1. Isotopic evidence for increased carbon and nitrogen exchanges between peatland plants and their symbiotic microbes with rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations since 15,000 cal. year BP.
- Author
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Yang, Qiannan, Liu, Ziping, Houlton, Benjamin Z., Gao, Decai, Chang, Qing, Li, Hongkai, Fan, Xianlei, Liu, Bai, and Bai, Edith
- Subjects
ATMOSPHERIC carbon dioxide ,SOIL air ,PEAT mosses ,CARBON sequestration ,PLANT productivity - Abstract
Whether nitrogen (N) availability will limit plant growth and removal of atmospheric CO2 by the terrestrial biosphere this century is controversial. Studies have suggested that N could progressively limit plant growth, as trees and soils accumulate N in slowly cycling biomass pools in response to increases in carbon sequestration. However, a question remains over whether longer‐term (decadal to century) feedbacks between climate, CO2 and plant N uptake could emerge to reduce ecosystem‐level N limitations. The symbioses between plants and microbes can help plants to acquire N from the soil or from the atmosphere via biological N2 fixation—the pathway through which N can be rapidly brought into ecosystems and thereby partially or completely alleviate N limitation on plant productivity. Here we present measurements of plant N isotope composition (δ15N) in a peat core that dates to 15,000 cal. year BP to ascertain ecosystem‐level N cycling responses to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We find that pre‐industrial increases in global atmospheric CO2 concentrations corresponded with a decrease in the δ15N of both Sphagnum moss and Ericaceae when constrained for climatic factors. A modern experiment demonstrates that the δ15N of Sphagnum decreases with increasing N2‐fixation rates. These findings suggest that plant‐microbe symbioses that facilitate N acquisition are, over the long term, enhanced under rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, highlighting an ecosystem‐level feedback mechanism whereby N constraints on terrestrial carbon storage can be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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