial carbon cycle to the expression of El Niño
Subalpine grassland productivity increased with warmer and drier conditions, but not with higher N deposition, in an altitudinal transplantation experiment
Reviews and syntheses: Impacts of plant-silica–herbivore interactions on terrestrial biogeochemical cycling
Implementation of nitrogen cycle in the CLASSIC land model
Combined effects of ozone and drought stress on the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds from Quercus robur L.
A bottom-up quantification of foliar mercury uptake fluxes across Europe
Lagged effects regulate the inter-annual variability of the tropical carbon balance
Spatial variations in terrestrial net ecosystem productivity and its local indicators
Nitrogen cycling in CMIP6 land surface models: progress and limitations
Decomposing reflectance spectra to track gross primary production in a subalpine evergreen forest
Sensitivity of 21st century simulated ecosystem indicators to model parameters, prescribed climate drivers, RCP scenarios and forest management actions for two Finnish boreal forest sites
Summarizing the state of the terrestrial biosphere in few dimensions
Patterns and trends of the dominant environmental controls of net biome productivity
Localized basal area affects soil respiration temperature sensitivity in a coastal deciduous forest
Dissolved organic carbon mobilized from organic horizons of mature and harvested black spruce plots in a mesic boreal region
Ideas and perspectives: Proposed best practices for collaboration at cross-disciplinary observatories
Effects of leaf length and development stage on the triple oxygen isotope signature of grass leaf water and phytoliths: insights for a proxy of continental atmospheric humidity
Response of simulated burned area to historical changes in environmental and anthropogenic factors: a comparison of seven fire models
Estimation of coarse dead wood stocks in intact and degraded forests in the Brazilian Amazon using airborne lidar
Theoretical uncertainties for global satellite-derived burned area estimates
Estimating global gross primary productivity using chlorophyll fluorescence and a data assimilation system with the BETHY-SCOPE model
How representative are FLUXNET measurements of surface fluxes during temperature extremes?
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of leaves, litter, and soils of various ecosystems along an elevational and land-use gradient at Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Comparison of CO2 and O2 fluxes demonstrate retention of respired CO2 in tree stems from a range of tree species
Tropical climate–vegetation–fire relationships: multivariate evaluation of the land surface model JSBACH
A global spatially contiguous solar-induced fluorescence (CSIF) dataset using neural networks
Technical note: A simple theoretical model framework to describe plant stomatal “sluggishness” in response to elevated ozone concentrations
Water-stress-induced breakdown of carbon–water relations: indicators from diurnal FLUXNET patterns
Shrub type dominates the vertical distribution of leaf C : N : P stoichiometry across an extensive altitudinal gradient
Estimation of gross land-use change and its uncertainty using a Bayesian data assimilation approach
Smaller global and regional carbon emissions from gross land use change when considering sub-grid secondary land cohorts in a global dynamic vegetation model
Land-use and land-cover change carbon emissions between 1901 and 2012 constrained by biomass observations
Impacts of temperature extremes on European vegetation during the growing season
An assessment of geographical distribution of different plant functional types over North America simulated using the CLASS–CTEM modelling framework
Britta Greenshields, Barbara von der Lühe, Felix Schwarz, Harold J. Hughes, Aiyen Tjoa, Martyna Kotowska, Fabian Brambach, and Daniela Sauer
Biogeosciences, 20, 1259–1276, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1259-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1259-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Silicon (Si) can have multiple beneficial effects on crops such as oil palms. In this study, we quantified Si concentrations in various parts of an oil palm (leaflets, rachises, fruit-bunch parts) to derive Si storage estimates for the total above-ground biomass of an oil palm and 1 ha of an oil-palm plantation. We proposed a Si balance by identifying Si return (via palm fronds) and losses (via harvest) in the system and recommend management measures that enhance Si cycling.
Luisa Schmidt, Matthias Forkel, Ruxandra-Maria Zotta, Samuel Scherrer, Wouter A. Dorigo, Alexander Kuhn-Régnier, Robin van der Schalie, and Marta Yebra
Biogeosciences, 20, 1027–1046, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1027-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1027-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Vegetation attenuates natural microwave emissions from the land surface. The strength of this attenuation is quantified as the vegetation optical depth (VOD) parameter and is influenced by the vegetation mass, structure, water content, and observation wavelength. Here we model the VOD signal as a multi-variate function of several descriptive vegetation variables. The results help in understanding the effects of ecosystem properties on VOD.
Nagham Tabaja, David Amouroux, Lamis Chalak, François Fourel, Emmanuel Tessier, Ihab Jomaa, Milad El Riachy, and Ilham Bentaleb
Biogeosciences, 20, 619–633, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-619-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-619-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the seasonality of the mercury (Hg) concentration of olive trees. Hg concentrations of foliage, stems, soil surface, and litter were analyzed on a monthly basis in ancient olive trees growing in two groves in Lebanon. Our study draws an adequate baseline for the eastern Mediterranean and for the region with similar climatic inventories on Hg vegetation uptake in addition to being a baseline for new studies on olive trees in the Mediterranean.
Allison N. Myers-Pigg, Karl Kaiser, Ronald Benner, and Susan E. Ziegler
Biogeosciences, 20, 489–503, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-489-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-489-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Boreal forests, historically a global sink for atmospheric CO2, store carbon in vast soil reservoirs. To predict how such stores will respond to climate warming we need to understand climate–ecosystem feedbacks. We find boreal forest soil carbon stores are maintained through enhanced nitrogen cycling with climate warming, providing direct evidence for a key feedback. Further application of the approach demonstrated here will improve our understanding of the limits of climate–ecosystem feedbacks.
Matthew P. Dannenberg, Mallory L. Barnes, William K. Smith, Miriam R. Johnston, Susan K. Meerdink, Xian Wang, Russell L. Scott, and Joel A. Biederman
Biogeosciences, 20, 383–404, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-383-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-383-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's drylands provide ecosystem services to many people and will likely be strongly affected by climate change, but it is quite challenging to monitor the productivity and water use of dryland plants with satellites. We developed and tested an approach for estimating dryland vegetation activity using machine learning to combine information from multiple satellite sensors. Our approach excelled at estimating photosynthesis and water use largely due to the inclusion of satellite soil moisture.
Mark Pickering, Alessandro Cescatti, and Gregory Duveiller
Biogeosciences, 19, 4833–4864, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4833-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4833-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores two of the most recent products in carbon productivity estimation, FLUXCOM gross primary productivity (GPP), calculated by upscaling local measurements of CO2 exchange, and remotely sensed sun-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence (SIF). High-resolution SIF data are valuable in demonstrating similarity in the SIF–GPP relationship between vegetation covers, provide an independent probe of the FLUXCOM GPP model and demonstrate the response of SIF to meteorological fluctuations.
Bharat Sharma, Jitendra Kumar, Auroop R. Ganguly, and Forrest M. Hoffman
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-178, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-178, 2022
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
Short summary
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide increases vegetation growth and causes more heatwaves and droughts. The impact of such climate extremes is detrimental to terrestrial carbon uptake capacity. We found that due to overall climate warming, about 88 % of the world's regions towards the end of 2100 will show anomalous losses in net biospheric productivity (NBP) rather than gains. More than 50 % of all negative NBP extremes were driven by the compound effect of dry, hot, and fire conditions.
Sophia Walther, Simon Besnard, Jacob Allen Nelson, Tarek Sebastian El-Madany, Mirco Migliavacca, Ulrich Weber, Nuno Carvalhais, Sofia Lorena Ermida, Christian Brümmer, Frederik Schrader, Anatoly Stanislavovich Prokushkin, Alexey Vasilevich Panov, and Martin Jung
Biogeosciences, 19, 2805–2840, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2805-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2805-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite observations help interpret station measurements of local carbon, water, and energy exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere and are indispensable for simulations of the same in land surface models and their evaluation. We propose generalisable and efficient approaches to systematically ensure high quality and to estimate values in data gaps. We apply them to satellite data of surface reflectance and temperature with different resolutions at the stations.
Elisabeth Mauclet, Yannick Agnan, Catherine Hirst, Arthur Monhonval, Benoît Pereira, Aubry Vandeuren, Maëlle Villani, Justin Ledman, Meghan Taylor, Briana L. Jasinski, Edward A. G. Schuur, and Sophie Opfergelt
Biogeosciences, 19, 2333–2351, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2333-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2333-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Arctic warming and permafrost degradation largely affect tundra vegetation. Wetter lowlands show an increase in sedges, whereas drier uplands favor shrub expansion. Here, we demonstrate that the difference in the foliar elemental composition of typical tundra vegetation species controls the change in local foliar elemental stock and potential mineral element cycling through litter production upon a shift in tundra vegetation.
Tiexi Chen, Renjie Guo, Qingyun Yan, Xin Chen, Shengjie Zhou, Chuanzhuang Liang, Xueqiong Wei, and Han Dolman
Biogeosciences, 19, 1515–1525, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1515-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1515-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Currently people are very concerned about vegetation changes and their driving factors, including natural and anthropogenic drivers. In this study, a general browning trend is found in Syria during 2001–2018, indicated by the vegetation index. We found that land management caused by social unrest is the main cause of this browning phenomenon. The mechanism initially reported here highlights the importance of land management impacts at the regional scale.
Rahayu Adzhar, Douglas I. Kelley, Ning Dong, Charles George, Mireia Torello Raventos, Elmar Veenendaal, Ted R. Feldpausch, Oliver L. Phillips, Simon L. Lewis, Bonaventure Sonké, Herman Taedoumg, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon, Tomas Domingues, Luzmila Arroyo, Gloria Djagbletey, Gustavo Saiz, and France Gerard
Biogeosciences, 19, 1377–1394, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1377-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1377-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) product underestimates tree cover compared to field data and could be underestimating tree cover significantly across the tropics. VCF is used to represent land cover or validate model performance in many land surface and global vegetation models and to train finer-scaled Earth observation products. Because underestimation in VCF may render it unsuitable for training data and bias model predictions, it should be calibrated before use in the tropics.
Lina Teckentrup, Martin G. De Kauwe, Andrew J. Pitman, Daniel S. Goll, Vanessa Haverd, Atul K. Jain, Emilie Joetzjer, Etsushi Kato, Sebastian Lienert, Danica Lombardozzi, Patrick C. McGuire, Joe R. Melton, Julia E. M. S. Nabel, Julia Pongratz, Stephen Sitch, Anthony P. Walker, and Sönke Zaehle
Biogeosciences, 18, 5639–5668, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5639-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5639-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Australian continent is included in global assessments of the carbon cycle such as the global carbon budget, yet the performance of dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) over Australia has rarely been evaluated. We assessed simulations by an ensemble of dynamic global vegetation models over Australia and highlighted a number of key areas that lead to model divergence on both short (inter-annual) and long (decadal) timescales.
Juhwan Lee, Raphael A. Viscarra Rossel, Mingxi Zhang, Zhongkui Luo, and Ying-Ping Wang
Biogeosciences, 18, 5185–5202, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5185-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We performed Roth C simulations across Australia and assessed the response of soil carbon to changing inputs and future climate change using a consistent modelling framework. Site-specific initialisation of the C pools with measurements of the C fractions is essential for accurate simulations of soil organic C stocks and composition at a large scale. With further warming, Australian soils will become more vulnerable to C loss: natural environments > native grazing > cropping > modified grazing.
Anam M. Khan, Paul C. Stoy, James T. Douglas, Martha Anderson, George Diak, Jason A. Otkin, Christopher Hain, Elizabeth M. Rehbein, and Joel McCorkel
Biogeosciences, 18, 4117–4141, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4117-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4117-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Remote sensing has played an important role in the study of land surface processes. Geostationary satellites, such as the GOES-R series, can observe the Earth every 5–15 min, providing us with more observations than widely used polar-orbiting satellites. Here, we outline current efforts utilizing geostationary observations in environmental science and look towards the future of GOES observations in the carbon cycle, ecosystem disturbance, and other areas of application in environmental science.
Lydia Stolpmann, Caroline Coch, Anne Morgenstern, Julia Boike, Michael Fritz, Ulrike Herzschuh, Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring, Yury Dvornikov, Birgit Heim, Josefine Lenz, Amy Larsen, Katey Walter Anthony, Benjamin Jones, Karen Frey, and Guido Grosse
Biogeosciences, 18, 3917–3936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3917-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3917-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our new database summarizes DOC concentrations of 2167 water samples from 1833 lakes in permafrost regions across the Arctic to provide insights into linkages between DOC and environment. We found increasing lake DOC concentration with decreasing permafrost extent and higher DOC concentrations in boreal permafrost sites compared to tundra sites. Our study shows that DOC concentration depends on the environmental properties of a lake, especially permafrost extent, ecoregion, and vegetation.
Gustaf Granath, Christopher D. Evans, Joachim Strengbom, Jens Fölster, Achim Grelle, Johan Strömqvist, and Stephan J. Köhler
Biogeosciences, 18, 3243–3261, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3243-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3243-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We measured element losses and impacts on water quality following a wildfire in Sweden. We observed the largest carbon and nitrogen losses during the fire and a strong pulse of elements 1–3 months after the fire that showed a fast (weeks) and a slow (months) release from the catchments. Total carbon export through water did not increase post-fire. Overall, we observed a rapid recovery of the biogeochemical cycling of elements within 3 years but still an annual net release of carbon dioxide.
Lina Teckentrup, Martin G. De Kauwe, Andrew J. Pitman, and Benjamin Smith
Biogeosciences, 18, 2181–2203, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2181-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2181-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) describes changes in the sea surface temperature patterns of the Pacific Ocean. This influences the global weather, impacting vegetation on land. There are two types of El Niño: central Pacific (CP) and eastern Pacific (EP). In this study, we explored the long-term impacts on the carbon balance on land linked to the two El Niño types. Using a dynamic vegetation model, we simulated what would happen if only either CP or EP El Niño events had occurred.
Matthias Volk, Matthias Suter, Anne-Lena Wahl, and Seraina Bassin
Biogeosciences, 18, 2075–2090, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2075-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2075-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Grassland ecosystem services like forage production and greenhouse gas storage in the soil depend on plant growth.
In an experiment in the mountains with warming treatments, we found that despite dwindling soil water content, the grassland growth increased with up to +1.3 °C warming (annual mean) compared to present temperatures. Even at +2.4 °C the growth was still larger than at the reference site.
This suggests that plant growth will increase due to global warming in the near future.
Bernice C. Hwang and Daniel B. Metcalfe
Biogeosciences, 18, 1259–1268, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1259-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1259-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Despite growing recognition of herbivores as important ecosystem engineers, many major gaps remain in our understanding of how silicon and herbivory interact to shape biogeochemical processes. We highlight the need for more research particularly in natural settings as well as on the potential effects of herbivory on terrestrial silicon cycling to understand potentially critical animal–plant–soil feedbacks.
Ali Asaadi and Vivek K. Arora
Biogeosciences, 18, 669–706, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-669-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-669-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
More than a quarter of the current anthropogenic CO2 emissions are taken up by land, reducing the atmospheric CO2 growth rate. This is because of the CO2 fertilization effect which benefits 80 % of global vegetation. However, if nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients cannot keep up with increasing atmospheric CO2, the magnitude of this terrestrial ecosystem service may reduce in future. This paper implements nitrogen constraints on photosynthesis in a model to understand the mechanisms involved.
Arianna Peron, Lisa Kaser, Anne Charlott Fitzky, Martin Graus, Heidi Halbwirth, Jürgen Greiner, Georg Wohlfahrt, Boris Rewald, Hans Sandén, and Thomas Karl
Biogeosciences, 18, 535–556, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-535-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-535-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Drought events are expected to become more frequent with climate change. Along with these events atmospheric ozone is also expected to increase. Both can stress plants. Here we investigate to what extent these factors modulate the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from oak plants. We find an antagonistic effect between drought stress and ozone, impacting the emission of different BVOCs, which is indirectly controlled by stomatal opening, allowing plants to control their water budget.
Lena Wohlgemuth, Stefan Osterwalder, Carl Joseph, Ansgar Kahmen, Günter Hoch, Christine Alewell, and Martin Jiskra
Biogeosciences, 17, 6441–6456, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6441-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6441-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Mercury uptake by trees from the air represents an important but poorly quantified pathway in the global mercury cycle. We determined mercury uptake fluxes by leaves and needles at 10 European forests which were 4 times larger than mercury deposition via rainfall. The amount of mercury taken up by leaves and needles depends on their age and growing height on the tree. Scaling up our measurements to the forest area of Europe, we estimate that each year 20 t of mercury is taken up by trees.
A. Anthony Bloom, Kevin W. Bowman, Junjie Liu, Alexandra G. Konings, John R. Worden, Nicholas C. Parazoo, Victoria Meyer, John T. Reager, Helen M. Worden, Zhe Jiang, Gregory R. Quetin, T. Luke Smallman, Jean-François Exbrayat, Yi Yin, Sassan S. Saatchi, Mathew Williams, and David S. Schimel
Biogeosciences, 17, 6393–6422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6393-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6393-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We use a model of the 2001–2015 tropical land carbon cycle, with satellite measurements of land and atmospheric carbon, to disentangle lagged and concurrent effects (due to past and concurrent meteorological events, respectively) on annual land–atmosphere carbon exchanges. The variability of lagged effects explains most 2001–2015 inter-annual carbon flux variations. We conclude that concurrent and lagged effects need to be accurately resolved to better predict the world's land carbon sink.
Erqian Cui, Chenyu Bian, Yiqi Luo, Shuli Niu, Yingping Wang, and Jianyang Xia
Biogeosciences, 17, 6237–6246, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6237-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6237-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Mean annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) is related to the magnitude of the carbon sink of a specific ecosystem, while its inter-annual variation (IAVNEP) characterizes the stability of such a carbon sink. Thus, a better understanding of the co-varying NEP and IAVNEP is critical for locating the major and stable carbon sinks on land. Based on daily NEP observations from eddy-covariance sites, we found local indicators for the spatially varying NEP and IAVNEP, respectively.
Taraka Davies-Barnard, Johannes Meyerholt, Sönke Zaehle, Pierre Friedlingstein, Victor Brovkin, Yuanchao Fan, Rosie A. Fisher, Chris D. Jones, Hanna Lee, Daniele Peano, Benjamin Smith, David Wårlind, and Andy J. Wiltshire
Biogeosciences, 17, 5129–5148, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5129-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5129-2020, 2020
Rui Cheng, Troy S. Magney, Debsunder Dutta, David R. Bowling, Barry A. Logan, Sean P. Burns, Peter D. Blanken, Katja Grossmann, Sophia Lopez, Andrew D. Richardson, Jochen Stutz, and Christian Frankenberg
Biogeosciences, 17, 4523–4544, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4523-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4523-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We measured reflected sunlight from an evergreen canopy for a year to detect changes in pigments that play an important role in regulating the seasonality of photosynthesis. Results show a strong mechanistic link between spectral reflectance features and pigment content, which is validated using a biophysical model. Our results show spectrally where, why, and when spectral features change over the course of the season and show promise for estimating photosynthesis remotely.
Jarmo Mäkelä, Francesco Minunno, Tuula Aalto, Annikki Mäkelä, Tiina Markkanen, and Mikko Peltoniemi
Biogeosciences, 17, 2681–2700, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2681-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2681-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We assess the relative magnitude of uncertainty sources on ecosystem indicators of the 21st century climate change on two boreal forest sites. In addition to RCP and climate model uncertainties, we included the overlooked model parameter uncertainty and management actions in our analysis. Management was the dominant uncertainty factor for the more verdant southern site, followed by RCP, climate and parameter uncertainties. The uncertainties were estimated with canonical correlation analysis.
Guido Kraemer, Gustau Camps-Valls, Markus Reichstein, and Miguel D. Mahecha
Biogeosciences, 17, 2397–2424, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2397-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2397-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
To closely monitor the state of our planet, we require systems that can monitor
the observation of many different properties at the same time. We create
indicators that resemble the behavior of many different simultaneous
observations. We apply the method to create indicators representing the
Earth's biosphere. The indicators show a productivity gradient and a water
gradient. The resulting indicators can detect a large number of changes and
extremes in the Earth system.
Barbara Marcolla, Mirco Migliavacca, Christian Rödenbeck, and Alessandro Cescatti
Biogeosciences, 17, 2365–2379, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2365-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2365-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This work investigates the sensitivity of terrestrial CO2 fluxes to climate drivers. We observed that CO2 flux is mostly controlled by temperature during the growing season and by radiation off season. We also observe that radiation importance is increasing over time while sensitivity to temperature is decreasing in Eurasia. Ultimately this analysis shows that ecosystem response to climate is changing, with potential repercussions for future terrestrial sink and land role in climate mitigation.
Stephanie C. Pennington, Nate G. McDowell, J. Patrick Megonigal, James C. Stegen, and Ben Bond-Lamberty
Biogeosciences, 17, 771–780, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-771-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-771-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Soil respiration (Rs) is the flow of CO2 from the soil surface to the atmosphere and is one of the largest carbon fluxes on land. This study examined the effect of local basal area (tree area) on Rs in a coastal forest in eastern Maryland, USA. Rs measurements were taken as well as distance from soil collar, diameter, and species of each tree within a 15 m radius. We found that trees within 5 m of our sampling points had a positive effect on how sensitive soil respiration was to temperature.
Keri L. Bowering, Kate A. Edwards, Karen Prestegaard, Xinbiao Zhu, and Susan E. Ziegler
Biogeosciences, 17, 581–595, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-581-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-581-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We examined the effects of season and tree harvesting on the flow of water and the organic carbon (OC) it carries from boreal forest soils. We found that more OC was lost from the harvested forest because more precipitation reached the soil surface but that during periods of flushing in autumn and snowmelt a limit on the amount of water-extractable OC is reached. These results contribute to an increased understanding of carbon loss from boreal forest soils.
Jason Philip Kaye, Susan L. Brantley, Jennifer Zan Williams, and the SSHCZO team
Biogeosciences, 16, 4661–4669, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4661-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4661-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Interdisciplinary teams can only capitalize on innovative ideas if members work well together through collegial and efficient use of field sites, instrumentation, samples, data, and model code. Thus, biogeoscience teams may benefit from developing a set of best practices for collaboration. We present one such example from a the Susquehanna Shale Hills critical zone observatory. Many of the themes from our example are universal, and they offer insights useful to other biogeoscience teams.
Anne Alexandre, Elizabeth Webb, Amaelle Landais, Clément Piel, Sébastien Devidal, Corinne Sonzogni, Martine Couapel, Jean-Charles Mazur, Monique Pierre, Frédéric Prié, Christine Vallet-Coulomb, Clément Outrequin, and Jacques Roy
Biogeosciences, 16, 4613–4625, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4613-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4613-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This calibration study shows that despite isotope heterogeneity along grass leaves, the triple oxygen isotope composition of bulk leaf phytoliths can be estimated from the Craig and Gordon model, a mixing equation and a mean leaf water–phytolith fractionation exponent (lambda) of 0.521. The results strengthen the reliability of the 17O–excess of phytoliths to be used as a proxy of atmospheric relative humidity and open tracks for its use as an imprint of leaf water 17O–excess.
Lina Teckentrup, Sandy P. Harrison, Stijn Hantson, Angelika Heil, Joe R. Melton, Matthew Forrest, Fang Li, Chao Yue, Almut Arneth, Thomas Hickler, Stephen Sitch, and Gitta Lasslop
Biogeosciences, 16, 3883–3910, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3883-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3883-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study compares simulated burned area of seven global vegetation models provided by the Fire Model Intercomparison Project (FireMIP) since 1900. We investigate the influence of five forcing factors: atmospheric CO2, population density, land–use change, lightning and climate.
We find that the anthropogenic factors lead to the largest spread between models. Trends due to climate are mostly not significant but climate strongly influences the inter-annual variability of burned area.
Marcos A. S. Scaranello, Michael Keller, Marcos Longo, Maiza N. dos-Santos, Veronika Leitold, Douglas C. Morton, Ekena R. Pinagé, and Fernando Del Bon Espírito-Santo
Biogeosciences, 16, 3457–3474, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3457-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3457-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The coarse dead wood component of the tropical forest carbon pool is rarely measured. For the first time, we developed models for predicting coarse dead wood in Amazonian forests by using airborne laser scanning data. Our models produced site-based estimates similar to independent field estimates found in the literature. Our study provides an approach for estimating coarse dead wood pools from remotely sensed data and mapping those pools over large scales in intact and degraded forests.
James Brennan, Jose L. Gómez-Dans, Mathias Disney, and Philip Lewis
Biogeosciences, 16, 3147–3164, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3147-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We estimate the uncertainties associated with three global satellite-derived burned area estimates. The method provides unique uncertainties for the three estimates at the global scale for 2001–2013. We find uncertainties of 4 %–5.5 % in global burned area and uncertainties of 8 %–10 % in the frequently burning regions of Africa and Australia.
Alexander J. Norton, Peter J. Rayner, Ernest N. Koffi, Marko Scholze, Jeremy D. Silver, and Ying-Ping Wang
Biogeosciences, 16, 3069–3093, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3069-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3069-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents an estimate of global terrestrial photosynthesis. We make use of satellite chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, a visible indicator of photosynthesis, to optimize model parameters and estimate photosynthetic carbon uptake. This new framework incorporates nonlinear, process-based understanding of the link between fluorescence and photosynthesis, an advance on past approaches. This will aid in the utility of fluorescence to quantify terrestrial carbon cycle feedbacks.
Sophie V. J. van der Horst, Andrew J. Pitman, Martin G. De Kauwe, Anna Ukkola, Gab Abramowitz, and Peter Isaac
Biogeosciences, 16, 1829–1844, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1829-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Measurements of surface fluxes are taken around the world and are extremely valuable for understanding how the land and atmopshere interact, and how the land can amplify temerature extremes. However, do these measurements sample extreme temperatures, or are they biased to the average? We examine this question and highlight data that do measure surface fluxes under extreme conditions. This provides a way forward to help model developers improve their models.
Friederike Gerschlauer, Gustavo Saiz, David Schellenberger Costa, Michael Kleyer, Michael Dannenmann, and Ralf Kiese
Biogeosciences, 16, 409–424, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-409-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-409-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Mount Kilimanjaro is an iconic environmental asset under serious threat due to increasing human pressures and climate change constraints. We studied variations in the stable isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen in plant, litter, and soil material sampled along a strong land-use and altitudinal gradient. Our results show that, besides management, increasing temperatures in a changing climate may promote carbon and nitrogen losses, thus altering the stability of Kilimanjaro ecosystems.
Boaz Hilman, Jan Muhr, Susan E. Trumbore, Norbert Kunert, Mariah S. Carbone, Päivi Yuval, S. Joseph Wright, Gerardo Moreno, Oscar Pérez-Priego, Mirco Migliavacca, Arnaud Carrara, José M. Grünzweig, Yagil Osem, Tal Weiner, and Alon Angert
Biogeosciences, 16, 177–191, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-177-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-177-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Combined measurement of CO2 / O2 fluxes in tree stems suggested that on average 41 % of the respired CO2 was not emitted locally to the atmosphere. This finding strengthens the recognition that CO2 efflux from tree stems is not an accurate measure of respiration. The CO2 / O2 fluxes did not vary as expected if CO2 dissolution in the xylem sap was the main driver for the CO2 retention. We suggest the examination of refixation of respired CO2 as a possible mechanism for CO2 retention.
Gitta Lasslop, Thomas Moeller, Donatella D'Onofrio, Stijn Hantson, and Silvia Kloster
Biogeosciences, 15, 5969–5989, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5969-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5969-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We apply a multivariate model evaluation to the relationship between climate, vegetation and fire in the tropics using the JSBACH land surface model and two remote-sensing data sets, with the aim to identify the potential for model improvement. The overestimation of tree cover for low precipitation and a very strong relationship between tree cover and burned area indicates opportunities in the improvement of drought effects and the impact of fire on tree cover or the adaptation of trees to fire.
Yao Zhang, Joanna Joiner, Seyed Hamed Alemohammad, Sha Zhou, and Pierre Gentine
Biogeosciences, 15, 5779–5800, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5779-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5779-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Using satellite reflectance measurements and a machine learning algorithm, we generated a new solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) dataset that is closely linked to plant photosynthesis. This new dataset has higher spatial and temporal resolutions, and lower uncertainty compared to the existing satellite retrievals. We also demonstrated its application in monitoring drought and improving the understanding of the SIF–photosynthesis relationship.
Chris Huntingford, Rebecca J. Oliver, Lina M. Mercado, and Stephen Sitch
Biogeosciences, 15, 5415–5422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5415-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5415-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Raised ozone levels impact plant stomatal opening and thus photosynthesis. Most models describe this as a suppression of stomata opening. Field evidence suggests more complexity, as ozone damage may make stomatal response
sluggish. In some circumstances, this causes stomata to be more open – a concern during drought conditions – by increasing transpiration. To guide interpretation and modelling of field measurements, we present an equation for sluggish effects, via a single tau parameter.
Jacob A. Nelson, Nuno Carvalhais, Mirco Migliavacca, Markus Reichstein, and Martin Jung
Biogeosciences, 15, 2433–2447, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2433-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2433-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Plants have typical daily carbon uptake and water loss cycles. However, these cycles may change under periods of duress, such as water limitation. Here we identify two types of patterns in response to water limitations: a tendency to lose more water in the morning than afternoon and a decoupling of the carbon and water cycles. The findings show differences in responses by trees and grasses and suggest that morning shifts may be more efficient at gaining carbon per unit water used.
Wenqiang Zhao, Peter B. Reich, Qiannan Yu, Ning Zhao, Chunying Yin, Chunzhang Zhao, Dandan Li, Jun Hu, Ting Li, Huajun Yin, and Qing Liu
Biogeosciences, 15, 2033–2053, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2033-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2033-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We found larger shrub leaf C, C : N and lower leaf N, N : P levels compared to other terrestrial ecosystems. Alpine shrubs exhibited the greatest leaf C at low temperatures, whereas the largest leaf N and P occurred in valley deciduous shrubs. The large heterogeneity in nutrient uptake and physiological adaptation of shrub types to environments explained the largest fraction of leaf C : N : P variations, while climate indirectly affected leaf C : N : P via its interactive effects on shrub type or soil.
Peter Levy, Marcel van Oijen, Gwen Buys, and Sam Tomlinson
Biogeosciences, 15, 1497–1513, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1497-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1497-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new method for estimating land-use change using a Bayesian data assimilation approach. This allows us to constrain estimates of gross land-use change with reliable national-scale census data whilst retaining the information available from several other sources. This includes detailed spatial data; further data sources, such as new satellites, could easily be added in future. Uncertainty is propagated appropriately into the output.
Chao Yue, Philippe Ciais, and Wei Li
Biogeosciences, 15, 1185–1201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1185-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1185-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Gross land use change such as shifting cultivation causes carbon emissions because carbon release in cleared forests is larger than absorption in regrowing ones. However, to appropriately account for this process, vegetation models have to represent sub-grid secondary forest dynamics. We found that gross land use emissions can be overestimated if sub-grid secondary forests are neglected in the model. Conversely, rotation lengths of shifting cultivation have a critical role.
Wei Li, Philippe Ciais, Shushi Peng, Chao Yue, Yilong Wang, Martin Thurner, Sassan S. Saatchi, Almut Arneth, Valerio Avitabile, Nuno Carvalhais, Anna B. Harper, Etsushi Kato, Charles Koven, Yi Y. Liu, Julia E.M.S. Nabel, Yude Pan, Julia Pongratz, Benjamin Poulter, Thomas A. M. Pugh, Maurizio Santoro, Stephen Sitch, Benjamin D. Stocker, Nicolas Viovy, Andy Wiltshire, Rasoul Yousefpour, and Sönke Zaehle
Biogeosciences, 14, 5053–5067, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5053-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5053-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We used several observation-based biomass datasets to constrain the historical land-use change carbon emissions simulated by models. Compared to the range of the original modeled emissions (from 94 to 273 Pg C), the observationally constrained global cumulative emission estimate is 155 ± 50 Pg C (1σ Gaussian error) from 1901 to 2012. Our approach can also be applied to evaluate the LULCC impact of land-based climate mitigation policies.
Lukas Baumbach, Jonatan F. Siegmund, Magdalena Mittermeier, and Reik V. Donner
Biogeosciences, 14, 4891–4903, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4891-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4891-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Temperature extremes play a crucial role for vegetation growth and vitality in vast parts of the European continent. Here, we study the likelihood of simultaneous occurrences of extremes in daytime land surface temperatures and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for three main periods during the growing season. Our results reveal a particularly high vulnerability of croplands to temperature extremes, while other vegetation types are considerably less affected.
Rudra K. Shrestha, Vivek K. Arora, Joe R. Melton, and Laxmi Sushama
Biogeosciences, 14, 4733–4753, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4733-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4733-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Computer models of vegetation provide a tool to assess how future changes in climate may the affect geographical distribution of vegetation. However, such models must first be assessed for their ability to reproduce the present-day geographical distribution of vegetation. Here, we assess the ability of one such dynamic vegetation model. We find that while the model is broadly successful in reproducing the geographical distribution of trees and grasses in North America some limitations remain.
Cited articles
Amundson, R., Austin, A. T., Schuur, E. A. G., Yoo, K., Mztzek, V., Kendall, C., Uebersax, A., Brenner, D., and Baisden, W. T.: Global patterns of the isotopic composition of soil and plant nitrogen, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 17, 1031, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GB001903, 2003.
Austin, A. T. and Sala, O. E.: Foliar δ15N is negatively correlated with rainfall along the IGBP transect in Australia, Aust. J. Plant Physiol., 26, 293–295, 1999.
Bai, E. and Houlton, B. Z.: Coupled isotopic and process-based modeling of gaseous nitrogen losses from tropical rain forests, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB2011, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003361, 2009.
Brenner, D. L., Amundson, R., Baisden, W. T., Kendall, C., and Harden, J.: Soil N and 15N variation with time in a California annual grassland ecosystem, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 65, 4171–4186, 2001.
Charles, T. and Garten, J. R.: Variation in foliar 15N abundance and the availability of soil nitrogen on Walker Branch Watershed, Ecology, 74, 2098–2113, 1993.
Chen, L. T., Flynn, D. F. B., Zhang, X. W., Gao, X. L., Lin, L., Luo, J., and Zhao, C. M.: Divergent patterns of foliar δ13C and δ15N in Quercus aquifolioides with an altitudinal transect on the Tibetan Plateau: an integrated study based on multiple key leaf functional traits, J. Plant Ecol., 8, 303–312, 2015.
Cheng, S. L., Fang, H. J., Yu, G. R., Zhu, T. H., and Zheng, J. J.: Foliar and soil 15N natural abundances provide field evidence on nitrogen dynamics in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems, Plant Soil, 337, 285–297, 2010.
Cheng, W. X., Chen, Q. S., Xu, Y. Q., Han, X. G., and Li, L. H.: Climate and ecosystem 15N natural abundance along a transect of Inner Mongolian grasslands: Contrasting regional patterns and global patterns, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 23, GB2005, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GB003315, 2009.
Craine, J. M., Elmore, A. J., Aidar, M. P. M., Bustamante, M., Dawson, T. E., Hobbie, E. A., Kahmen, A., Mack, M. C., McLauchlan, K. K., Michelsen, A., Nardoto, G. B., Pardo, L. H., Peñuelas, J., Reich, P. B., Schuur, E. A. G., Stock, W. D., Templer, P. H., Virginia, R. A., Welker, J. M., and Wright, I. J.: Global patterns of foliar nitrogen isotopes and their relationships with climate, mycorrhizal fungi, foliar nutrient concentrations, and nitrogen availability, New Phytol., 183, 980–992, 2009.
Craine, J. M., Gene Towne, E., Ocheltree, T. W., and Nippert, J. B.: Community traitscape of foliar nitrogen isotopes reveals N availability patterns in a tallgrass prairie, Plant Soil, 356, 395–403, 2012.
Craine, J. M., Brookshire, E. N. J., Cramer, M. D., Hasselquist, N. J., Koba, K., Marin-Spiotta, E., and Wang, L. X.: Ecological interpretations of nitrogen isotope ratios of terrestrial plants and soils, Plant Soil, 396, 1–26, 2015a.
Craine, J. M., Elmore, A. J., Wang, L. X., Augusto, L., Baisden, W. T., Brookshire, E. N. J., Cramer, M. D., Hasselquist, N. J., Hobbie, E. A., Kahmen, A., Koba, K., Kranabetter, J. M., Mack, M. C., Marin-Spiotta, E., Mayor, J. R., McLauchlan, K. K., Michelsen, A., Nardoto, G. B., Oliveira, R. S., Perakis, S. S., Peri, P. L., Quesada, C. A., Richter, A., Schipper, L. A., Stevenson, B. A., Turner, B. L., Viani, R. A. G., Wanek, W., and Zeller, B.: Convergence of soil nitrogen isotopes across global climate gradients, Sci. Rep., 5, 8280, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep08280, 2015b.
Deng, H. J., Chen, Y. N., Wang, H. J., and Zhang, S. H.: Climate change with elevation and its potential impact on water resources in the Tianshan Mountains, Central Asia, Global Planet. Change, 135, 28–37, 2015.
Emmett, B. A., Kjønaas, O. J., Gundersen, P., Koopmans, C., Tietema, A., and Sleep, D.: Natural abundance of 15N in forest across a nitrogen deposition gradient, Forest Ecol. Manag., 101, 9–18, 1998.
Evans, R. D.: Physiological mechanisms influencing plant nitrogen isotope composition, Trends Plant Sci., 6, 121–126, 2001.
Fang, H. J., Yu, G. R., Cheng, S. L., Zhu, T. H., Zheng, J. J., Mo, J. M., Yan, J. H., and Luo, Y. Q.: Nitrogen-15 signals of leaf-litter-soil continuum as a possible indicator of ecosystem nitrogen saturation by forest succession and N loads, Biogeochemistry, 102, 251–263, 2011.
Garten, C. T. J. and Van Miegroet, H.: Relationships between soil nitrogen dynamics and natural 15N abundance in plant foliage from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Can. J. Forest Res., 24, 1636–1645, 1994.
Handley, L. L., Austin, A. T., Robinson, D., Scrimgeour, C. M., Raven, J. A., Heaton, T. H. E., Schmidt, S., and Stewart, G. R.: The 15N natural abundance (δ15N) of ecosystem samples reflects measures of water availability, Aust. J. Plant Physiol., 26, 185–199, 1999.
Hobbie, E. A. and Colpaert, J. V.: Nitrogen availability and colonization by mycorrhizal fungi correlate with nitrogen isotope patterns in plants, New Phytol., 157, 115–126, 2003.
Hobbie, E. A., Macko, S. A., and Williams, M.: Correlations between foliar δ15N and nitrogen concentrations may indicate plant-mycorrhizal interactions, Oecologia, 122, 273–283, 2000.
Högberg, P.: 15N natural abundance in soil-plant systems, New Phytol., 137, 179–203, 1997.
Högberg, P., Högberg, M. N., Quist, M. E., Ekblad, A., and Näsholm, T.: Nitrogen isotope fractionation during nitrogen uptake by ectomycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Pinus sylvestris, New Phytol., 142, 569–576, 1999.
Houlton, B. Z., Sigman, D. M., and Hedin, L. O.: Isotopic evidence for large gaseous nitrogen losses from tropical rainforest, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103, 8745–8750, 2006.
Houlton, B. Z., Sigman, D. M., Schuur, E. A. G., and Hedin, L. O.: A climate driven switch in plant nitrogen acquisition within tropical forest communities, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104, 8902–8906, 2007.
Kahmen, A., Wanek, W., and Buchmann, N.: Foliar δ15N values characterize soil N cycling and reflect nitrate or ammonium preference of plants along a temperate grassland gradient, Oecologia, 156, 861–870, 2008.
Luo, Y. Q., Su, B., Currie, W. S., Dukes, J. S., Finzi, A., Hartwig, U., Hungate, B., McMurtrie, R. E., Oren, R., Parton, W. J., Pataki, D. E., Shaw, M. R., Zak, D. R., and Field, C. B.: Progressive nitrogen limitation of ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide, Bioscience, 54, 731–739, 2004.
Martinelli, L., Piccolo, M. C., Townsend, A. R., Vitousek, P. M., Cuevas, E., McDowell, W., Robertson, G. P., Santos, O. C., and Treseder, K.: Nitrogen stable isotope composition of leaves and soils: tropical versus temperature forest, Biogeochemistry, 46, 45–65, 1999.
McCarroll, D. and Loader, N.: Stable isotopes in tree rings, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 23, 771–801, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2003.06.017, 2004.
McLauchlan, K. K., Craine, J. M., Oswald, W. W., and Likens, G. E.: Changes in nitrogen cycling during the past century in a northern hardwood forest, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104, 7466–7470, 2007.
Pardo, L. H., Templer, P. H., Goodale, C. L., Duke, S., Groffman, P. M., Adams, M. B., Boeckx, P., Boggs, J., Campbell, J., Colman, B., Compton, J., Emmett, B., Gundersen, P., Kjønaas, J., Lovett, G., Mack, M., Magill, A., Mbila, M., Mitchell, M. J., McGee, G., McNulty, S., Nadelhoffer, K., Ollinger, S., Ross, D., Rueth, H., Rustad, L., Schaberg, P., Schiff, S., Schleppi, P., Spoelstra, J., and Wessel, W.: Regional assessment of N saturation using foliar and root δ15N, Biogeochemistry, 80, 143–171, 2006.
Reich, P. B. and Oleksyn, J.: Global patterns of plant leaf N and P in relation to temperature and latitude, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 101, 11001–11006, 2004.
Robinson, D.: δ15N as an integrator of the nitrogen cycle, Trends Ecol. Evol., 16, 153–162, 2001.
Sheng, W. P., Yu, G. R., Fang, H. J., Liu, Y. C., Wang, Q. F., Chen, Z. F., and Zhang, L.: Regional patterns of 15N natural abundance in forest ecosystems along a large transect in eastern China, Sci. Rep., 4, 4249, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep04249, 2014.
Tan, Q. Q. and Wang, G. A.: Decoupling of nutrients element cycles of soil and plants across an altitude gradient, Sci. Rep., 6, 34875, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep34875, 2016.
Virginia, R. A. and Delwiche, C. C.: Natural 15N abundance of presumed N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing plants from selected ecosystems, Oecologia, 54, 317–325, 1982.
Vitousek, P. M., Aber, J. D., Howarth, R. W., Likens, G. E., Matson, P. A., Schindler, D. W., Schlesinger, W. H., and Tilman, D. G.: Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: source and consequences, Ecol. Appl., 7, 737–750, 1997.
Wang, C., Wang, X. B., Liu, D. W., Wu, H. H., Lü, X. T., Fang, Y. T., Cheng, W. X., Luo, W. T., Jiang, P., Shi, J., Yin, H. Q., Zhou, J. Z., Han, X. G., and Bai, E.: Aridity threshold in controlling ecosystem nitrogen cycling in arid and semi-arid grasslands, Nat. Commun., 5, 4799, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5799, 2014.
Winter, K., Holtum, J. A. M., Edwards, G. E., and O'Leary, M. H.: Effect of low relative humidity on δ13C value in two C3 grasses and in Panicum milioides, a C3 - C4 intermediate species, J. Exp. Bot., 33, 88–91, https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/33.1.88, 1982.
Xu, M., Wang, G. A., Li, X. L., Cai, X. B., Li, X. L., Christie, P., and Zhang, J. L.: The key factor limiting plant growth in cold and humid alpine areas also plays a dominant role in plant carbon isotope discrimination, Front. Plant Sci., 6, 961, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00961, 2015.
Yang, Y. H., Luo, Y. Q., Lu, M., Schädel, C., and Han, W. X.: Terrestrial C : N stoichiometry in response to elevated CO2 and N addition: a synthesis of two meta-analyses, Plant Soil, 343, 393–400, 2011.
Yang, Y. H., Ji, C. J., Robinson, D., Zhu, B., Fang, H. J., Shen, H. H., and Fang, J. Y.: Vegetation and soil 15N natural abundance in alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau: patterns and implications, Ecosystems, 16, 1013–1024, 2013.
Zhang, J., Gu, L., Zhang, J., Wu, R., Wang, F., Lin, G., Wu, B., Lu, Q., and Meng, P.: The interaction between nitrogen and phosphorous is a strong predictor of intra-plant variation in nitrogen isotope composition in a desert species, Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-12-18769-2015, 2015.
Zhang, R. B., Yuan, Y. J., Gou, X. H., Zhang, T. W., Zou, C., Ji, C. R., Fan, Z. A., Qin, L., Shang, H. M., and Li, X. J.: Intra-annual radial growth of Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana Fisch. Et Mey) and its response to climate on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains, Dendrochronologia, 40, 36–42, 2016.
Zhou, Y. C., Cheng, X. L., Fan, J. W., and Harris, W.: Patterns and controls of foliar nitrogen isotope composition on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, Plant Soil, 406, 265–276, 2016.
Short summary
The south slope of Tian Shan differs from the north slope in environment. The study showed that leaf δ15N, soil δ15N and △δ15Nleaf-soil on the south slope were greater than those on the north slope. The significant influential factors of leaf and soil δ15N on the south slope were different from those on the north slope. The results suggested that the south slope has higher soil N transformation rates than the north slope and relationships between leaf and soil δ15N and environment are localized.
The south slope of Tian Shan differs from the north slope in environment. The study showed that...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint