Soil functional responses to excess nitrogen inputs at global scale.
There is little evidence that nitrogen (N) cycling in the highly weathered, low-phosphorus (P), acidic soils found in Southern Hemisphere continents will differ greatly from that in North America and Europe. Evidence from the 'south' shows: the similarity in forms and temporal patterns in losses of N from different land uses; that the C:N ratios of the forest floor/litter layer from different continents are strongly predictive of a range of processes on a global scale; that generalizations based on Northern Hemisphere experience of the impact of N additions to 'P-limited' ecosystems are likely to fail for southern ecosystems where anatomical and physiological adaptation of native plants to low-P soils makes questionable the concept of 'P-limitation'; that the greatest threats in the 'south' are probably changes in land use that may greatly increase N inputs and turnover; that localized increases in N inputs produce similar effects to those seen in the 'north'.
Adams
Mark
M
Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, University of Western Australia, Crawley. adamsma@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Ineson
Phil
P
Binkley
Dan
D
Cadisch
Georg
G
Tokuchi
Naoko
N
Scholes
Mary
M
Hicks
Kevin
K
D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005390:Fires; D038622:Internationality; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*
D012987:Soil; D009584:Nitrogen