Fine-root functional trait response to nitrogen deposition across forest ecosystems: A meta-analysis

Zhao, Xiaoxiang; Tian, Qiuxiang; Huang, Lin; Lin, Qiaoling; Wu, Jian; Liu, Feng

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157111

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…However, higher concentrations of foliar N in urban forests of our study suggest that trees in urban forests may be less limited by N than their rural counterparts. Fine root biomass of trees has been shown to decrease, and root functional traits and mycorrhizal strategies tend to shift away from prioritizing N acquisition, under elevated N deposition (Ma et al, 2021; Zhao et al, 2022). These plant and fungal responses, in addition to reported perturbations in litter decomposition dynamics in urban forests (Pouyat & Carreiro, 2003), likely also influenced the foliar N patterns we measured, but were outside the scope of our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in southern New England, including Boston, MA and Providence, RI, atmospheric N deposition tends to be enhanced compared to rural areas, and is dominated by local sources such as vehicular emissions (Decina et al, 2017(Decina et al, , 2020Joyce et al, 2020). Little is known about how urbanization and forest fragmentation combine to impact soil N availability in temperate forest ecosystems, nor about the ability of trees to take up that N. Trees and their associated mycorrhizal symbionts may shift their nutrient acquisition strategies in response to higher amounts of soil N availability (Ma et al, 2021;Zhao et al, 2022), but whether or how such shifts occur in fragmented, urban forests is not well known. Thus, examining the effects of urbanization and fragmentation on soil N availability and N uptake by trees is crucial to understanding how such forests respond to land use and land cover change, and the extent to which N limits their productivity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Urbanization and fragmentation have opposing effects on soil nitrogen availability in temperate forest ecosystems

Caron

Garvey

Gewirtzman

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Nitrogen (N) availability relative to plant demand has been declining in recent years in terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world, a phenomenon known as N oligotrophication. The temperate forests of the northeastern U.S. have experienced a particularly steep decline in bioavailable N, which is expected to be exacerbated by climate change. This region has also experienced rapid urban expansion in recent decades that leads to forest fragmentation, and it is unknown whether and how these changes affect N availability and uptake by forest trees. Many studies have examined the impact of either urbanization or forest fragmentation on nitrogen (N) cycling, but none to our knowledge have focused on the combined effects of these co‐occurring environmental changes. We examined the effects of urbanization and fragmentation on oak‐dominated (Quercus spp.) forests along an urban to rural gradient from Boston to central Massachusetts (MA). At eight study sites along the urbanization gradient, plant and soil measurements were made along a 90 m transect from a developed edge to an intact forest interior. Rates of net ammonification, net mineralization, and foliar N concentrations were significantly higher in urban than rural sites, while net nitrification and foliar C:N were not different between urban and rural forests. At urban sites, foliar N and net ammonification and mineralization were higher at forest interiors compared to edges, while net nitrification and foliar C:N were higher at rural forest edges than interiors. These results indicate that urban forests in the northeastern U.S. have greater soil N availability and N uptake by trees compared to rural forests, counteracting the trend for widespread N oligotrophication in temperate forests around the globe. Such increases in available N are diminished at forest edges, however, demonstrating that forest fragmentation has the opposite effect of urbanization on coupled N availability and demand by trees.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanization and fragmentation have opposing effects on soil nitrogen availability in temperate forest ecosystems

Caron

Garvey

Gewirtzman

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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“…On that basis, we hypothesized that: (1) warming increases fine root N concentration but decreases fine root P concentration. Secondly, because a warming stimulation on FRB decreases with increasing mean annual temperature (approaching a minor effect at low latitude) and is more pronounced in deeper soil (Wang et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2023), we hypothesized that: (2) soil warming will have a relatively minor effect on total FRB at our site (with a MAT of 19.1°C), but will result in deeper rooting to sustain water uptake from subsoil. In the humid subtropics of China with mean annual precipitation of about 1700 mm, we expected that soil warming may induce only a moderate drought, and Chinese fir trees would adopt a ‘dehydration avoidance’ strategy, rather than a ‘dehydration tolerance’ strategy (Volaire, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, N can be more readily available at depth than P. N uptake and tissue N concentrations may then be less sensitive to surface soil dryness because there is a greater possibility for N to be taken up from subsoil (Salazar‐Tortosa et al., 2018). Indeed, two recent meta‐analyses have revealed that warming increased fine root N concentration but decreased fine root P concentration of terrestrial plants (Wang et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…across different studies. For example, two recent meta‐analyses both showed that the effect size of climate warming on FRB decreased with mean annual temperature (MAT) and was minor at low latitude (Wang et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2023). Deeper rooting for water uptake from subsoil is also common under warming (Keuper et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2017), which was confirmed in the meta‐analysis of Wang et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contrasting depth‐related fine root plastic responses to soil warming in a subtropical Chinese fir plantation

Jia,

Jiang,

Sun

et al. 2024

Journal of Ecology

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Warming‐induced soil drought, especially in topsoil, may enlarge the spatial mismatch between nutrients and water along the soil profile, which impedes the uptake of not only water but also nutrients by trees. Therefore, coordinating the acquisition of soil water and nutrients along the soil profile is an important strategy for trees to cope with global warming. This study examined soil depth‐related changes in nutrient concentrations, biomass and morphology of fine roots in a Chinese fir plantation after 3 years of large‐scale manipulative soil warming. Soil warming (ambient +4°C) increased fine root nitrogen (N) concentrations but decreased fine root phosphorus (P) concentrations across soil depths. Warming did not affect total fine root biomass and its vertical distribution. At the 0–10 cm depth, warming increased specific root length (SRL), specific root area (SRA), fine root diameter (RD) and root length density (RLD) but reduced root tissue density (RTD). In the 40–60 cm layer, warming reduced RD, SRL and RLD while increasing RTD mainly for roots of the 1–2 mm diameter class. Synthesis. We concluded that roots of Chinese fir plantations could adapt to warming‐induced moderate water stress through contrasting depth‐related root morphological adjustments, probably to optimize the acquisition of both soil water and nutrients. The results of this study are crucial for understanding the adaptation strategies of subtropical forests under future climate conditions.

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Contrasting priming effect intensities and drivers in single and repeated glucose additions to a forest soil receiving long-term N fertilization

Zeng,

Liu,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Biol Fertil Soils

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Fine-root functional trait response to nitrogen deposition across forest ecosystems: A meta-analysis

Cited by 22 publications

References 80 publications

Urbanization and fragmentation have opposing effects on soil nitrogen availability in temperate forest ecosystems

Urbanization and fragmentation have opposing effects on soil nitrogen availability in temperate forest ecosystems

Contrasting depth‐related fine root plastic responses to soil warming in a subtropical Chinese fir plantation

Contrasting priming effect intensities and drivers in single and repeated glucose additions to a forest soil receiving long-term N fertilization

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