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Kepp, J.* ; Kiese, R.* ; Klaus, V.H.* ; Kleinebecker, T.* ; Pacay-Barrientos, N.L. ; Schäufele, R.* ; Schloter, M. ; Schöning, I.* ; Schrumpf, M.* ; Schulz, S. ; Schwärzler, T.* ; Schweizer, S.A.* ; Dannenmann, M.*

Management rather than climate and biodiversity shapes long-term δ15N dynamics in grassland soils.

Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 411, 15:110651 (2026)
Postprint DOI
Open Access Green
The bulk soil δ15N signature in grassland soils is fingerprinting nitrogen inputs, and losses, both shaped by land management, climate, and biodiversity. δ15N has been explored as an indicator of these factors in multiple studies with mixed results regarding its primary drivers. This study quantified changes in soil δ15N natural abundance for 72 German grassland sites after 12 years (2011 vs. 2023) and linked these changes to detailed records of land-use intensity, biodiversity, and climate. Land-use intensity was calculated from management activities including mowing, grazing and fertilisation. In the top 10 cm of the soil, δ15N changes between 2011 and 2023 ranged from -0.86 to +2.49‰ (equating to an average increase of +0.35‰ per decade). Over two-thirds of our study sites showed a long-term increase in δ15N. These sites with rising δ15N were associated with high land-use intensity, particularly high rates of fertilisation and grazing. Our findings indicate that management with organic fertiliser application and grazing are the dominant drivers of increases in δ15N. A biodiversity-induced decrease in δ15N due to a tightening of the N cycle and reduction of N losses was not observed. The slow decadal-scale shifts show that single sampling of soil δ15N without known starting values is only informative for long-term processes spanning > 50 years, and does not allow for insights regarding the impacts of more recent management practices. Thus, our findings emphasize the long-term character of bulk soil δ15N as an indicator of management in temperate grasslands, particularly when repeated sampling is not possible.
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Publikationstyp Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Schlagwörter Grassland ; Grazing ; Soil Water ; Biodiversity ; Land Use ; Abiotic Component ; Land Management ; Abundance (ecology); Natural N-15 Abundance; Nitrogen-fertilization; Stable-isotopes; Carbon; Enrichment; Ecosystem; Transformations; Mineralization; Fractions; Turnover
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0167-8809
e-ISSN 1873-2305
Zeitschrift Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
Quellenangaben Band: 411, Heft: , Seiten: 15, Artikelnummer: 110651 Supplement: ,
Verlag Elsevier
Verlagsort Radarweg 29, 1043 Nx Amsterdam, Netherlands
Begutachtungsstatus Peer reviewed
Institut(e) Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis (COMI)
Förderungen DFG Priority Program 1374 "Biodiversity-Exploratories"
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)