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Ponette-González AG, Lewis H, Henderson BH, Carnelos D, Piñeiro G, Weathers KC, Schwede DB. Wet nitrogen (N) deposition to urban Latin America: filling in the gaps with GEOS-Chem. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT (OXFORD, ENGLAND : 1994) 2022; 278:1-119095. [PMID: 35664373 PMCID: PMC9161428 DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In Latin America, atmospheric deposition is a major vector of nitrogen (N) input to urban systems. Yet, measurements of N deposition are sparse, precluding analysis of spatial patterns, temporal trends, and ecosystem impacts. Chemical transport models can be used to fill these gaps in the absence of dense measurements. Here, we evaluate the performance of a global 3-D chemical transport model in simulating spatial and interannual variation in wet inorganic N (NH4-N + NO3-N) deposition across urban areas in Latin America. Monthly wet and dry inorganic N deposition to Latin America were simulated for the period 2006-2010 using the GEOS-Chem Chemical Transport Model. Published estimates of observed wet or bulk inorganic N deposition measured between 2006-2010 were compiled for 16 urban areas and then compared with model output from GEOS-Chem. Observed mean annual inorganic N deposition to the urban study sites ranged from 5.7-14.2 kg ha-1 yr-1, with NH4-N comprising 48-90% of the total. Results show that simulated N deposition was highly correlated with observed N deposition across sites (R2 = 0.83, NMB = -50%). However, GEOS-Chem generally underestimated N deposition to urban areas in Latin America compared to observations. Underestimation due to bulk sampler dry deposition artifacts was considered and improved bias without improving correlation. In contrast to spatial variation, the model did not capture year-to-year variation well. Discrepancies between modeled and observed values exist, in part, because of uncertainties in Latin American N emissions inventories. Our findings indicate that even at coarse spatial resolution, GEOS-Chem can be used to simulate N deposition to urban Latin America, improving understanding of regional deposition patterns and potential ecological effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra G. Ponette-González
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #305279, Denton, TX 76203, USA
| | - Haley Lewis
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 365 Weil Hall P.O. Box 116580, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Barron H. Henderson
- Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 365 Weil Hall P.O. Box 116580, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Danilo Carnelos
- Facultad de Agronomía, LART, Catedra de Climatología y Fenología Agrícolas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gervasio Piñeiro
- IFEVA-LART, Facultad de Agronomía, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
| | | | - Donna B. Schwede
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
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Reis CRG, Pacheco FS, Reed SC, Tejada G, Nardoto GB, Forti MC, Ometto JP. Biological nitrogen fixation across major biomes in Latin America: Patterns and global change effects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 746:140998. [PMID: 32763600 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) supports terrestrial primary productivity and plays key roles in mediating human-induced changes in global nitrogen (N) and carbon cycling. However, there are still critical uncertainties in our understanding of the amount of BNF occurring across terrestrial ecosystems, and of how terrestrial BNF will respond to global change. We synthesized BNF data from Latin America, a region reported to sustain some of the highest BNF rates on Earth, but that is underrepresented in previous data syntheses. We used meta-analysis and modeling approaches to estimate BNF rates across Latin America's major biomes and to evaluate the potential effects of increased N deposition and land-use change on these rates. Unmanaged tropical and subtropical moist forests sustained observed and predicted total BNF rates of 10 ± 1 and 14 ± 1 kg N ha-1 y-1, respectively, supporting the hypothesis that these forests sustain lower BNF rates than previously thought. Free-living BNF accounted for two-thirds of the total BNF in these forests. Despite an average 30% reduction of free-living BNF in response to experimental N-addition, our results suggest free-living BNF rate responses to current and projected N deposition across tropical and subtropical moist forests are small. In contrast, the conversion of unmanaged ecosystems to crop and pasture lands increased BNF rates across all terrestrial biomes, mostly in savannas, grasslands, and dry forests, increasing BNF rates 2-fold. The information obtained here provides a more comprehensive understanding of BNF patterns for Latin America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla R G Reis
- Center for Earth System Science, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São José dos Campos, São Paulo 12227-010, Brazil.
| | - Felipe S Pacheco
- Center for Earth System Science, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São José dos Campos, São Paulo 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Sasha C Reed
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, 2290, S.W. Resource Blvd, Moab, UT 84532, USA
| | - Graciela Tejada
- Center for Earth System Science, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São José dos Campos, São Paulo 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Gabriela B Nardoto
- Department of Ecology, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Maria C Forti
- Center for Earth System Science, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São José dos Campos, São Paulo 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Jean P Ometto
- Center for Earth System Science, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São José dos Campos, São Paulo 12227-010, Brazil
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Houlton BZ, Almaraz M, Aneja V, Austin AT, Bai E, Cassman KG, Compton JE, Davidson EA, Erisman JW, Galloway JN, Gu B, Yao G, Martinelli LA, Scow K, Schlesinger WH, Tomich TP, Wang C, Zhang X. A world of co-benefits: Solving the global nitrogen challenge. EARTH'S FUTURE 2019; 7:1-8. [PMID: 31501769 PMCID: PMC6733275 DOI: 10.1029/2019ef001222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen is a critical component of the economy, food security, and planetary health. Many of the world's sustainability targets hinge on global nitrogen solutions, which, in turn, contribute lasting benefits for: (i) world hunger; (ii) soil, air and water quality; (iii) climate change mitigation; and (iv) biodiversity conservation. Balancing the projected rise in agricultural nitrogen demands while achieving these 21st century ideals will require policies to coordinate solutions among technologies, consumer choice, and socioeconomic transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Z. Houlton
- John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California, Davis, USA
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, USA
- corresponding author email address,
| | - Maya Almaraz
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Viney Aneja
- Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, USA
| | - Amy T. Austin
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiol ogicas y Ecol ogicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Edith Bai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | | | - Jana E. Compton
- Environmental Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division, USA
| | - Eric A. Davidson
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, USA
| | - Jan Willem Erisman
- Department of Earth Sciences, VU Amsterdam and Louis Bolk Institute, Netherlands
| | | | - Baojing Gu
- School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Guolin Yao
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, USA
| | - Luiz A. Martinelli
- Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Univesidade de São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kate Scow
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, USA
| | | | - Thomas P. Tomich
- Agricultural Sustainability Institute, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Chao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, USA
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Díaz-Álvarez EA, Reyes-García C, de la Barrera E. A δ(15)N assessment of nitrogen deposition for the endangered epiphytic orchid Laelia speciosa from a city and an oak forest in Mexico. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2016; 129:863-872. [PMID: 27282994 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-016-0843-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Atmospheric nitrogen deposition poses a major threat to global biodiversity. Tropical epiphytic plants are especially at risk given their reliance on atmospheric sources of nutrients. The leaf, pseudobulb, and root carbon and nitrogen content, C:N ratio, as well as the nitrogen isotopic composition were studied for individuals of Laelia speciosa from a city and from an oak forest in Mexico. The nitrogen content of leaves was similar between the city and the oak forest, reaching 1.3 ± 0.2 % (dry mass). The δ(15)N of leaves, pseudobulbs, and roots reached 5.6 ± 0.2 ‰ in the city, values found in sites exposed to industrial and vehicular activities. The δ(15)N for plant from the oak forest amounted to -3.1 ± 0.3 ‰, which is similar to values measured from sites with low industrial activities. Some orchids such as Laelia speciosa produce a single pseudobulb per year, i.e., a water and nutrient storage organ, so the interannual nitrogen deposition was studied by considering the ten most recent pseudobulbs for plants from either site formed between 2003 and 2012. The C:N ratio of the ten most recent pseudobulbs from the oak forest, as well as that of the pseudobulbs formed before 2010 for plants in the city were indistinguishable from each other, averaging 132.4 ± 6.5, while it was lower for the two most recent pseudobulbs in the city. The δ(15)N values of pseudobulbs from the oak forest averaged ‒4.4 ± 0.1 ‰ for the entire series. The δ(15)N ranged from 0.1 ± 1.6 ‰ for the oldest pseudobulb to 4.7 ± 0.2 ‰ for the pseudobulb formed in the city from 2008 onwards. Isotopic analysis and the C:N ratio for L. speciosa revealed that rates of nitrogen deposition were higher in the city than in the forest. The δ(15)N values of series of pseudobulbs showed that it is possible to track nitrogen deposition over multiple years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edison A Díaz-Álvarez
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México, Distrito Federal, Mexico
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua carretera a Páztcuaro 8701. Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | | | - Erick de la Barrera
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua carretera a Páztcuaro 8701. Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
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Emerging and Established Technologies to Increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Cereals. AGRONOMY-BASEL 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/agronomy6020025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Díaz-Álvarez EA, Lindig-Cisneros R, de la Barrera E. Responses to simulated nitrogen deposition by the neotropical epiphytic orchid Laelia speciosa. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1021. [PMID: 26131375 PMCID: PMC4485242 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Potential ecophysiological responses to nitrogen deposition, which is considered to be one of the leading causes for global biodiversity loss, were studied for the endangered endemic Mexican epiphytic orchid, Laelia speciosa, via a shadehouse dose-response experiment (doses were 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)) in order to assess the potential risk facing this orchid given impending scenarios of nitrogen deposition. Lower doses of nitrogen of up to 20 kg N ha yr(-1), the dose that led to optimal plant performance, acted as fertilizer. For instance, the production of leaves and pseudobulbs were respectively 35% and 36% greater for plants receiving 20 kg N ha yr(-1) than under any other dose. Also, the chlorophyll content and quantum yield peaked at 0.66 ± 0.03 g m(-2) and 0.85 ± 0.01, respectively, for plants growing under the optimum dose. In contrast, toxic effects were observed at the higher doses of 40 and 80 kg N ha yr(-1). The δ (13)C for leaves averaged -14.7 ± 0.2‰ regardless of the nitrogen dose. In turn, δ (15)N decreased as the nitrogen dose increased from 0.9 ± 0.1‰ under 2.5 kg N ha(-1)yr(-1) to -3.1 ± 0.2‰ under 80 kg N ha(-1)yr(-1), indicating that orchids preferentially assimilate NH4 (+) rather than NO3 (-) of the solution under higher doses of nitrogen. Laelia speciosa showed a clear response to inputs of nitrogen, thus, increasing rates of atmospheric nitrogen deposition can pose an important threat for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edison A Díaz-Álvarez
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria , México, Distrito Federal , Mexico ; Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Morelia, Michoacán , Mexico
| | - Roberto Lindig-Cisneros
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Morelia, Michoacán , Mexico
| | - Erick de la Barrera
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Morelia, Michoacán , Mexico
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Spatially robust estimates of biological nitrogen (N) fixation imply substantial human alteration of the tropical N cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:8101-6. [PMID: 24843146 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1320646111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is the largest natural source of exogenous nitrogen (N) to unmanaged ecosystems and also the primary baseline against which anthropogenic changes to the N cycle are measured. Rates of BNF in tropical rainforest are thought to be among the highest on Earth, but they are notoriously difficult to quantify and are based on little empirical data. We adapted a sampling strategy from community ecology to generate spatial estimates of symbiotic and free-living BNF in secondary and primary forest sites that span a typical range of tropical forest legume abundance. Although total BNF was higher in secondary than primary forest, overall rates were roughly five times lower than previous estimates for the tropical forest biome. We found strong correlations between symbiotic BNF and legume abundance, but we also show that spatially free-living BNF often exceeds symbiotic inputs. Our results suggest that BNF in tropical forest has been overestimated, and our data are consistent with a recent top-down estimate of global BNF that implied but did not measure low tropical BNF rates. Finally, comparing tropical BNF within the historical area of tropical rainforest with current anthropogenic N inputs indicates that humans have already at least doubled reactive N inputs to the tropical forest biome, a far greater change than previously thought. Because N inputs are increasing faster in the tropics than anywhere on Earth, both the proportion and the effects of human N enrichment are likely to grow in the future.
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