@article{d343e76c62ac4fc680f82bc1d54b3ca9,
title = "Soil carbon availability decouples net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrification across United States Long Term Ecological Research sites",
abstract = "Autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms require resources in stoichiometrically balanced ratios of carbon (C) to nutrients, the demand for which links organismal and ecosystem-level biogeochemical cycles. In soils, the relative availability of C and nitrogen (N) also defines the strength of competition for ammonium between autotrophic nitrifiers and heterotrophic decomposers, which may influence the coupled dynamics between N mineralization and nitrification. Here, we use data from the publicly available US National Science Foundation funded Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network to evaluate the influence of soil C concentration on the relationship between net nitrification and net N mineralization. We found that soil C availability constrains the fraction of mineralized N that is ultimately nitrified across the continental gradient, contributing to reduced rates of nitrification in soils with high C concentrations. Nitrate, which is produced by nitrification, is a highly mobile ion that easily leaches to aquatic ecosystems or denitrifies into the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Understanding the connection between soil C concentration and soil N transformations is thus important for managing potential ecosystem N losses, understanding the biogeochemical constraints of these losses, and accurately representing coupled C-N dynamics in ecosystem models.",
keywords = "Long Term Ecological Research, Nitrification, Nitrogen mineralization, Soil carbon",
author = "Gill, {A. L.} and Grinder, {R. M.} and See, {C. R.} and Chapin, {F. S.} and DeLancey, {L. C.} and Fisk, {M. C.} and Groffman, {P. M.} and T. Harms and Hobbie, {S. E.} and Knoepp, {J. D.} and Knops, {J. M.H.} and M. Mack and Reich, {P. B.} and Keiser, {A. D.}",
note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by a Grand Challenges in Biology Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Minnesota to ALG, Williams College Divisional Research Funds to ALG and RMG, and a NatureNet Science Fellowship to ADK. Initial discussions of the project were supported by workshop funding at the 2018 Long Term Ecological Research Network{\textquoteright}s All Scientist Meeting. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants to the Arctic LTER (DEB-1637459, DEB-1026843, DEB-981022, DEB-9211775, DEB-8702328; OPP-9911278, OPP-9911681, OPP-9732281, OPP- 9615411, OPP-9615563, OPP-9615942, OPP-9615949, OPP-9400722, OPP-9415411, OPP-9318529; BSR- BSR-9019055, BSR-8806635, BSR-8507493); the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (DEB-1637661 and DEB-1855277); the Bonanza Creek LTER and the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (DEB-1636476, RJVA-PNW-01-JV-11261952-231); the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest LTER, administered cooperatively by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Oregon State University, and the Willamette National Forest (DEB-2025755 and DEB-1440409); the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve and University of Minnesota (DEB-0620652, DEB-1234162, and DEB-1831944); the Central Arizona-Phoenix LTER and Arizona State University (DEB-1832016); the Coweeta LTER (DEB-1637522, DEB-1440485, DEB-0823293, DEB-9632854 and DEB-0218001); the Harvard Forest LTER (DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, and DEB-1237491); the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study (DEB-8702331, DEB-9211768, DEB-9810221, DEB-0423259, DEB-1114804); the Jornada Basin LTER and New Mexico State University (DEB-2025126); the Kellogg Biological Station and the Michigan State University AgBioResearch (DEB-1832042); the Konza Prairie LTER (DEB-2025849) conducted at the Konza Prairie Biological Station; the Niwot Ridge LTER (DEB-1637686); and the Seviletta LTER and the University of New Mexico (DEB-881906, DEB-9411976, DEB-0080529, DEB-0217774, DEB-1232294, DEB-1440478, DEB-1655499). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.",
year = "2023",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1007/s10533-022-01011-w",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "162",
pages = "13--24",
journal = "Biogeochemistry",
issn = "0168-2563",
publisher = "Springer Netherlands",
number = "1",
}