ORGANIZED ORAL SESSION 48

OOS-48: The fate of nitrogen inputs to terrestrial ecosystems: Results from enriched ¹⁵N stable isotopic studies

Thursday, August 11, 1:30 PM - 5 PM, Meeting Rooms 510b and 510d, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Organizers:  Michelle Mack (mcmack@ufl.edu), Pamela Templer, Knute Nadelhoffer

Description: Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for all living organisms and often limits net primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems. Humans have applied a great deal of ingenuity to surmounting this limitation, and have now doubled global N inputs to terrestrial ecosystems. This has prompted considerable interest among ecologists to understand controls over the fate of N inputs to ecosystems, and the relationship between N inputs and cycling of other elements, particularly carbon. Recent technical innovations in the use of ¹⁵N stable isotopic tracers at the ecosystem scale have produced a wealth of data on the fate of N inputs to terrestrial ecosystems. In this session we will bring together researchers who have used this technique to examine controls over the fate of N in both pristine and N-polluted systems. Talks will showcase some of the more exciting results from these studies, and will include the results of an ongoing cross-site synthesis to understand the basic mechanisms that control the fate of N inputs in terrestrial ecosystems.