Articles | Volume 14, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-751-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-751-2017
Peer-reviewed comment
 | 
17 Feb 2017
Peer-reviewed comment |  | 17 Feb 2017

Nitrogen mineralization, not N2 fixation, alleviates progressive nitrogen limitation – Comment on “Processes regulating progressive nitrogen limitation under elevated carbon dioxide: a meta-analysis” by Liang et al. (2016)

Tobias Rütting

Data sets

Processes regulating progressive nitrogen limitation under elevated carbon dioxide: a meta-analysis Junyi Liang, Xuan Qi, Lara Souza, and Yiqi Luo https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2689-2016

Short summary
The response of ecosystems to elevated atmospheric CO2 is affected by nitrogen (N) availability. It has been hypothesized that N limitation becomes progressively stronger (progressive N limitation, PNL). Most long-term free air CO2 enrichment studies did not see a PNL. This paper shows that enhanced biological N2 fixation only prevents PNL in plant communities with symbiotic N2 fixation. In most ecosystems a stimulation of gross N mineralization prevents the development of a PNL.
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