Environmental and plant community determinants of species loss following nitrogen enrichment

doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01053.x

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Wiley InterScience

Ecology Letters

Volume 10 Issue 7, Pages 596 - 607

Published Online: 21 May 2007

Published on behalf of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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LETTER

Environmental and plant community determinants of species loss following nitrogen enrichment

Chris M. Clark ¹ * , Elsa E. Cleland ² , Scott L. Collins ³ , Joseph E. Fargione ⁴ , Laura Gough ⁵ , Katherine L. Gross ⁶ , Steven C. Pennings ⁷ , Katherine N. Suding ⁸ and James B. Grace ⁹

¹ Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
² National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
³ Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
⁴ Forestry and Natural Resources Department, Purduve University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
⁵ Department of Biology, University of Texas, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
⁶ W. K. Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA
⁷ Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
⁸ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
⁹ U.S. Geological Survey, Lafayette, LA 70506, USA

Correspondence to *E-mail: clark134@umn.edu

KEYWORDS

Biogeochemistry • functional traits • meta-analysis • nitrogen • SEM • species loss

ABSTRACT

Global energy use and food production have increased nitrogen inputs to ecosystems worldwide, impacting plant community diversity, composition, and function. Previous studies show considerable variation across terrestrial herbaceous ecosystems in the magnitude of species loss following nitrogen (N) enrichment. What controls this variation remains unknown. We present results from 23 N-addition experiments across North America, representing a range of climatic, soil and plant community properties, to determine conditions that lead to greater diversity decline. Species loss in these communities ranged from 0 to 65% of control richness. Using hierarchical structural equation modelling, we found greater species loss in communities with a lower soil cation exchange capacity, colder regional temperature, and larger production increase following N addition, independent of initial species richness, plant productivity, and the relative abundance of most plant functional groups. Our results indicate sensitivity to N addition is co-determined by environmental conditions and production responsiveness, which overwhelm the effects of initial community structure and composition.

Editor, Richard Bardgett Manuscript received 9 January 2007 First decision made 20 February 2007 Manuscript accepted 5 April 2007

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01053.x About DOI