@article{513d8cd4aad941539508b6240cc2b241,
title = "Soil properties as key predictors of global grassland production: Have we overlooked micronutrients?",
abstract = "Fertilisation experiments have demonstrated that nutrient availability is a key determinant of biomass production and carbon sequestration in grasslands. However, the influence of nutrients in explaining spatial variation in grassland biomass production has rarely been assessed. Using a global dataset comprising 72 sites on six continents, we investigated which of 16 soil factors that shape nutrient availability associate most strongly with variation in grassland aboveground biomass. Climate and N deposition were also considered. Based on theory-driven structural equation modelling, we found that soil micronutrients (particularly Zn and Fe) were important predictors of biomass and, together with soil physicochemical properties and C:N, they explained more unique variation (32%) than climate and N deposition (24%). However, the association between micronutrients and biomass was absent in grasslands limited by NP. These results highlight soil properties as key predictors of global grassland biomass production and point to serial co-limitation by NP and micronutrients.",
keywords = "biomass production, climate, grasslands, iron, micronutrients, N deposition, Nutrient Network (NutNet), soil properties, zinc",
author = "Dajana Radujkovi{\'c} and Erik Verbruggen and Seabloom, {Eric W.} and Michael Bahn and Biederman, {Lori A.} and Borer, {Elizabeth T.} and Boughton, {Elizabeth H.} and Catford, {Jane A.} and Matteo Campioli and Ian Donohue and Anne Ebeling and Anu Eskelinen and Fay, {Philip A.} and Amandine Hansart and Knops, {Johannes M.H.} and MacDougall, {Andrew S.} and Timothy Ohlert and {Olde Venterink}, Harry and Xavier Raynaud and Risch, {Anita C.} and Christiane Roscher and Martin Sch{\"u}tz and Silveira, {Maria Lucia} and Stevens, {Carly J.} and {Van Sundert}, Kevin and Risto Virtanen and Wardle, {Glenda M.} and Wragg, {Peter D.} and Sara Vicca",
note = "Funding Information: This work was generated using data from the Nutrient Network ( http://www.nutnet.org ) experiment, funded at the site‐scale by individual researchers. Coordination and data management have been supported by funding to E. Borer and E. Seabloom from the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF‐DEB‐1042132) and Long Term Ecological Research (NSF‐DEB‐1234162 and NSF‐DEB‐1831944 to Cedar Creek LTER) programs, and the Institute on the Environment (DG‐0001‐13). We also thank the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute for hosting project data and the Institute on the Environment for hosting Network meetings. This research was supported by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO), the European Research Council grant ERC‐SyG‐610028 IMBALANCE‐P and Methusalem funding of the Research Council UA. We thank E. Fransen for statistical advice as well as J. Lembrechts and M. Portillo‐Estrada for their help with figure editing. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved. Funding Information: This work was generated using data from the Nutrient Network (http://www.nutnet.org) experiment, funded at the site-scale by individual researchers. Coordination and data management have been supported by funding to E. Borer and E. Seabloom from the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF-DEB-1042132) and Long Term Ecological Research (NSF-DEB-1234162 and?NSF-DEB-1831944?to Cedar Creek LTER) programs, and the Institute on the Environment (DG-0001-13). We also thank the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute for hosting project data and the Institute on the Environment for hosting Network meetings. This research was supported by the Research Foundation?Flanders (FWO), the European Research Council grant ERC-SyG-610028 IMBALANCE-P and Methusalem funding of the Research Council UA. We thank E. Fransen for statistical advice as well as J. Lembrechts and M. Portillo-Estrada for their help with figure editing. Funding Information: This work was generated using data from the Nutrient Network ( http://www.nutnet.org ) experiment, funded at the site‐scale by individual researchers. Coordination and data management have been supported by funding to E. Borer and E. Seabloom from the National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network (NSF‐DEB‐1042132) and Long Term Ecological Research (NSF‐DEB‐1234162 and NSF‐DEB‐1831944 to Cedar Creek LTER) programs, and the Institute on the Environment (DG‐0001‐13). We also thank the Minnesota Supercomputer Institute for hosting project data and the Institute on the Environment for hosting Network meetings. This research was supported by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO), the European Research Council grant ERC‐SyG‐610028 IMBALANCE‐P and Methusalem funding of the Research Council UA. We thank E. Fransen for statistical advice as well as J. Lembrechts and M. Portillo‐Estrada for their help with figure editing. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",
year = "2021",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1111/ele.13894",
language = "English",
volume = "24",
pages = "2713--2725",
journal = "ECOLOGY LETTERS",
issn = "1461-023X",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "12",
}