Contrasting effects of altered precipitation regimes on soil nitrogen cycling at the global scale. (24th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Qiqian; Yue, Kai; Ma, Yuandan; Heděnec, Petr; Cai, Yanjiang; Chen, Jian; Zhang, Hui; Shao, Junjiong; Chang, Scott X.; Li, Yan
• Is Part Of: Global change biology. Volume 28:Number 22(2022)
• Page Start: 6679
• Page End: 6695
• Publication Date: 2022-08-24
• Subjects: altered precipitation -- global climate change -- mean annual precipitation -- meta‐analysis -- quantitative review -- soil nitrogen cycling; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Troposphere -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Eutrophication -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16392
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-1013

Abstract

Abstract: Changes in precipitation regimes can strongly affect soil nitrogen (N) cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, whether altered precipitation regimes may differentially affect soil N cycling between arid and humid biomes at the global scale is unclear. We conducted a meta‐analysis using 1036 pairwise observations collected from 194 publications to assess the effects of increased and decreased precipitation on the input (N return from plants), storage (various forms of N in soil), and output (gaseous N emissions) of soil N in arid versus humid biomes at the global scale. We found that (1) increased precipitation significantly increased N input (+12.1%) and output (+34.9%) but decreased N storage (−13.7%), while decreased precipitation significantly decreased N input (−10.7%) and output (−34.8%) but increased N storage (+11.1%); (2) the sensitivity of soil N cycling to increased precipitation was higher in arid regions than in humid regions, while that to decreased precipitation was lower in arid regions than in humid regions; (3) the effect of altered precipitation regimes on soil N cycling was independent of precipitation type (i.e., rainfall vs. snowfall); and (4) the mean annual precipitation regulated soil N cycling in precipitation alteration experiments at the global scale. Overall, our results clearly show that the response of soil N cycling to increased versus decreased precipitation differs between arid and humid regions, indicating the uneven effect of climate change on soil N cycling between these two contrasting climate regions. This implies that ecosystem models need to consider the differential responses of N cycling to altered precipitation regimes in different climatic conditions under future global change scenarios. Abstract : Increased precipitation significantly increased N input (+12.1%) and output (+34.9%) but decreased N storage (−13.7%), whereas decreased precipitation significantly decreased N input (−10.7%) and output (−34.8%) but increased N storage (+11.1%); the sensitivity of soil N cycling to increased precipitation was higher in arid regions than in humid regions, while that to decreased precipitation was lower in arid regions than in humid regions; the effect of altered precipitation regimes on soil N cycling was independent of precipitation type (i.e., rainfall vs. snowfall); and the mean annual precipitation regulated soil N cycling in precipitation alteration experiments at the global scale.