Sinks for nitrogen inputs in terrestrial ecosystems: a meta-analysis of 15N tracer field studies

Effects of anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition and the ability of terrestrial ecosystems to store carbon (C) depend in part on the amount of N retained in the system and its partitioning among plant and soil pools. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies at 48 sites across four continents that used enriched N-15 isotope tracers in order to synthesize information about total ecosystem N retention (i.e., total ecosystem N-15 recovery in plant and soil pools) across natural systems and N partitioning among ecosystem pools. The greatest recoveries of ecosystem N-15 tracer occurred in shrublands (mean, 89.5%) and wetlands (84.8%) followed by forests (74.9%) and grasslands (51.8%). In the short term (<1 week after N-15 tracer application), total ecosystem N-15 recovery was negatively correlated with fine-root and soil N-15 natural abundance, and organic soil C and N concentration but was positively correlated with mean annual temperature and mineral soil C:N. In the longer term (3-18 months after N-15 tracer application), total ecosystem N-15 retention was negatively correlated with foliar natural-abundance N-15 but was positively correlated with mineral soil C and N concentration and C:N, showing that plant and soil natural-abundance N-15 and soil C:N are good indicators of total ecosystem N retention. Foliar N concentration was not significantly related to ecosystem N-15 tracer recovery, suggesting that plant N status is not a good predictor of total ecosystem N retention. Because the largest ecosystem sinks for N-15 tracer were below ground in forests, shrublands, and grasslands, we conclude that growth enhancement and potential for increased C storage in aboveground biomass from atmospheric N deposition is likely to be modest in these ecosystems. Total ecosystem N-15 recovery decreased with N fertilization, with an apparent threshold fertilization rate of 46 kg N.ha(-1).yr(-1) above which most ecosystems showed net losses of applied N-15 tracer in response to N fertilizer addition.