Author
Fay, Philip | |
PROBER, SUZANNE - Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) | |
HARPOLE, W - Iowa State University | |
KNOPS, JOHANNES - University Of Nebraska | |
BAKKER, JONATHAN - University Of Washington | |
BORER, ELIZABETH - University Of Minnesota | |
MACDOUGALL, ANDREW - University Of Guelph | |
SEABLOOM, ERIC - University Of Minnesota | |
WRAGG, PETER - University Of Minnesota | |
ADLER, PETER - Utah State University | |
Blumenthal, Dana | |
BUCKLEY, YVONNE - University College Dublin | |
CHU, CHENGJIN - Lanzhou University | |
CLELAND, ELSA - University Of California | |
COLLINS, SCOTT - University Of New Mexico | |
DAVIES, KENDI - University Of Colorado | |
DU, GUOZHEN - Lanzhou University | |
FENG, XIAOHUI - University Of Illinois | |
FIRN, JENNIFER - University Of Queensland | |
GRUNER, DANIEL - University Of Maryland | |
HAGENAH, NICOLE - University Of Kwazulu-Natal | |
HAUTIER, YANN - University Of Oxford | |
HECKMAN, ROBERT - University Of North Carolina | |
Jin, Virginia | |
KIRKMAN, KEVIN - University Of Kwazulu-Natal | |
KLEIN, JULIA - University Of Colorado | |
LADWIG, LAURA - University Of New Mexico | |
LI, QI - Chinese Academy Of Sciences | |
MCCULLEY, REBECCA - University Of Kentucky | |
MELBOURNE, BRETT - University Of Colorado | |
MITCHELL, CHARLES - University Of North Carolina | |
MOORE, JOSLIN - Monash University | |
MORGAN, JOHN - La Trobe University | |
RISCH, ANITA - Swiss Federal Institute | |
SCHUTZ, MARTIN - Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology Zurich | |
STEVENS, CARLY - Lancaster University | |
WEDIN, DAVID - University Of Nebraska | |
YANG, LOUIE - University Of California |
Submitted to: Nature Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/11/2015 Publication Date: 7/6/2015 Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62394 Citation: Fay, P.A., Prober, S.M., Harpole, W.S., Knops, J.M., Bakker, J.D., Borer, E.T., Macdougall, A.S., Seabloom, E., Wragg, P.D., Adler, P.B., Blumenthal, D.M., Buckley, Y.M., Chu, C., Cleland, E.E., Collins, S.L., Davies, K.F., Du, G., Feng, X., Firn, J., Gruner, D.S., Hagenah, N., Hautier, Y., Heckman, R.W., Jin, V.L., Kirkman, K.P., Klein, J., Ladwig, L.M., Li, Q., Mcculley, R.L., Melbourne, B.A., Mitchell, C.E., Moore, J.L., Morgan, J.W., Risch, A.C., Schutz, M., Stevens, C.J., Wedin, D.A., Yang, L.H. 2015. Grassland productivity limited by multiple nutrients. Nature Plants. 1:15080. doi:10.1038/NPLANTS.2015.80. Interpretive Summary: The world’s native grasslands provide a crucial resource for livestock production, maintain clean water, prevent soil erosion, harbor many species of game- and non-game wildlife, and have high scenic and recreation value. However, native grasslands are threatened by many anthropogenic changes that degrade their ability to provide these and other ecosystem goods and services. A key threat comes from human induced changes in global nutrient cycles. Increased use of fertilizers in urban and agricultural environments has resulted in substantial increases in airborne concentrations of growth-limiting plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen (N) but increasingly phosphorus (P). Airborne nutrients eventually reach the ground and inadvertently fertilize these grasslands, with the potential to radically alter which species will persist there. This study examined how N, P, and a third major growth-limiting plant nutrient, potassium (K) may individually or collectively affect plant productivity at 43 sites on five continents, all of which followed a standardized experimental protocol for fertilizing grasslands with these nutrients and measuring the response in plant productivity defined by The Nutrient Network (NutNet), a global grassland research network. Results from up to five years of fertilization treatments showed that on average, plant productivity in grasslands was limited by both N and P, and in a few cases by K. These findings overturn long-held ideas that N is the dominant nutrient limiting plant productivity in grasslands, and also show that increased N and P in the environment because of human activities are likely directly impacting native ecosystems, and may reduce their ability to provide crucial ecosystem goods and services. Technical Abstract: Limitation of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) by nitrogen (N) is widely accepted, but the roles of phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and their combinations remain unclear. Thus we may underestimate nutrient limitation of primary productivity. We conducted standardized sampling of ANPP and manipulations of N, P, and K at 42 grasslands on five continents. We demonstrate single or multiple nutrient limitation of ANPP by N, P, or K at 31 of 42 sites, and some form of K limitation at 24 of the 42 sites. Synergistic co-limitation of ANPP by N and P was indicated by 1.4-times greater ANPP increase with N and P together compared to N or P alone. Limitation of grassland ANPP by N, P, and K represents a paradigm-shift from the single-nutrient limitation viewpoint. Anthropogenic enrichment of ecosystems with N, P, and K are all potential drivers of future losses of biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services. |