Nitrogen enrichment affects storage and cycling of carbon through ecosystems.

Results from an experiment conducted in the Ecotron facility have added to the increasing evidence that the storage and cycling of carbon through ecosystems is affected by nitrogen enrichment.

Results from an experiment conducted in the Ecotron facility have added to the increasing evidence that the storage and cycling of carbon through ecosystems is affected by nitrogen enrichment, a major factor in global environmental change.

Data from the experiment indicate that higher inputs of nitrogen and plant litter into the soil stimulate the activity of soil enzymes, which in turn affect the decomposition of dead plant material, and therefore soil carbon storage. Because human alteration of the nitrogen cycle is resulting in dramatic increases in nitrogen inputs such changes have important implications for the carbon cycle.

This work is published online at http://www.elsevier.com and will be in print soon in Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40 (2008) 688-698.