Interactions between plant growth and soil nutrient cycling under elevated CO 2 : a meta‐analysis

Abstract free air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) and open top chamber (OTC) studies are valuable tools for evaluating the impact of elevated atmospheric CO 2 on nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Using meta‐analytic techniques, we summarized the results of 117 studies on plant biomass production, soil organic matter dynamics and biological N 2 fixation in FACE and OTC experiments. The objective of the analysis was to determine whether elevated CO 2 alters nutrient cycling between plants and soil and if so, what the implications are for soil carbon (C) sequestration. Elevated CO 2 stimulated gross N immobilization by 22%, whereas gross and net N mineralization rates remained unaffected. In addition,…