Global distribution and drivers of relative contributions among soil nitrogen sources to terrestrial plants

Abstract

Soil extractable nitrate, ammonium, and organic nitrogen (N) are essential N sources supporting primary productivity and regulating species composition of terrestrial plants. However, it remains unclear how plants utilize these N sources and how surface-earth environments regulate plant N utilization. Here, we establish a framework to analyze observational data of natural N isotopes in plants and soils globally, we quantify fractional contributions of soil nitrate (f_NO3-), ammonium (f_NH4+), and organic N (f_EON) to plant-used N in soils. We find that mean annual temperature (MAT), not mean annual precipitation or atmospheric N deposition, regulates global variations of f_NO3-, f_NH4+, and f_EON. The f_NO3- increases with MAT, reaching 46% at 28.5 °C. The f_NH4+ also increases with MAT, achieving a maximum of 46% at 14.4 °C, showing a decline as temperatures further increase. Meanwhile, the f_EON gradually decreases with MAT, stabilizing at about 20% when the MAT exceeds 15 °C. These results clarify global plant N-use patterns and reveal temperature rather than human N loading as a key regulator, which should be considered in evaluating influences of global changes on terrestrial ecosystems.

Isotopic constraints reveal that soil nitrogen contribution to global plants is temperature-controlled, not by precipitation or nitrogen deposition. As temperatures rise, inorganic nitrogen becomes more important and preferred over organic nitrogen.