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Creators/Authors contains: "Wårlind, David"

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  1. ; ; ; ; ( , Global Biogeochemical Cycles)
    Abstract

    Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is widely considered to increase CO2sequestration by land plants on a global scale. Here, we demonstrate that bedrock nitrogen weathering contributes significantly more to nitrogen‐carbon interactions than anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. This working hypothesis is based on the introduction of empirical results into a global biogeochemical simulation model over the time period of the mid‐1800s to the end of the 21st century. Our findings suggest that rock nitrogen inputs have contributed roughly 2–11 times more to plant CO2capture than nitrogen deposition inputs since pre‐industrial times. Climate change projections based on RCP 8.5 show that rock nitrogen inputs and biological nitrogen fixation contribute 2–5 times more to terrestrial carbon uptake than anthropogenic nitrogen deposition though year 2101. Future responses of rock N inputs on plant CO2capture rates are more signficant at higher latitudes and in mountainous environments, where geological and climate factors promote higher rock weathering rates. The enhancement of plant CO2uptake via rock nitrogen weathering partially resolves nitrogen‐carbon discrepancies in Earth system models and offers an alternative explanation for lack of progressive nitrogen limitation in the terrestrial biosphere. We conclude that natural N inputs impart major control over terrestrial CO2sequestration in Earth’s ecosystems.

     
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  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ( , Global Ecology and Biogeography)
    Abstract Aim

    Identifying how climate change, habitat loss, and corridors interact to influence species survival or extinction is critical to understanding macro‐scale biodiversity dynamics under changing environments. In North America, the ice‐free corridor was the only major pathway for northward migration by megafaunal species during the last deglaciation. However, the timing and interplay among the late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions, climate change, habitat structure, and the opening and reforestation of the ice‐free corridor have been unclear.

     Location

    North America.

     Time period

    15–10 ka.

     Major taxa studied

    Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius).

     Methods

    For central North America and the ice‐free corridor between 15 and 10 ka, we used a series of models and continental‐scale datasets to reconstruct habitat characteristics and assess habitat suitability. The models and datasets include biophysical and statistical niche models Niche Mapper and Maxent, downscaled climate simulations from CCSM3 SynTraCE, LPJ‐GUESS simulations of net primary productivity (NPP) and woody cover, and woody cover based upon fossil pollen from Neotoma.

     Results

    The ice‐free corridor may have been of limited suitability for traversal by mammoths and other grazers due to persistently low productivity by herbaceous plants and quick reforestation after opening 14 ka. Simultaneously, rapid reforestation and decreased forage productivity may have led to declining habitat suitability in central North America. This was possibly amplified by a positive feedback loop driven by reduced herbivory pressures, as mammoth population decline led to the further loss of open habitat.

     Main conclusions

    Declining habitat availability south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and limited habitat availability in the ice‐free corridor were contributing factors in North American extinctions of woolly mammoths and other large grazers that likely operated synergistically with anthropogenic pressures. The role of habitat loss and attenuated corridor suitability for the woolly mammoth extinction reinforce the critical importance of protected habitat connectivity during changing climates, particularly for large vertebrates.

     
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