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Nitrogen deposition and plant biodiversity : past, present, and future. / Payne, R.; Dise, Nancy B.; Field, C. et al.
In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 15, No. 8, 10.2017, p. 431-436.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Nitrogen deposition and plant biodiversity
T2 - past, present, and future
AU - Payne, R.
AU - Dise, Nancy B.
AU - Field, C.
AU - Dore, A. J.
AU - Caporn, Simon J. M.
AU - Stevens, Carly Joanne
N1 - Copyright by the Ecological Society of America
PY - 2017/10
Y1 - 2017/10
N2 - Reactive nitrogen (N) deposition from intensive agricultural and industrial activity has been identified as the third greatest threat to global terrestrial biodiversity, after land-use and climate change. While the impacts of N deposition are widely acknowledged, their magnitude is poorly quantified. We combine N deposition models, empirical response functions, and vegetation mapping to simulate the effects of N deposition on plant species richness from 1900 to 2030, using the island of Great Britain as a case study. We find that current species richness values – when averaged across five widespread habitat types – are approximately one-third less than without N deposition. Our results suggest that currently expected reductions in emissions will achieve no more than modest increases in species richness by 2030, and that emissions cuts based on habitat-specific “critical loads” may be an inefficient approach to managing N deposition for the protection of plant biodiversity. The effects of N deposition on biodiversity are severe and are unlikely to be quickly reversed.
AB - Reactive nitrogen (N) deposition from intensive agricultural and industrial activity has been identified as the third greatest threat to global terrestrial biodiversity, after land-use and climate change. While the impacts of N deposition are widely acknowledged, their magnitude is poorly quantified. We combine N deposition models, empirical response functions, and vegetation mapping to simulate the effects of N deposition on plant species richness from 1900 to 2030, using the island of Great Britain as a case study. We find that current species richness values – when averaged across five widespread habitat types – are approximately one-third less than without N deposition. Our results suggest that currently expected reductions in emissions will achieve no more than modest increases in species richness by 2030, and that emissions cuts based on habitat-specific “critical loads” may be an inefficient approach to managing N deposition for the protection of plant biodiversity. The effects of N deposition on biodiversity are severe and are unlikely to be quickly reversed.
U2 - 10.1002/fee.1528
DO - 10.1002/fee.1528
M3 - Journal article
VL - 15
SP - 431
EP - 436
JO - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
JF - Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
SN - 1540-9295
IS - 8
ER -