Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients?

Dajana Radujković; Erik Verbruggen; Eric W. Seabloom; Michael Bahn; Lori A. Biederman; Elizabeth T. Borer; Elizabeth H. Boughton; Jane A. Catford; Matteo Campioli; Ian Donohue; Anne Ebeling; Anu Eskelinen; Philip A. Fay; Amandine Hansart; Johannes M.H. Knops; Andrew S. MacDougall; Timothy Ohlert; Harry Olde Venterink; Xavier Raynaud; Anita C. Risch; Christiane Roscher; Martin Schütz; Maria Lucia Silveira; Carly J. Stevens; Kevin Van Sundert; Risto Virtanen; Glenda M. Wardle; Peter D. Wragg; Sara Vicca

doi:10.1111/ele.13894

Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients?

Dajana Radujković^*, Erik Verbruggen, Eric W. Seabloom, Michael Bahn, Lori A. Biederman, Elizabeth T. Borer, Elizabeth H. Boughton, Jane A. Catford, Matteo Campioli, Ian Donohue, Anne Ebeling, Anu Eskelinen, Philip A. Fay, Amandine Hansart, Johannes M.H. Knops, Andrew S. MacDougall, Timothy Ohlert, Harry Olde Venterink, Xavier Raynaud, Anita C. RischChristiane Roscher, Martin Schütz, Maria Lucia Silveira, Carly J. Stevens, Kevin Van Sundert, Risto Virtanen, Glenda M. Wardle, Peter D. Wragg, Sara Vicca

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Health and Environmental Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fertilisation experiments have demonstrated that nutrient availability is a key determinant of biomass production and carbon sequestration in grasslands. However, the influence of nutrients in explaining spatial variation in grassland biomass production has rarely been assessed. Using a global dataset comprising 72 sites on six continents, we investigated which of 16 soil factors that shape nutrient availability associate most strongly with variation in grassland aboveground biomass. Climate and N deposition were also considered. Based on theory-driven structural equation modelling, we found that soil micronutrients (particularly Zn and Fe) were important predictors of biomass and, together with soil physicochemical properties and C:N, they explained more unique variation (32%) than climate and N deposition (24%). However, the association between micronutrients and biomass was absent in grasslands limited by NP. These results highlight soil properties as key predictors of global grassland biomass production and point to serial co-limitation by NP and micronutrients.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2713-2725
Number of pages	13
Journal	Ecology Letters
Volume	24
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13894
Publication status	Published - Dec 2021

Keywords

N deposition
Nutrient Network (NutNet)
biomass production
climate
grasslands
iron
micronutrients
soil properties
zinc

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10.1111/ele.13894

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Radujković, D., Verbruggen, E., Seabloom, E. W., Bahn, M., Biederman, L. A., Borer, E. T., Boughton, E. H., Catford, J. A., Campioli, M., Donohue, I., Ebeling, A., Eskelinen, A., Fay, P. A., Hansart, A., Knops, J. M. H., MacDougall, A. S., Ohlert, T., Olde Venterink, H., Raynaud, X., ... Vicca, S. (2021). Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients? Ecology Letters, 24(12), 2713-2725. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13894

@article{5cac39d420ef41cf9cb6d39ef3ce9c64,

title = "Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients?",

abstract = "Fertilisation experiments have demonstrated that nutrient availability is a key determinant of biomass production and carbon sequestration in grasslands. However, the influence of nutrients in explaining spatial variation in grassland biomass production has rarely been assessed. Using a global dataset comprising 72 sites on six continents, we investigated which of 16 soil factors that shape nutrient availability associate most strongly with variation in grassland aboveground biomass. Climate and N deposition were also considered. Based on theory-driven structural equation modelling, we found that soil micronutrients (particularly Zn and Fe) were important predictors of biomass and, together with soil physicochemical properties and C:N, they explained more unique variation (32%) than climate and N deposition (24%). However, the association between micronutrients and biomass was absent in grasslands limited by NP. These results highlight soil properties as key predictors of global grassland biomass production and point to serial co-limitation by NP and micronutrients.",

keywords = "N deposition, Nutrient Network (NutNet), biomass production, climate, grasslands, iron, micronutrients, soil properties, zinc",

author = "Dajana Radujkovi{\'c} and Erik Verbruggen and Seabloom, {Eric W.} and Michael Bahn and Biederman, {Lori A.} and Borer, {Elizabeth T.} and Boughton, {Elizabeth H.} and Catford, {Jane A.} and Matteo Campioli and Ian Donohue and Anne Ebeling and Anu Eskelinen and Fay, {Philip A.} and Amandine Hansart and Knops, {Johannes M.H.} and MacDougall, {Andrew S.} and Timothy Ohlert and {Olde Venterink}, Harry and Xavier Raynaud and Risch, {Anita C.} and Christiane Roscher and Martin Sch{\"u}tz and Silveira, {Maria Lucia} and Stevens, {Carly J.} and {Van Sundert}, Kevin and Risto Virtanen and Wardle, {Glenda M.} and Wragg, {Peter D.} and Sara Vicca",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1111/ele.13894",

language = "English",

volume = "24",

pages = "2713--2725",

journal = "Ecology Letters",

issn = "1461-023X",

number = "12",

}

Radujković, D, Verbruggen, E, Seabloom, EW, Bahn, M, Biederman, LA, Borer, ET, Boughton, EH, Catford, JA, Campioli, M, Donohue, I, Ebeling, A, Eskelinen, A, Fay, PA, Hansart, A, Knops, JMH, MacDougall, AS, Ohlert, T, Olde Venterink, H, Raynaud, X, Risch, AC, Roscher, C, Schütz, M, Silveira, ML, Stevens, CJ, Van Sundert, K, Virtanen, R, Wardle, GM, Wragg, PD & Vicca, S 2021, 'Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients?', Ecology Letters, vol. 24, no. 12, pp. 2713-2725. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13894

TY - JOUR

T1 - Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production

T2 - Have we overlooked micronutrients?

AU - Radujković, Dajana

AU - Verbruggen, Erik

AU - Seabloom, Eric W.

AU - Bahn, Michael

AU - Biederman, Lori A.

AU - Borer, Elizabeth T.

AU - Boughton, Elizabeth H.

AU - Catford, Jane A.

AU - Campioli, Matteo

AU - Donohue, Ian

AU - Ebeling, Anne

AU - Eskelinen, Anu

AU - Fay, Philip A.

AU - Hansart, Amandine

AU - Knops, Johannes M.H.

AU - MacDougall, Andrew S.

AU - Ohlert, Timothy

AU - Olde Venterink, Harry

AU - Raynaud, Xavier

AU - Risch, Anita C.

AU - Roscher, Christiane

AU - Schütz, Martin

AU - Silveira, Maria Lucia

AU - Stevens, Carly J.

AU - Van Sundert, Kevin

AU - Virtanen, Risto

AU - Wardle, Glenda M.

AU - Wragg, Peter D.

AU - Vicca, Sara

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Fertilisation experiments have demonstrated that nutrient availability is a key determinant of biomass production and carbon sequestration in grasslands. However, the influence of nutrients in explaining spatial variation in grassland biomass production has rarely been assessed. Using a global dataset comprising 72 sites on six continents, we investigated which of 16 soil factors that shape nutrient availability associate most strongly with variation in grassland aboveground biomass. Climate and N deposition were also considered. Based on theory-driven structural equation modelling, we found that soil micronutrients (particularly Zn and Fe) were important predictors of biomass and, together with soil physicochemical properties and C:N, they explained more unique variation (32%) than climate and N deposition (24%). However, the association between micronutrients and biomass was absent in grasslands limited by NP. These results highlight soil properties as key predictors of global grassland biomass production and point to serial co-limitation by NP and micronutrients.

AB - Fertilisation experiments have demonstrated that nutrient availability is a key determinant of biomass production and carbon sequestration in grasslands. However, the influence of nutrients in explaining spatial variation in grassland biomass production has rarely been assessed. Using a global dataset comprising 72 sites on six continents, we investigated which of 16 soil factors that shape nutrient availability associate most strongly with variation in grassland aboveground biomass. Climate and N deposition were also considered. Based on theory-driven structural equation modelling, we found that soil micronutrients (particularly Zn and Fe) were important predictors of biomass and, together with soil physicochemical properties and C:N, they explained more unique variation (32%) than climate and N deposition (24%). However, the association between micronutrients and biomass was absent in grasslands limited by NP. These results highlight soil properties as key predictors of global grassland biomass production and point to serial co-limitation by NP and micronutrients.

KW - N deposition

KW - Nutrient Network (NutNet)

KW - biomass production

KW - climate

KW - grasslands

KW - iron

KW - micronutrients

KW - soil properties

KW - zinc

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85116491282&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/ele.13894

DO - 10.1111/ele.13894

M3 - Article

C2 - 34617374

AN - SCOPUS:85116491282

SN - 1461-023X

VL - 24

SP - 2713

EP - 2725

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

IS - 12

ER -

Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients?

Abstract

Keywords

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