Nitrogen but not phosphorus addition affects symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes in natural and semi-natural grasslands located on four continents

Eduardo Vázquez; Per Marten Schleuss; Elizabeth T. Borer; Miguel N. Bugalho; Maria C. Caldeira; Nico Eisenhauer; Anu Eskelinen; Philip A. Fay; Sylvia Haider; Anke Jentsch; Kevin P. Kirkman; Rebecca L. McCulley; Pablo L. Peri; Jodi Price; Anna E. Richards; Anita C. Risch; Christiane Roscher; Martin Schütz; Eric W. Seabloom; Rachel J. Standish; Carly J. Stevens; Michelle J. Tedder; Risto Virtanen; Marie Spohn

doi:10.1007/s11104-022-05498-y

Nitrogen but not phosphorus addition affects symbiotic N₂ fixation by legumes in natural and semi-natural grasslands located on four continents

Eduardo Vázquez, Per Marten Schleuss, Elizabeth T. Borer, Miguel N. Bugalho, Maria C. Caldeira, Nico Eisenhauer, Anu Eskelinen, Philip A. Fay, Sylvia Haider, Anke Jentsch, Kevin P. Kirkman, Rebecca L. McCulley, Pablo L. Peri, Jodi Price, Anna E. Richards, Anita C. Risch, Christiane Roscher, Martin Schütz, Eric W. Seabloom, Rachel J. StandishCarly J. Stevens, Michelle J. Tedder, Risto Virtanen, Marie Spohn

Plant and Soil Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background and aims: The amount of nitrogen (N) derived from symbiotic N₂ fixation by legumes in grasslands might be affected by anthropogenic N and phosphorus (P) inputs, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. Methods: We evaluated symbiotic N₂ fixation in 17 natural and semi-natural grasslands on four continents that are subjected to the same full-factorial N and P addition experiment, using the ¹⁵N natural abundance method. Results: N as well as combined N and P (NP) addition reduced aboveground legume biomass by 65% and 45%, respectively, compared to the control, whereas P addition had no significant impact. Addition of N and/or P had no significant effect on the symbiotic N₂ fixation per unit legume biomass. In consequence, the amount of N fixed annually per grassland area was less than half in the N addition treatments compared to control and P addition, irrespective of whether the dominant legumes were annuals or perennials. Conclusion: Our results reveal that N addition mainly impacts symbiotic N₂ fixation via reduced biomass of legumes rather than changes in N₂ fixation per unit legume biomass. The results show that soil N enrichment by anthropogenic activities significantly reduces N₂ fixation in grasslands, and these effects cannot be reversed by additional P amendment.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	689-707
Number of pages	19
Journal	Plant and Soil
Volume	478
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05498-y
State	Published - Sep 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Open access funding provided by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. EV, PMS and MS have been funded by the German Research Foundation through the Emmy Noether-program (grant SP1389/6–1). This work was generated using data from the Nutrient Network (NutNet, https://nutnet.org ) experiment, funded at the site-scale by individual researchers. Coordination and data management have been supported by funding to E. Borer and E. Seabloom from the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF-DEB-1042132) and Long-Term Ecological Research (NSF-DEB-1234162 and NSF-DEB-1831944 to Cedar Creek LTER) programs, and the Institute on the Environment (DG-0001–13). We also thank the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute for hosting project data and the Institute on the Environment for hosting Network meetings. AJ acknowledge the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) for funding this research within the Biodiversa project SUSALPS; grant number: FKZ 031B0516C. NE and SH acknowledge support from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, funded by the German Research Foundation (FZT 118). MNB also acknowledges funding through FCT contract DL 57/2016/CP1382/CT0030 and the COMPETE program through FEDER and FCT funding UID/BIA/50027/2013 and POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006821 and CEF by UID/AGR/00239/2019.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).

Keywords

Grasslands
Legumes
N natural abundance method
Nitrogen addition
Nutrient Network (NutNet)
Phosphorus addition

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Soil Science
Plant Science

Access to Document

10.1007/s11104-022-05498-y

Cite this

Vázquez, E., Schleuss, P. M., Borer, E. T., Bugalho, M. N., Caldeira, M. C., Eisenhauer, N., Eskelinen, A., Fay, P. A., Haider, S., Jentsch, A., Kirkman, K. P., McCulley, R. L., Peri, P. L., Price, J., Richards, A. E., Risch, A. C., Roscher, C., Schütz, M., Seabloom, E. W., ... Spohn, M. (2022). Nitrogen but not phosphorus addition affects symbiotic N₂ fixation by legumes in natural and semi-natural grasslands located on four continents. Plant and Soil, 478(1-2), 689-707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05498-y

@article{33a80bafa1914c21848b54637c4c0e21,

title = "Nitrogen but not phosphorus addition affects symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes in natural and semi-natural grasslands located on four continents",

abstract = "Background and aims: The amount of nitrogen (N) derived from symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes in grasslands might be affected by anthropogenic N and phosphorus (P) inputs, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. Methods: We evaluated symbiotic N2 fixation in 17 natural and semi-natural grasslands on four continents that are subjected to the same full-factorial N and P addition experiment, using the 15N natural abundance method. Results: N as well as combined N and P (NP) addition reduced aboveground legume biomass by 65% and 45%, respectively, compared to the control, whereas P addition had no significant impact. Addition of N and/or P had no significant effect on the symbiotic N2 fixation per unit legume biomass. In consequence, the amount of N fixed annually per grassland area was less than half in the N addition treatments compared to control and P addition, irrespective of whether the dominant legumes were annuals or perennials. Conclusion: Our results reveal that N addition mainly impacts symbiotic N2 fixation via reduced biomass of legumes rather than changes in N2 fixation per unit legume biomass. The results show that soil N enrichment by anthropogenic activities significantly reduces N2 fixation in grasslands, and these effects cannot be reversed by additional P amendment.",

keywords = "Grasslands, Legumes, N natural abundance method, Nitrogen addition, Nutrient Network (NutNet), Phosphorus addition",

author = "Eduardo V{\'a}zquez and Schleuss, {Per Marten} and Borer, {Elizabeth T.} and Bugalho, {Miguel N.} and Caldeira, {Maria C.} and Nico Eisenhauer and Anu Eskelinen and Fay, {Philip A.} and Sylvia Haider and Anke Jentsch and Kirkman, {Kevin P.} and McCulley, {Rebecca L.} and Peri, {Pablo L.} and Jodi Price and Richards, {Anna E.} and Risch, {Anita C.} and Christiane Roscher and Martin Sch{\"u}tz and Seabloom, {Eric W.} and Standish, {Rachel J.} and Stevens, {Carly J.} and Tedder, {Michelle J.} and Risto Virtanen and Marie Spohn",

note = "Funding Information: Open access funding provided by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. EV, PMS and MS have been funded by the German Research Foundation through the Emmy Noether-program (grant SP1389/6–1). This work was generated using data from the Nutrient Network (NutNet, https://nutnet.org ) experiment, funded at the site-scale by individual researchers. Coordination and data management have been supported by funding to E. Borer and E. Seabloom from the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF-DEB-1042132) and Long-Term Ecological Research (NSF-DEB-1234162 and NSF-DEB-1831944 to Cedar Creek LTER) programs, and the Institute on the Environment (DG-0001–13). We also thank the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute for hosting project data and the Institute on the Environment for hosting Network meetings. AJ acknowledge the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) for funding this research within the Biodiversa project SUSALPS; grant number: FKZ 031B0516C. NE and SH acknowledge support from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, funded by the German Research Foundation (FZT 118). MNB also acknowledges funding through FCT contract DL 57/2016/CP1382/CT0030 and the COMPETE program through FEDER and FCT funding UID/BIA/50027/2013 and POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006821 and CEF by UID/AGR/00239/2019. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s).",

year = "2022",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1007/s11104-022-05498-y",

language = "English",

volume = "478",

pages = "689--707",

number = "1-2",

}

Vázquez, E, Schleuss, PM, Borer, ET, Bugalho, MN, Caldeira, MC, Eisenhauer, N, Eskelinen, A, Fay, PA, Haider, S, Jentsch, A, Kirkman, KP, McCulley, RL, Peri, PL, Price, J, Richards, AE, Risch, AC, Roscher, C, Schütz, M, Seabloom, EW, Standish, RJ, Stevens, CJ, Tedder, MJ, Virtanen, R & Spohn, M 2022, 'Nitrogen but not phosphorus addition affects symbiotic N₂ fixation by legumes in natural and semi-natural grasslands located on four continents', Plant and Soil, vol. 478, no. 1-2, pp. 689-707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05498-y

TY - JOUR

T1 - Nitrogen but not phosphorus addition affects symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes in natural and semi-natural grasslands located on four continents

AU - Vázquez, Eduardo

AU - Schleuss, Per Marten

AU - Borer, Elizabeth T.

AU - Bugalho, Miguel N.

AU - Caldeira, Maria C.

AU - Eisenhauer, Nico

AU - Eskelinen, Anu

AU - Fay, Philip A.

AU - Haider, Sylvia

AU - Jentsch, Anke

AU - Kirkman, Kevin P.

AU - McCulley, Rebecca L.

AU - Peri, Pablo L.

AU - Price, Jodi

AU - Richards, Anna E.

AU - Risch, Anita C.

AU - Roscher, Christiane

AU - Schütz, Martin

AU - Seabloom, Eric W.

AU - Standish, Rachel J.

AU - Stevens, Carly J.

AU - Tedder, Michelle J.

AU - Virtanen, Risto

AU - Spohn, Marie

N1 - Funding Information: Open access funding provided by Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. EV, PMS and MS have been funded by the German Research Foundation through the Emmy Noether-program (grant SP1389/6–1). This work was generated using data from the Nutrient Network (NutNet, https://nutnet.org ) experiment, funded at the site-scale by individual researchers. Coordination and data management have been supported by funding to E. Borer and E. Seabloom from the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF-DEB-1042132) and Long-Term Ecological Research (NSF-DEB-1234162 and NSF-DEB-1831944 to Cedar Creek LTER) programs, and the Institute on the Environment (DG-0001–13). We also thank the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute for hosting project data and the Institute on the Environment for hosting Network meetings. AJ acknowledge the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) for funding this research within the Biodiversa project SUSALPS; grant number: FKZ 031B0516C. NE and SH acknowledge support from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, funded by the German Research Foundation (FZT 118). MNB also acknowledges funding through FCT contract DL 57/2016/CP1382/CT0030 and the COMPETE program through FEDER and FCT funding UID/BIA/50027/2013 and POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006821 and CEF by UID/AGR/00239/2019. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).

PY - 2022/9

Y1 - 2022/9

N2 - Background and aims: The amount of nitrogen (N) derived from symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes in grasslands might be affected by anthropogenic N and phosphorus (P) inputs, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. Methods: We evaluated symbiotic N2 fixation in 17 natural and semi-natural grasslands on four continents that are subjected to the same full-factorial N and P addition experiment, using the 15N natural abundance method. Results: N as well as combined N and P (NP) addition reduced aboveground legume biomass by 65% and 45%, respectively, compared to the control, whereas P addition had no significant impact. Addition of N and/or P had no significant effect on the symbiotic N2 fixation per unit legume biomass. In consequence, the amount of N fixed annually per grassland area was less than half in the N addition treatments compared to control and P addition, irrespective of whether the dominant legumes were annuals or perennials. Conclusion: Our results reveal that N addition mainly impacts symbiotic N2 fixation via reduced biomass of legumes rather than changes in N2 fixation per unit legume biomass. The results show that soil N enrichment by anthropogenic activities significantly reduces N2 fixation in grasslands, and these effects cannot be reversed by additional P amendment.

AB - Background and aims: The amount of nitrogen (N) derived from symbiotic N2 fixation by legumes in grasslands might be affected by anthropogenic N and phosphorus (P) inputs, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. Methods: We evaluated symbiotic N2 fixation in 17 natural and semi-natural grasslands on four continents that are subjected to the same full-factorial N and P addition experiment, using the 15N natural abundance method. Results: N as well as combined N and P (NP) addition reduced aboveground legume biomass by 65% and 45%, respectively, compared to the control, whereas P addition had no significant impact. Addition of N and/or P had no significant effect on the symbiotic N2 fixation per unit legume biomass. In consequence, the amount of N fixed annually per grassland area was less than half in the N addition treatments compared to control and P addition, irrespective of whether the dominant legumes were annuals or perennials. Conclusion: Our results reveal that N addition mainly impacts symbiotic N2 fixation via reduced biomass of legumes rather than changes in N2 fixation per unit legume biomass. The results show that soil N enrichment by anthropogenic activities significantly reduces N2 fixation in grasslands, and these effects cannot be reversed by additional P amendment.

KW - Grasslands

KW - Legumes

KW - N natural abundance method

KW - Nitrogen addition

KW - Nutrient Network (NutNet)

KW - Phosphorus addition

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