Abstract
Both elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N) deposition may induce changes in C:N ratios in plant tissues and mineral soil. However, the potential mechanisms driving the stoichiometric shifts remain elusive. In this study, we examined the responses of C:N ratios in both plant tissues and mineral soil to elevated CO2 and N deposition using data extracted from 140 peer-reviewed publications. Our results indicated that C:N ratios in both plant tissues and mineral soil exhibited consistent increases under elevated CO2 regimes whereas decreases in C:N ratios were observed in response to experimental N addition. Moreover, soil C:N ratio was less sensitive than plant C:N ratio to both global change scenarios. Our results also showed that the responses of stoichiometric ratios were highly variable among different studies. The changes in C:N ratio did not exhibit strong correlations with C dynamics but were negatively associated with corresponding changes in N content. These results suggest that N dynamics drive stoichiometric shifts in both plant tissues and mineral soil under both elevated CO2 and N deposition scenarios.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 393-400 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Plant and Soil |
Volume | 343 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Carbon:nitrogen ratio
- Global change
- Mineral soil
- Nitrogen deposition
- Plant tissues
- Stoichiometric shift
- Terrestrial ecosystems
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Soil Science
- Plant Science