Plant–soil interactions alter nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in an advancing subarctic treeline

Author:

Fetzer Jasmin12ORCID,Moiseev Pavel3ORCID,Frossard Emmanuel2ORCID,Kaiser Klaus4ORCID,Mayer Mathias156ORCID,Gavazov Konstantin1ORCID,Hagedorn Frank1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland

2. Department of Environmental Systems Science ETH Zurich Zürich Switzerland

3. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology Ekaterinenburg Russia

4. Soil Science and Soil Protection Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany

5. Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Forest Ecology University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna Austria

6. Forest Ecology Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems (ITES), ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland

Abstract

AbstractTreelines advance due to climate warming. The impacts of this vegetation shift on plant–soil nutrient cycling are still uncertain, yet highly relevant as nutrient availability stimulates tree growth. Here, we investigated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in plant and soil pools along two tundra–forest transects on Kola Peninsula, Russia, with a documented elevation shift of birch‐dominated treeline by 70 m during the last 50 years. Results show that although total N and P stocks in the soil–plant system did not change with elevation, their distribution was significantly altered. With the transition from high‐elevation tundra to low‐elevation forest, P stocks in stones decreased, possibly reflecting enhanced weathering. In contrast, N and P stocks in plant biomass approximately tripled and available P and N in the soil increased fivefold toward the forest. This was paralleled by decreasing carbon (C)‐to‐nutrient ratios in foliage and litter, smaller C:N:P ratios in microbial biomass, and lower enzymatic activities related to N and P acquisition in forest soils. An incubation experiment further demonstrated manifold higher N and P net mineralization rates in litter and soil in forest compared to tundra, likely due to smaller C:N:P ratios in decomposing organic matter. Overall, our results show that forest expansion increases the mobilization of available nutrients through enhanced weathering and positive plant–soil feedback, with nutrient‐rich forest litter releasing greater amounts of N and P upon decomposition. While the low N and P availability in tundra may retard treeline advances, its improvement toward the forest likely promotes tree growth and forest development.

Funder

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Austrian Science Fund

Publisher

Wiley

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3