We conducted a global synthesis using paired observations of plant mixtures and corresponding monocultures to determine the long-term effects of plant diversity on soil N pools and N transformations. Our findings demonstrate that plant mixtures improve the sustainability of nitrogen cycling and reduce N2O emissions in the long term.
We suggest that the conservation and restoration of terrestrial plant diversity should be designated as a core strategy for regulating soil nitrogen cycling. In order to guide land managers in adopting diverse planting practices such as intercropping and agroforestry, we recommend that policy formulation should integrate three goals:
- biodiversity conservation
- climate mitigation
- soil health management
Meanwhile, indicators related to soil nitrogen cycling should be incorporated into conservation effectiveness evaluation systems, with simultaneous consideration for enhancing ecosystem multifunctionality, ultimately achieving a win-win outcome for ecological conservation and climate mitigation.
This is a Plain Language Summary discussing a recently-published article in Journal of Applied Ecology. Find the full article here.
The Applied Ecologist 