
You have already added 0 works in your ORCID record related to the merged Research product.
You have already added 0 works in your ORCID record related to the merged Research product.
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
document.write('<div id="oa_widget"></div>');
document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src="https://beta.openaire.eu/index.php?option=com_openaire&view=widget&format=raw&projectId=undefined&type=result"></script>');
-->
</script>
Grazing-induced reduction of natural nitrous oxide release from continental steppe

doi: 10.1038/nature08931
pmid: 20376147
Atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N(2)O) have increased significantly since pre-industrial times owing to anthropogenic perturbation of the global nitrogen cycle, with animal production being one of the main contributors. Grasslands cover about 20 per cent of the temperate land surface of the Earth and are widely used as pasture. It has been suggested that high animal stocking rates and the resulting elevated nitrogen input increase N(2)O emissions. Internationally agreed methods to upscale the effect of increased livestock numbers on N(2)O emissions are based directly on per capita nitrogen inputs. However, measurements of grassland N(2)O fluxes are often performed over short time periods, with low time resolution and mostly during the growing season. In consequence, our understanding of the daily and seasonal dynamics of grassland N(2)O fluxes remains limited. Here we report year-round N(2)O flux measurements with high and low temporal resolution at ten steppe grassland sites in Inner Mongolia, China. We show that short-lived pulses of N(2)O emission during spring thaw dominate the annual N(2)O budget at our study sites. The N(2)O emission pulses are highest in ungrazed steppe and decrease with increasing stocking rate, suggesting that grazing decreases rather than increases N(2)O emissions. Our results show that the stimulatory effect of higher stocking rates on nitrogen cycling and, hence, on N(2)O emission is more than offset by the effects of a parallel reduction in microbial biomass, inorganic nitrogen production and wintertime water retention. By neglecting these freeze-thaw interactions, existing approaches may have systematically overestimated N(2)O emissions over the last century for semi-arid, cool temperate grasslands by up to 72 per cent.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences China (People's Republic of)
- Institute of Botany China (People's Republic of)
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry China (People's Republic of)
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change China (People's Republic of)
- Natural Environment Research Council United Kingdom
Greenhouse Effect, China, 550, Nitrogen, Nitrous Oxide, 551, Poaceae, Atmospheric Sciences, Soil, Snow, Freezing, Animals, Biomass, Animal Husbandry, Ecosystem, Soil Microbiology, info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/550, ddc:550, Atmosphere, Water, Plants, Earth sciences, Animals, Domestic, Seasons, Desert Climate
Greenhouse Effect, China, 550, Nitrogen, Nitrous Oxide, 551, Poaceae, Atmospheric Sciences, Soil, Snow, Freezing, Animals, Biomass, Animal Husbandry, Ecosystem, Soil Microbiology, info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/550, ddc:550, Atmosphere, Water, Plants, Earth sciences, Animals, Domestic, Seasons, Desert Climate
citations This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).257 popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.Top 1% influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).Top 1% impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.Top 1%
