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Microbial processing of plant remains is co-limited by multiple nutrients in global grasslands

  • Raúl Ochoa-Hueso
  • , Elizabeth T. Borer
  • , Eric W. Seabloom
  • , Sarah E. Hobbie
  • , Anita C. Risch
  • , Scott L. Collins
  • , Juan Alberti
  • , Héctor A. Bahamonde
  • , Cynthia S. Brown
  • , Maria C. Caldeira
  • , Pedro Daleo
  • , Chris R. Dickman
  • , Anne Ebeling
  • , Nico Eisenhauer
  • , Ellen H. Esch
  • , Anu Eskelinen
  • , Victoria Fernández
  • , Sabine Güsewell
  • , Blanca Gutierrez-Larruga
  • , Kirsten Hofmockel
  • Ramesh Laungani, Eric Lind, Andrea López, Rebecca L. McCulley, Joslin L. Moore, Pablo L. Peri, Sally A. Power, Jodi N. Price, Suzanne M. Prober, Christiane Roscher, Judith M. Sarneel, Martin Schütz, Julia Siebert, Rachel J. Standish, Sergio Velasco Ayuso, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. Wardle, Georg Wiehl, Laura Yahdjian, Tara Zamin
  • Universidad de Cádiz
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  • Snow and Landscape Research
  • University of New Mexico
  • CONICET
  • Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA)-CONICET
  • Colorado State University
  • Centro de Estudos Florestais, Universidade de Lisboa
  • The University of Sydney
  • Friedrich Schiller Universität
  • Sektion Chemie
  • University of Guelph
  • Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ
  • University of Oulu
  • Technical University of Madrid
  • ETH Zurich
  • Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
  • Iowa State University
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
  • Doane University
  • University of Kentucky
  • Monash University
  • University of Western Sydney
  • Umea Universitet
  • Murdoch University
  • Universidad de Buenos Aires
  • CSIRO
  • Leipzig University

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Microbial processing of aggregate-unprotected organic matter inputs is key for soil fertility, long-term ecosystem carbon and nutrient sequestration and sustainable agriculture. We investigated the effects of adding multiple nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium plus nine essential macro- and micro-nutrients) on decomposition and biochemical transformation of standard plant materials buried in 21 grasslands from four continents. Addition of multiple nutrients weakly but consistently increased decomposition and biochemical transformation of plant remains during the peak-season, concurrent with changes in microbial exoenzymatic activity. Higher mean annual precipitation and lower mean annual temperature were the main climatic drivers of higher decomposition rates, while biochemical transformation of plant remains was negatively related to temperature of the wettest quarter. Nutrients enhanced decomposition most at cool, high rainfall sites, indicating that in a warmer and drier future fertilized grassland soils will have an even more limited potential for microbial processing of plant remains.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4572-4582
Number of pages11
JournalGlobal Change Biology
Volume26
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2020

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    SDG 2 Zero Hunger
  2. SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
    SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
  3. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

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