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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Recovery From Disturbance Requires Resynchronization Of Ecosystem Nutrient Cycles, Edward B. Rastetter, Ruth D. Yanai, R Quinn Thomas, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Timothy J. Fahey, Melany C. Fisk, Bonnie L. Kwiatkowski, Steven P. Hamburg
Recovery From Disturbance Requires Resynchronization Of Ecosystem Nutrient Cycles, Edward B. Rastetter, Ruth D. Yanai, R Quinn Thomas, Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur, Timothy J. Fahey, Melany C. Fisk, Bonnie L. Kwiatkowski, Steven P. Hamburg
Earth Systems Research Center
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are tightly cycled in most terrestrial ecosystems, with plant uptake more than 10 times higher than the rate of supply from deposition and weathering. This near-total dependence on recycled nutrients and the stoichiometric constraints on resource use by plants and microbes mean that the two cycles have to be synchronized such that the ratio of N:P in plant uptake, litterfall, and net mineralization are nearly the same. Disturbance can disrupt this synchronization if there is a disproportionate loss of one nutrient relative to the other. We model the resynchronization of N and P cycles following …