Increased forest ecosystem carbon and nitrogen storage from nitrogen rich bedrock

Scott L. Morford (), Benjamin Z. Houlton and Randy A. Dahlgren
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Scott L. Morford: Air and Water Resources. University of California – Davis
Benjamin Z. Houlton: Air and Water Resources. University of California – Davis
Randy A. Dahlgren: Air and Water Resources. University of California – Davis

Nature, 2011, vol. 477, issue 7362, 78-81

Abstract: Rock-generated atmospheric nitrogen Bioavailable nitrogen commonly limits plant growth in natural ecosystems. In the absence of humans, this essential nutrient is thought to come mainly from the atmosphere through bacterial metabolism. Morford et al. present measurements of the nitrogen concentration and isotopic composition of rocks, soil and leaves to demonstrate that bedrock is a further, hitherto-overlooked source of bioavailable nitrogen to forests in the western United States. Furthermore, the forests growing above nitrogen-rich geology store appreciably more carbon than their impoverished counterparts. The authors suggest that this novel pathway might be a universal phenomenon.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature10415

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