Plant responses to elevated CO 2 under competing hypotheses of nitrogen and phosphorus limitations
Abstract
Abstract The future ecosystem carbon cycle has important implications for biosphere‐climate feedback. The magnitude of future plant growth and carbon accumulation depends on plant strategies for nutrient uptake under the stresses of nitrogen (N) versus phosphorus (P) limitations. Two archetypal theories have been widely acknowledged in the literature to represent N and P limitations on ecosystem processes: Liebig's Law of the Minimum (LLM) and the Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) approach. LLM states that the more limiting nutrient controls plant growth, and commonly leads to predictions of dramatically dampened ecosystem carbon accumulation over the 21st century. Conversely, the MEL approach recognizes that plants possess multiple pathways to coordinate N and P availability and invest resources to alleviate N or P limitation. We implemented these two contrasting approaches in the E3SM model, and compiled 98 in situ forest N or P fertilization experiments to evaluate how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to N and P limitations. We find that MEL better captured the observed plant responses to nutrient perturbations globally, compared with LLM. Furthermore, LLM and MEL diverged dramatically in responses to elevated CO 2 concentrations, leading to a two‐fold difference in CO 2 fertilization effects on Net Primary Productivity by the endmore »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley California USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 2323371
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DE‐AC02‐05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Ecological Applications
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Ecological Applications Journal Volume: 34 Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 1051-0761
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Zhu, Qing, Riley, William J., Tang, Jinyun, and Bouskill, Nicholas J. Plant responses to elevated CO 2 under competing hypotheses of nitrogen and phosphorus limitations. United States: N. p., 2024.
Web. doi:10.1002/eap.2967.
Zhu, Qing, Riley, William J., Tang, Jinyun, & Bouskill, Nicholas J. Plant responses to elevated CO 2 under competing hypotheses of nitrogen and phosphorus limitations. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2967
Zhu, Qing, Riley, William J., Tang, Jinyun, and Bouskill, Nicholas J. Tue .
"Plant responses to elevated CO 2 under competing hypotheses of nitrogen and phosphorus limitations". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2967.
@article{osti_2323371,
title = {Plant responses to elevated CO 2 under competing hypotheses of nitrogen and phosphorus limitations},
author = {Zhu, Qing and Riley, William J. and Tang, Jinyun and Bouskill, Nicholas J.},
abstractNote = {Abstract The future ecosystem carbon cycle has important implications for biosphere‐climate feedback. The magnitude of future plant growth and carbon accumulation depends on plant strategies for nutrient uptake under the stresses of nitrogen (N) versus phosphorus (P) limitations. Two archetypal theories have been widely acknowledged in the literature to represent N and P limitations on ecosystem processes: Liebig's Law of the Minimum (LLM) and the Multiple Element Limitation (MEL) approach. LLM states that the more limiting nutrient controls plant growth, and commonly leads to predictions of dramatically dampened ecosystem carbon accumulation over the 21st century. Conversely, the MEL approach recognizes that plants possess multiple pathways to coordinate N and P availability and invest resources to alleviate N or P limitation. We implemented these two contrasting approaches in the E3SM model, and compiled 98 in situ forest N or P fertilization experiments to evaluate how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to N and P limitations. We find that MEL better captured the observed plant responses to nutrient perturbations globally, compared with LLM. Furthermore, LLM and MEL diverged dramatically in responses to elevated CO 2 concentrations, leading to a two‐fold difference in CO 2 fertilization effects on Net Primary Productivity by the end of the 21st century. The larger CO 2 fertilization effects indicated by MEL mainly resulted from plant mediation on N and P resource supplies through N 2 fixation and phosphatase activities. This analysis provides quantitative evidence of how different N and P limitation strategies can diversely affect future carbon and nutrient dynamics.},
doi = {10.1002/eap.2967},
journal = {Ecological Applications},
number = 3,
volume = 34,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 12 00:00:00 EDT 2024},
month = {Tue Mar 12 00:00:00 EDT 2024}
}
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