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Global patterns of terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus limitation

Du, Enzai ; Terrer, César ; Pellegrini, Adam F.A. ; Ahlström, Anders LU orcid ; van Lissa, Caspar J. ; Zhao, Xia ; Xia, Nan ; Wu, Xinhui and Jackson, Robert B. (2020) In Nature Geoscience 13(3). p.221-226
Abstract

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation constrains the magnitude of terrestrial carbon uptake in response to elevated carbon dioxide and climate change. However, global maps of nutrient limitation are still lacking. Here we examined global N and P limitation using the ratio of site-averaged leaf N and P resorption efficiencies of the dominant species across 171 sites. We evaluated our predictions using a global database of N- and P-limitation experiments based on nutrient additions at 106 and 53 sites, respectively. Globally, we found a shift from relative P to N limitation for both higher latitudes and precipitation seasonality and lower mean annual temperature, temperature seasonality, mean annual precipitation and soil clay... (More)

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation constrains the magnitude of terrestrial carbon uptake in response to elevated carbon dioxide and climate change. However, global maps of nutrient limitation are still lacking. Here we examined global N and P limitation using the ratio of site-averaged leaf N and P resorption efficiencies of the dominant species across 171 sites. We evaluated our predictions using a global database of N- and P-limitation experiments based on nutrient additions at 106 and 53 sites, respectively. Globally, we found a shift from relative P to N limitation for both higher latitudes and precipitation seasonality and lower mean annual temperature, temperature seasonality, mean annual precipitation and soil clay fraction. Excluding cropland, urban and glacial areas, we estimate that 18% of the natural terrestrial land area is significantly limited by N, whereas 43% is relatively P limited. The remaining 39% of the natural terrestrial land area could be co-limited by N and P or weakly limited by either nutrient alone. This work provides both a new framework for testing nutrient limitation and a benchmark of N and P limitation for models to constrain predictions of the terrestrial carbon sink.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Geoscience
volume
13
issue
3
pages
6 pages
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85079457261
ISSN
1752-0894
DOI
10.1038/s41561-019-0530-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e76b645d-0bc0-4817-bf55-11c67567b354
date added to LUP
2020-02-28 10:46:18
date last changed
2023-10-08 01:13:41
@article{e76b645d-0bc0-4817-bf55-11c67567b354,
  abstract     = {{<p>Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) limitation constrains the magnitude of terrestrial carbon uptake in response to elevated carbon dioxide and climate change. However, global maps of nutrient limitation are still lacking. Here we examined global N and P limitation using the ratio of site-averaged leaf N and P resorption efficiencies of the dominant species across 171 sites. We evaluated our predictions using a global database of N- and P-limitation experiments based on nutrient additions at 106 and 53 sites, respectively. Globally, we found a shift from relative P to N limitation for both higher latitudes and precipitation seasonality and lower mean annual temperature, temperature seasonality, mean annual precipitation and soil clay fraction. Excluding cropland, urban and glacial areas, we estimate that 18% of the natural terrestrial land area is significantly limited by N, whereas 43% is relatively P limited. The remaining 39% of the natural terrestrial land area could be co-limited by N and P or weakly limited by either nutrient alone. This work provides both a new framework for testing nutrient limitation and a benchmark of N and P limitation for models to constrain predictions of the terrestrial carbon sink.</p>}},
  author       = {{Du, Enzai and Terrer, César and Pellegrini, Adam F.A. and Ahlström, Anders and van Lissa, Caspar J. and Zhao, Xia and Xia, Nan and Wu, Xinhui and Jackson, Robert B.}},
  issn         = {{1752-0894}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{221--226}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Geoscience}},
  title        = {{Global patterns of terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus limitation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0530-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41561-019-0530-4}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}