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Aridity modulates N availability in arid and semiarid Mediterranean grasslands
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo1, Fernando T Maestre, Antonio Gallardo
1Departamento Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain. mdelbaq@upo.es
Aridity, not soil moisture, most strongly impacts nitrogen availability in drylands. Climate change-driven increases in aridity will likely reduce nitrogen availability in Mediterranean grasslands.
Area of Science:
- Terrestrial Ecology
- Biogeochemistry
- Soil Science
Background:
- Understanding nitrogen (N) cycle components is crucial, but total N availability remains less clear, especially in N-poor drylands sensitive to climate change.
- Drylands face nutrient loss due to desertification, impacting ecosystem functions and plant productivity.
- Semiarid grasslands are vital ecosystems vulnerable to shifts in nutrient availability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate correlations between climatic, abiotic, plant, and nutrient factors and N availability in semiarid grasslands.
- To determine the primary drivers of N availability across an aridity gradient in the Mediterranean basin.
- To predict the impact of increasing aridity due to climate change on grassland N availability.
Main Methods:
- Field study across an aridity gradient in Spain and Tunisia.
- Analysis of Stipa tenacissima grasslands.
- Statistical correlation of N availability with factors including aridity, pH, plant cover, soil organic carbon (OC), and soil moisture.
Main Results:
- Aridity exhibited the strongest relationship with N availability, indicating dominant abiotic control in drylands.
- Aridity modulated the influence of pH, plant cover, and soil OC on N availability.
- N transformation rates, driven by soil moisture, were not direct drivers of N availability; indirect, long-term effects of aridity are more significant.
Conclusions:
- Long-term indirect effects of aridity, mediated by factors like plant cover and soil OC, are key to N availability in drylands.
- Increasing aridity due to climate change is predicted to decrease N availability in Mediterranean semiarid grasslands.
- Reduced N availability will likely impact plant nutrient uptake and net primary production across the region.
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