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Ecological risks in anthropogenic disturbance of nitrogen cycles in natural terrestrial ecosystems

  • Special Feature
  • Ecological risk management
  • Published:
Ecological Research

Abstract

Anthropogenic addition of reactive nitrogen (Nr) to the biosphere is increasing globally and some terrestrial ecosystems are suffering from a state of excess Nr for biological nitrogen (N) demand, termed N saturation. Here, we review the ecological risks in relation to N saturation and prospective responses to N saturation. Excess Nr increases the risks of local extinction of rare plant species, encouragement of exotic plant species, disturbance of nutrient balance in plant organs, and increase of herbivory in plant communities. On the ecosystem scale, excess bioavailable N induces forest decline, disturbance of nutrient cycling within ecosystems, depending on vegetation, soil, land-use, and N-loading history. These Nr risks will increase in the Asian region, where impacts of Nr in natural terrestrial ecosystems have been scarcely studied. Whether much of the terrestrial ecosystems on a global level are in the sate of N saturation or not is still controversial, but the potential risks of excess Nr seem to be increasing. The fundamental ways to mitigate Nr risks are to reduce Nr production, prevent Nr translocation, and promote conversion of Nr to N2. Temporal, but promising actions against ecological N risks may include management of forests and riparian zones, and carbon addition in grassland.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the twenty-first Century Centers of Excellence Program (Environmental Risk Management for Bio/Eco-Systems), Global Centers of Excellence Program (Global Eco-Risk Management from Asian Viewpoints) and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C19570017), from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Japan.

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  1. Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7, Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, 240-8501, Japan

    Reiji Fujimaki, Akiko Sakai & Nobuhiro Kaneko

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  1. Reiji Fujimaki
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Correspondence to Reiji Fujimaki.

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Fujimaki, R., Sakai, A. & Kaneko, N. Ecological risks in anthropogenic disturbance of nitrogen cycles in natural terrestrial ecosystems. Ecol Res 24, 955–964 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-008-0578-x

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