ARS | Publication request: Precipitation and nitrogen interactions in arid ecosystems

Submitted to: Ecological Society of America Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 15, 2008
Publication Date: August 3, 2008
Citation: Reichmann, L.G., Sala, O.E., Peters, D.C. 2008. Precipitation and nitrogen interactions in arid ecosystems [abstract]. Ecological Society of America Abstracts. Paper No. COS 89-8.

Technical Abstract: Arid and semi-arid ecosystems are among the most impoverished terrestrial systems in terms of water and nitrogen (N) availability. Productivity (NPP) is generally low, soil N pools are small and N loss through percolation is assumed to be negligible. Increased water availability can stimulate both N plant uptake (and hence NPP) and microbial N mineralization, but controls on N cycling are still poorly understood because of confounding temporal effects. We conducted an experiment with five levels of water input (-80% reduced PPT, -50% reduced, ambient PPT, +50% increased, and 80% increased PPT) and 2 levels of N fertilization in the Northern Chihuahuan desert (NM, USA) and estimated inorganic N pools, in situ net N mineralization and N leaching loss from the upper-root zone of N-NO-3 and N-NH-4.