CAN Canopy Addition of Nitrogen Better Illustrate the Effect of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition on Forest Ecosystem?

Increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition could profoundly impact community structure and ecosystem functions in forests. However, conventional experiments with understory addition of N (UAN) largely neglect canopy-associated biota and processes and therefore may not realistically simulate atmo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2015-06, Vol.5 (1), p.11245-11245, Article 11245
Main Authors: Zhang, Wei, Shen, Weijun, Zhu, Shidan, Wan, Shiqiang, Luo, Yiqi, Yan, Junhua, Wang, Keya, Liu, Lei, Dai, Huitang, Li, Peixue, Dai, Keyuan, Zhang, Weixin, Liu, Zhanfeng, Wang, Faming, Kuang, Yuanwen, Li, Zhian, Lin, Yongbiao, Rao, Xingquan, Li, Jiong, Zou, Bi, Cai, Xian, Mo, Jiangming, Zhao, Ping, Ye, Qing, Huang, Jianguo, Fu, Shenglei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmosphere
Community structure
Detritus
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Food webs
Forests
Herbivores
Nitrogen
Nitrogen - chemistry
Reviews
Rhizosphere
Soil microorganisms
Terrestrial ecosystems
Understory
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Summary:Increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition could profoundly impact community structure and ecosystem functions in forests. However, conventional experiments with understory addition of N (UAN) largely neglect canopy-associated biota and processes and therefore may not realistically simulate atmospheric N deposition to generate reliable impacts on forest ecosystems. Here we, for the first time, designed a novel experiment with canopy addition of N (CAN) vs. UAN and reviewed the merits and pitfalls of the two approaches. The following hypotheses will be tested: i) UAN overestimates the N addition effects on understory and soil processes but underestimates those on canopy-associated biota and processes, ii) with low-level N addition, CAN favors canopy tree species and canopy-dwelling biota and promotes the detritus food web, and iii) with high-level N addition, CAN suppresses canopy tree species and other biota and favors rhizosphere food web. As a long-term comprehensive program, this experiment will provide opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations, including biogeochemistry, microbiology, zoology, and plant science to examine forest ecosystem responses to atmospheric N deposition.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/srep11245