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1. Global meta-analysis shows pervasive phosphorus limitation of aboveground plant production in natural terrestrial ecosystems

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14492-w  

   Hou, Enqing; Luo, Yiqi; Kuang, Yuanwen; Chen, Chengrong; Lu, Xiankai; Jiang, Lifen; Luo, Xianzhen; Wen, Dazhi (January 2020, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Phosphorus (P) limitation of aboveground plant production is usually assumed to occur in tropical regions but rarely elsewhere. Here we report that such P limitation is more widespread and much stronger than previously estimated. In our global meta-analysis, almost half (46.2%) of 652 P-addition field experiments reveal a significant P limitation on aboveground plant production. Globally, P additions increase aboveground plant production by 34.9% in natural terrestrial ecosystems, which is 7.0–15.9% higher than previously suggested. In croplands, by contrast, P additions increase aboveground plant production by only 13.9%, probably because of historical fertilizations. The magnitude of P limitation also differs among climate zones and regions, and is driven by climate, ecosystem properties, and fertilization regimes. In addition to confirming that P limitation is widespread in tropical regions, our study demonstrates that P limitation often occurs in other regions. This suggests that previous studies have underestimated the importance of altered P supply on aboveground plant production in natural terrestrial ecosystems. 

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2. Comparison of Low‐Density Lipoprotein Oxidation by Hydrophilic O( ³ P)‐Precursors and Lipid‐O( ³ P)‐Precursor Conjugates

   https://doi.org/10.1111/php.13803  

   Maness, Peter F.; Cone, Grant W.; Ford, David A.; McCulla, Ryan D. (March 2023, Photochemistry and Photobiology)

   Abstract Lipid oxidation by reactive oxygen species (ROS) provide several different oxidation products that have been implicated in inflammatory responses. Ground state atomic oxygen [O(³P)] is produced by the photodeoxygenation of certain heterocyclic oxides and has a reactivity that is unique from other ROS. Due to the reactive nature of O(³P), the site of O(³P)‐generation is expected to influence the products in heterogenous solutions or environments. In this work, the oxidation of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) by lipids with covalently bound O(³P)‐photoprecursors was compared to more hydrophilic O(³P)‐photoprecursors. Lipid oxidation products were quantified after Bligh‐Dyer extraction and pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFB) derivatization by GC–MS. Unlike the more hydrophilic O(³P)‐photoprecursors, the oxidation of LDL during the irradiation of lipid‐(O³P)‐photoprecursor conjugates showed little quenching by the addition of the O(³P)‐scavenging sodium allyl sulfonate. This indicated that lipophilic O(³P)‐photoprecursors are expected to generate lipid oxidation products where other more hydrophilic O(³P)‐photoprecursors could be quenched by other reactive groups present in solution or the environment. 

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3. Long‐term nitrogen deposition inhibits soil priming effects by enhancing phosphorus limitation in a subtropical forest

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16718  

   Wang, Xiaohong; Li, Shiyining; Zhu, Biao; Homyak, Peter M.; Chen, Guangshui; Yao, Xiaodong; Wu, Dongmei; Yang, Zhijie; Lyu, Maokui; Yang, Yusheng (April 2023, Global Change Biology)

   Abstract It is widely accepted that phosphorus (P) limits microbial metabolic processes and thus soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition in tropical forests. Global change factors like elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition can enhance P limitation, raising concerns about the fate of SOC. However, how elevated N deposition affects the soil priming effect (PE) (i.e., fresh C inputs induced changes in SOC decomposition) in tropical forests remains unclear. We incubated soils exposed to 9 years of experimental N deposition in a subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest with two types of¹³C‐labeled substrates of contrasting bioavailability (glucose and cellulose) with and without P amendments. We found that N deposition decreased soil total P and microbial biomass P, suggesting enhanced P limitation. In P unamended soils, N deposition significantly inhibited the PE. In contrast, adding P significantly increased the PE under N deposition and by a larger extent for the PE of cellulose (PE_cellu) than the PE of glucose (PE_glu). Relative to adding glucose or cellulose solely, adding P with glucose alleviated the suppression of soil microbial biomass and C‐acquiring enzymes induced by N deposition, whereas adding P with cellulose attenuated the stimulation of acid phosphatase (AP) induced by N deposition. Across treatments, the PE_gluincreased as C‐acquiring enzyme activity increased, whereas the PE_celluincreased as AP activity decreased. This suggests that P limitation, enhanced by N deposition, inhibits the soil PE through varying mechanisms depending on substrate bioavailability; that is, P limitation regulates the PE_gluby affecting soil microbial growth and investment in C acquisition, whereas regulates the PE_celluby affecting microbial investment in P acquisition. These findings provide new insights for tropical forests impacted by N loading, suggesting that expected changes in C quality and P limitation can affect the long‐term regulation of the soil PE. 

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4. A rational map with infinitely many points of distinct arithmetic degrees

   https://doi.org/10.1017/etds.2019.30  

   LESIEUTRE, JOHN; SATRIANO, MATTHEW (January 2019, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems)

   Let be a dominant rational self-map of a smooth projective variety defined over $$\overline{\mathbb{Q}}$$ . For each point $$P\in X(\overline{\mathbb{Q}})$$ whose forward $$f$$ -orbit is well defined, Silverman introduced the arithmetic degree $$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{f}(P)$$ , which measures the growth rate of the heights of the points $$f^{n}(P)$$ . Kawaguchi and Silverman conjectured that $$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{f}(P)$$ is well defined and that, as $$P$$ varies, the set of values obtained by $$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{f}(P)$$ is finite. Based on constructions by Bedford and Kim and by McMullen, we give a counterexample to this conjecture when $$X=\mathbb{P}^{4}$$ . 

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5. Aggregated filter‐feeders govern the flux and stoichiometry of locally available energy and nutrients in rivers

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13778  

   Hopper, Garrett W.; Chen, Shuo; Sánchez González, Irene; Bucholz, Jamie R.; Lu, YueHan; Atkinson, Carla L.; Gonzalez, ed., Angélica (March 2021, Functional Ecology)

   Abstract Biogeochemical cycling has often been characterized by physical and microbial processes, yet animals can be essential mediators of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. Excretion by aggregated animals can be an important local source of inorganic nutrients in green food webs; however, whether animals are a source of dissolved energy that can support brown food webs is understudied.We tested whether animal aggregations are a substantial flux of bioavailable dissolved organic matter (DOM) by studying spatially stable, biogeochemical hotspots formed by filter‐feeding freshwater mussels. We used parallel‐factor analysis to quantify DOM fluorescent components composition of mussel excretion and expected digestive breakdown of particulate food sources would lead to excretion of labile DOM. Next, we combined measured excretion rates of DOM, ammonium (, N) and phosphorous (SRP; P) for 22 species with biomass estimates for 14 aggregations to quantify contributions of DOM, N and P to local availability. Because mussels occupy distinct stoichiometric niches, we anticipated that differences in species biomass and assemblage structure would elicit different flux and stoichiometries of aggregate excretion.Aggregate dissolved organic carbon (DOC) excretion was minor (1%–11%) compared to N (12%–2,860%) and P (1%–97%), yet generalities across assemblages emerged regarding organic matter transformation by mussels towards labile protein‐like compounds compared to abundant aromatic, humic compounds in ambient water.Aggregate excretion of labile DOM was a substantial pool of bioavailable energy, contributing 2%–114% of local labile DOM. Spatial differences in assemblage structure led to strong differences in aggregate flux and stoichiometry driven by biomass and stoichiometric trait expression of species with contrasting dominance patterns.Under the nutrient conditions of our study (high C:nutrient), biogeochemical hotspots associated with low‐trophic position animal biomass may indirectly control energy flow to the brown food web by shifting C:nutrient stoichiometry available to microbes or directly by increasing the flux of microbially available DOM. Collectively, our results highlight a potentially substantial flux of labile energy and nutrients to microbial communities through the transformation of ingested organic matter by aggregations of animals and emphasize that shared functional trait classification may not translate into shared ecological function. A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article. 

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