The drop in nitrogen and carbon concentrations that occurs as soils become dryer could have serious effects on ecosystem services such as food production, carbon storage and biodiversity, according to the Nature paper published today.
Loss of nitrogen and carbon, which are the basic building blocks of living organisms, drastically affects land’s productivity, says Fernando T. Maestre, a biologist and geologist from King Juan Carlos University, Spain, and a co-author of the report. “If plant productivity is reduced, the capability of the land to support livestock and crops will be affected and this will have a big impact on people who depend on them,” he tells SciDev.Net.
Drylands make up more than 40 per cent of the world's land area, and host a similar proportion of the world’s population. Many are expected to get drier because of climate change.
The study measured the nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus content of soil at 224 sites across all continents except Antarctica, which together represent a wide range of soil and vegetation types, climates and species diversity. As ecosystems became more arid, it found, both nitrogen and carbon concentrations decreased, which may significantly impair plant and microbial activity, with knock-on effects on organic decomposition and plant growth....
The Spider Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, National Park Service
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