Soil nitrogen in grasslands covering almost a third of Earth’s surface is a critical ingredient for producing food and stemming climate change.
Soil nitrogen in grasslands covering almost a third of Earth’s surface is a critical ingredient for producing food and stemming climate change.
Using results from a first-ever global-scale experiment, an international research team that includes a University of Guelph ecologist is getting a clearer picture of how nitrogen in grassland soils drives plant growth for food production and ecosystem health.
This global field study provides a more detailed baseline of worldwide nitrogen levels and improves our understanding of natural nitrogen cycles as well as the effects of widespread over-fertilization through farming, said integrative biology professor Andrew MacDougall.
Along with other members of the global Nutrient Network (NutNet), he’s one of almost 40 international co-authors worldwide of a new paper published recently in Nature Communications.
Continue reading at University of Guelph.
Image via Pixabay.
