Effects of Nitrogen Deposition, Biodiversity and Climate on Productivity in a Large Temperate Forest Region

Abstract

Aim Nitrogen deposition is a widespread global change driver that significantly affects terrestrial ecosystems. However, evidence on the specific mechanisms of productivity response to nitrogen deposition in temperate forests across ecological and climatic gradients is scarce. This study evaluates the effects of nitrogen deposition, multiple attributes of biodiversity and climate on productivity in a large temperate forest region. Location North‐eastern China. Time Period 2017. Major Taxa Studied Woody plants. Methods We assessed taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic attributes of tree diversity and functional identity of forest communities across a wide range of ecological and climatic conditions. Using partial linear mixed models (LMMs), multivariate LMMs, and structural equation modelling, we investigated the effects and pathways of nitrogen deposition, biodiversity, and climate conditions on productivity. We also explored the relationship between nitrogen deposition and productivity across biotic and climatic gradients. Results Our results show that nitrogen deposition, phylogenetic diversity (PD), and the community‐weighted mean of maximum tree height (CWMHM) are significant positive drivers of productivity. Climate conditions primarily affected productivity indirectly through PD. In species‐poor high‐latitude forests characterised by cold and dry climates, nitrogen deposition had strong positive effects on productivity. That effect weakened towards warmer climatic conditions. Main Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that the response of productivity to nitrogen deposition depends on local ecological and climatic conditions. Our results underscore the importance of considering interactions among multiple global change drivers to improve the accuracy of ecosystem response predictions.

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