Dias, T., Crous, C., Liberati, D., Munzi, S., Gouveia, C., Ulm, F., Afonso, A.C, Ochoa-Hueso, R., Manrique, E., Sheppard, L., Martins-Loução, M.A., da Silva, A.B. & Cruz, C. (2017) Alleviating nitrogen limitation in Mediterranean maquis vegetation leads to ecological degradation.
Land Degradation & Development, 28(8), 2482-2492. DOI:10.1002/ldr.2784 (IF2017 7,27; Q1 Soil Sciences)Soils are being degraded at an alarming rate and thereby also crucial ecosystem goods and services. Nitrogen (N) enrichment is a major driver of this degradation. While the negative impacts of N enrichment on vegetation are well known globally, those on various ecological interactions, and on ecosystem functioning, remain largely unknown. Because Mediterranean ecosystems are N limited, they are good model systems for evaluating how N enrichment impacts not only vegetation but also ecological partnerships and ecosystem functioning. Using a 7-year N-manipulation (dose and form) field experiment running in a Mediterranean Basin maquis located in a region with naturally low ambient N deposition.