Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Citation
Jacqueline T Ngai, Elsa E Cleland, Helmut Hillebrand, Eric W Seabloom, James J Elser, Jonathan B Shurin, Daniel S Gruner, and W Stanley Harpole, Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems.: .
Summary
The cycles of the key nutrient elements nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been massively altered by anthropogenic activities. Thus, it is essential to understand how photosynthetic production across diverse ecosystems is, or is not, limited by N and P. Via a large-scale meta-analysis of experimental enrichments, we show that P limitation is equally strong across these major habitats and that N and P limitation are equivalent within both terrestrial and freshwater systems. Furthermore, simultaneous N and P enrichment produces strongly positive synergistic responses in all three environments. Thus, contrary to some prevailing paradigms, freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems are surprisingly similar in terms of N and P limitation. [...]
Summary
The cycles of the key nutrient elements nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)
have been massively altered by anthropogenic activities. Thus, it is
essential to understand how photosynthetic production across diverse
ecosystems is, or is not, limited by N and P. Via a large-scale
meta-analysis of experimental enrichments, we show that P limitation is
equally strong across these major habitats and that N and P limitation
are equivalent within both terrestrial and freshwater systems.
Furthermore, simultaneous N and P enrichment produces strongly positive
synergistic responses in all three environments. Thus, contrary to some
prevailing paradigms, freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems are
surprisingly similar in terms of N and P limitation. Published in
Ecology Letters, volume 10, issue 12, on pages 1135 - 42, in 2007.