Terrestrial C:N stoichiometry in response to elevated CO2 and N addition: A synthesis of two meta-analyses

Yuanhe Yang, Yiqi Luo, Meng Lu, Christina Schädel, Wenxuan Han

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

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 languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)393-400
Number of pages8
JournalPlant and Soil
Volume343
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Carbon:nitrogen ratio
  • Global change
  • Mineral soil
  • Nitrogen deposition
  • Plant tissues
  • Stoichiometric shift
  • Terrestrial ecosystems

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Soil Science
  • Plant Science

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