BIBLIOS

Document type
Journal articles

Document subtype
Full paper

Title
Nitrogen Deposition Effects on Soil Properties, Microbial Abundance, and Litter Decomposition Across Three Shrublands Ecosystems From the Mediterranean Basin

Participants in the publication
Mauro Lo Cascio (Author)
Lourdes Morillas (Author)
Raúl Ochoa-Hueso (Author)
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo (Author)
Silvana Munzi (Author)
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
cE3c/FCUL
UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA
cE3c
CIUHCT
Javier Roales (Author)
Dep. Biologia Vegetal
cE3c
Donatella Spano (Author)
Cristina Cruz (Author)
Dep. Biologia Vegetal
cE3c
Antonio Gallardo (Author)
Esteban Manrique (Author)
María Esther Pérez-Corona (Author)
Teresa Dias (Author)
Dep. Biologia Vegetal
cE3c
Costantino Sirca (Author)
Simone Mereu (Author)

Summary
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs in the Mediterranean Basin are projected to increase due to fossil fuel combustion, fertilizer use, and the exacerbation of agricultural production processes. Although increasing N deposition is recognized as a major threat to ecosystem functioning, little is known about how local environmental conditions modulate ecosystem function response to N addition, particularly in the context of Mediterranean-Basin ecosystems. Here, we assess how N addition affects important ecosystem properties associated with litter decomposition, soil physical-chemical properties, soil extracellular enzymatic activity and microbial abundance across three long-term N addition experimental sites in the Mediterranean Basin. Sites were located in El Regajal (Madrid, Spain), Capo Caccia (Alghero, Italy), and Arrábida (Lisbon, Portugal) and are all representative of Mediterranean shrublands. No common pattern for litter decomposition process or other studied variables emerged among the control plots of the studied sites. Nitrogen supply only affected soil pH, a major driver of decomposition, in two out of three experimental sites. Moreover, when we explored the role of N addition and soil pH in controlling litter decay, we found that the effects of these factors were site-dependent. Our results point out to local ecosystem features modulating N addition effects in controlling litter decomposition rates in Mediterranean ecosystems, suggesting that the responses of soil functioning to N deposition are site- dependent. These findings provide further knowledge to understand contrasting ecosystem responses to N additions based on a single field experiments.


Institution
FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA

Where published
Frontiers in Environmental Science

Publication Identifiers
ISSN - 2296-665X

Publisher
Frontiers Media SA


Document Identifiers
DOI - https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.709391
URL - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.709391

Rankings
SCOPUS Q2 (2021) -

Download