Warming, permafrost thaw and increased nitrogen availability as drivers for plant composition and growth across the Tibetan Plateau
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Warming, permafrost thaw and increased nitrogen availability as drivers for plant composition and growth across the Tibetan Plateau. / Yun, Hanbo; Zhu, Qing; Tang, Jing; Zhang, Wenxin; Chen, Deliang; Ciais, Philippe; Wu, Qingbai; Elberling, Bo.
In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 182, 109041, 2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Warming, permafrost thaw and increased nitrogen availability as drivers for plant composition and growth across the Tibetan Plateau
AU - Yun, Hanbo
AU - Zhu, Qing
AU - Tang, Jing
AU - Zhang, Wenxin
AU - Chen, Deliang
AU - Ciais, Philippe
AU - Wu, Qingbai
AU - Elberling, Bo
N1 - CENPERMOA[2023] Publisher Copyright: © 2023
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Permafrost-affected ecosystems are subject to warming and thawing, which can increase the availability of subsurface nitrogen (N) with consequences in otherwise N-limited tundra and alpine vegetation. Here, we quantify the extent of warming and permafrost thawing and the corresponding effects on nitrogen availability and plant growth based on a 20-year survey across 14 sites on the Tibetan Plateau. The survey showed that most sites have been subject to warming and thawing and that the upper permafrost zone across all sites was rich in inorganic N, mainly as ammonium. We further explore the efficiency of plants to utilize 15N-labelled inorganic N over five years following 15N addition at the permafrost table far below the main root zone. The 15N experiment showed that deep-rooted plant species were able to utilize the labelled N. A SEM model suggests that changes in vegetation can be explained by both active layer warming and permafrost thawing and the associated changes in inorganic nitrogen availability. Our results highlight a feedback mechanism of climate warming, in which released plant-available N may favour deep-rooted plants. This can explain important changes in plant composition and growth across the sites on the Tibetan Plateau.
AB - Permafrost-affected ecosystems are subject to warming and thawing, which can increase the availability of subsurface nitrogen (N) with consequences in otherwise N-limited tundra and alpine vegetation. Here, we quantify the extent of warming and permafrost thawing and the corresponding effects on nitrogen availability and plant growth based on a 20-year survey across 14 sites on the Tibetan Plateau. The survey showed that most sites have been subject to warming and thawing and that the upper permafrost zone across all sites was rich in inorganic N, mainly as ammonium. We further explore the efficiency of plants to utilize 15N-labelled inorganic N over five years following 15N addition at the permafrost table far below the main root zone. The 15N experiment showed that deep-rooted plant species were able to utilize the labelled N. A SEM model suggests that changes in vegetation can be explained by both active layer warming and permafrost thawing and the associated changes in inorganic nitrogen availability. Our results highlight a feedback mechanism of climate warming, in which released plant-available N may favour deep-rooted plants. This can explain important changes in plant composition and growth across the sites on the Tibetan Plateau.
KW - Climate warming
KW - Nitrogen
KW - Permafrost thawing
KW - Tibetan plateau
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109041
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2023.109041
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85156153964
VL - 182
JO - Soil Biology & Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology & Biochemistry
SN - 0038-0717
M1 - 109041
ER -
ID: 347294218